Barbados – from the Caribbean to the Atlantic

My September schedule was packed with travel and that’s why I didn’t find time to write all last week. The great thing is that I have now discovered a lot of new places and am looking forward to sharing all these experiences with you. But before I start, I would like to finish my Caribbean adventure first, because two of the islands are still missing.

On the second-to-last day of the cruise, Barbados was on the agenda. Barbados is located a bit off the Windward belt and was therefore settled rather late compared to the rest of the Caribbean islands. Today, Bridgetown is one of the largest and most prosperous Caribbean capitals with around 110,000 inhabitants. A detour into the city is worthwhile. There is a beautiful waterfront with cafes, shopping street, various markets, a cathedral and an old synagogue.

Barbados has two sides of its own and therefore it is worth exploring the southwestern and northeastern halves of the island by car. Since we only spent a few hours here, we booked the “Coast to Coast Scenic Drive”. For a possible next time I would take a rental car.

In Bridgetown and the subsequent coastal towns, the sea is typically Caribbean, light blue and calm. Along this coast there are also numerous hotels on the beautiful beaches. We made our first stop in Holetown. There is a monument commemorating the first English settlers who landed here in 1625. As soon as you leave the coastal road, you first pass plantation landscapes that have shaped the history of Barbados and today’s prosperity. This is followed by small villages surrounded by tropical forests.

In Bathsheba, on the Atlantic coast, we made our lunch stop. The sea shows itself here from a completely different side. Rough surf washes around the sandy beach and if you dare to enter the water here, you should be particularly experienced on the one hand and know where which currents appear on the other, because otherwise it is better to refrain from bathing. We first enjoyed a rum at the Atlantis Hotel and then walked along the beach and marveled at the diverse rock creations along the coast. The last stop was St. John’s Church, from where you can enjoy an absolutely unique view over the eastern and southeastern coast.

Of all the islands we visited during this cruise, Barbados was the most diverse and colorful. I especially found the interior of the island with the rainforest and the many small watercourses charming. Unfortunately, unfortunately, we “had” to travel on after almost 7 hours of island experience.