Antigua 2

Antigua

We have a Cruise Critic sponsored tour booked for today and so we are up fairly early, we have our breakfast and head out. We are not alone this morning the cruising sailing ship The Wind Star is in port along side of us.

Ken and I meet the tour at the designated place and right away we load up. It is the same group as yesterday but there are only 7 of us. That makes it much better. There is plenty of room in the van. Our driver is named Carl and we are underway. Carl has a microphone system and he speaks very clearly. 

As we climbed a hill Carl pointed out the new local hospital. I caught a glimpse of a lighthouse near the hospital. When asked, Carl said the lighthouse was not opened.

Because the Australian couple of Roger and Clair have requested it our first stop is at the newly completed Cricket  stadium. Carl tells us that it has been built by the Chinese and gifted to the Island of Antigua. It is magnificent in every aspect

 When we arrive inside the English team is there posing for a group picture.. I ask about the rules of the game and how it is played and I am not much wiser after all of the explanations are given. That is something I am going to have to Google when time permits.

We board the bus and we are off again. Carl points out all of the major buildings such as government buildings, hospitals, parliament buildings and the university. He names the parishes and the towns and villages as we pass through them. He tells us of the significance of the names , such as the village of Freedom town which was the first area to emancipate the slaves. He stops at a billboard which features the persons recognized as the heroes  of  the country. These are the important people of the country’s past and presence.

Our first major stop was at Betty’s Hope, a restored 17^th century sugar plantation that shows you what a working plantation was like in colonial times. The restoration is underway and many of the mills pieces of machinery have been restored to working condition. The visitors center which is housed in a former store room features a museum of estate plans, pictures and maps. I was particularly interested in the list of property on the plantation including the names of the slaves there. The grounds are extensive and there are many foundations and footings and sign explaining what you are seeing. It should be rather magnificent when it is finished.

Next stop Devil’s Bridge.

This is a natural bridge formed by erosion. You can see the waves pounding under it today. Apparently many slaves died here. It was believed that many thought they could swim back to Africa from here and they drowned in the attempt. Carl told us there is a petition underway to rename this Heavens   Gate.

We drove across the island with Carl pointing out many villages and schools and hospitals and answering all of our questions about the area.

The next major stop was at Nelson’s Dockyard. This is a natural Hurricane Hole. Ships shelter here when a hurricane is expected. Once it was home to 17 of the Royal Navy’s warships during colonial times.

Today it has been restored and in most cases the buildings are being used for their same purpose today. I bought 2 pineapple turnovers from the bakery that used to be the bakery centuries ago. Instead of the old naval vessels, the harbour is used by private sailing yachts. Many of the buildings help service yachts that are based here, and those are making ocean voyages. History has come full circle. The museums, boutiques, and restored buildings are part of the area’s designated national park

From the dockyard we went to Dow’s Hill Interpretative Center. Here there was a multimedia presentation celebrating Antigua’s colorful history from prehistoric days to the present.  It was very well done with dioramas and films. The grounds also contain historic ruins and a display of 18^th century artifacts collectwd from around the island. The views from here were amazing.

Next stop Shirley Heights

This spot was a look out to warn of approaching ships. There were many cannons stationed here and they would warn the Dockyard of any approaching French or privateers. It is nicely restored and it was a perfect photo stop. We could even see Eric Clapton’s house from here.

We drove along what is called Fig Tree Drive. It is a picturesque road that winds through lush vegetation, rainforest foliage and fruit groves. We saw sugar mills and quaint churches. But we did not see figs… in Antigua the word fig means banana.

We passed pineapple fields and saw some plants up close.

Soon our wonderful five hour trip with Carl came to an end and we were back at the port.

When we got back we discovered that a new ship had arrived in port. It is an Italian ship and the passengers were pouring off carrying towels, obviously on their way to a beach.

When we got back to our balcony we were able to zoom in and get a picture of the phantom lighthouse.

The next 2 days are sea days, time to relax and just take it easy.