Tap into this post to read about some of our sightseeing, fun facts, travel tips and many pictures of our time in Barbados. We encourage you to get out and see the world if you are able, and if not, we will bring it to you through our posts. We hope you enjoy!
The national flag of Barbados is a simple but unique design with a three-panel field of blue and gold and a trident in center. The blue panels represent the sea and sky of the island nation while the gold panel represents the golden sand of its beaches. The black trident symbolizes the Trident of Neptune, the sea god. The trident’s shaft is broken, which symbolizes Barbados’ breaking away from British rule to gain its own independence in 1966.
Sunny Barbados!
Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, is well known as a cruise ship friendly town and we were eager to arrive. Nina and I decided to forego any excursions in Barbados, instead we walked into town from the ship, which only took us around 10 minutes. Bridgetown is easily walkable and we enjoyed our own self-guided walking (more like aimlessly meandering) tour around city center. We had a mooch around a few shops, snapped many photos of colourful buildings, had a nice casual lunch by the harbour, and really enjoyed our leisurely day in Barbados.
See photos below of Colonial architecture in Bridgetown, historic landmarks, and natural beauty of Barbados.
Facts & Figures
— Barbados literally means ‘bearded ones’ in Spanish (Los Barbados), presumably after the bearded native Caribs who inhabited the island when the Spanish explorers first arrived.
— Barbados lies only 13° north of the equator resulting in year round tropical weather.
— Bridgetown is the capital of Barbados and its largest city with a population of over 110,000 in the greater metropolitan area.
— Spanish explorers laid claim to Barbados in the 1400s but did not establish a permanent settlement. In 1625, England re-claimed Barbados as a British colony and established a settlement in 1627.
— Barbados thrived on sugar cane and it was a key constituent in the Caribbean slave trade until slavery was abolished in 1807.
Travel Tips
— As Barbados is a former British colony, Barbadians therefore drive on the left
— Bridgetown is a tourist friendly city and we felt safe everywhere we went during our self-guided walking tour
— The unit of currency for Barbados is the Barbadian dollar (BBD), which is pegged to the US Dollar; US dollars are widely accepted throughout Barbados
Psalms 37:4 – New Living Translation (NLT)
4 Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires.
If you are a worldwide trekker like us and want to become more ‘worldly’, then you will want to try our books below. Thanks to the former British Empire and current Commonwealth, the English language is widely spoken across the world; however, it is spoken quite differently depending on where you are traveling. We believe the books below are essential to worldly trekkers and think you will find them both fun and informative. The books include a dictionary of everyday words and phrases, traditional cuisine, some history and culture, as well as other handy and humorous information.
Simply click on the book covers below to find out more:
