In front of the airport is a bus station, so no taxi is needed. It got already dark and was raining when I left my room for a walk. Just in the street, a young Bajan comes toward me and askes: "Can you give me ten bugs please?" Whow, that was a shock; never before a hobo begged me for more than one dollar. So I became aware, that Barbados isn't a cheep place. Budget accommodations are rare and food prices are high. But once you know where to stay, and since the US Dollar is weak, it's not that bad any more. There are cheaper islands in the Caribbean, but more expensive ones as well.

Barbados is still very british, somehow more civilised than other Caribbean islands. It's often called the "Little England" of the Caribbean because of its British traditions of afternoon tea and cricket matches, which are blended with warm island hospitality. When I come now to Barbados, I feel like comming home. It's because Barbados is a save country and travelling around is really easy. The South Coast is very touristic and has a heavy road traffic, but offers great nightlife. The beautiful sand beaches here are quiet and perfect for swimming. Barbados is a very comfortable place.

= STRIEWA =
 

Attractions

Bridgetown
The capital of Barbados is the largest city of the island. English settlement began her in 1628. The main street of Bridgetown is Broad Street which runs directly through the centre of the city. Broad Street passes the Parliament Buildings and serves as the centre of city's shopping area. Opposite the Parliament Buildings lies the old "Trafalgar Square" with the Lord Nelson Statue, wich was erected 30 years before London's Lord Nelson column. The Bridgetown Port is the major port of entry for cruise and cargo ships docking in Barbados. St. Michael's Cathedral from the seventeenth century has a fine vaulted ceiling and some old tombs. The Mount Gay Rum Factory offers a tour through one the world's oldest rum distilleries. Paradise Beach is a nice quiet beach close to the City.

Garrison Savannah
Between Bridgetown and Hastings lies the Garrison Historic Area, which was the base of the British West Indies Regiment in Barbados during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Today the Savannah is home of the Barbados Turf Club. The racing season runs for almost the entire year and a number of thoroughbred horses and creoles run for handsome prize money. The main event is the Sandy Lane Gold Cup, which attracts entrants from across the Caribbean and jockeys from the United Kingdom and Canada.

Bathsheba
Bathsheba is the jewels of the wild, rugged East Coast and the main fishing village in the parish of Saint Joseph. The beach is studded with large coral boulders; one big bolder is known as Bathsheba Rock. 
Bathsheba is known as the Soup Bowl because of its foaming surf. Steady big Atlantic rollers break in cascades of foam and make Bathsheba one of the best places for surfing in the Caribbean. The beach attracts surfers from all over the world. Many local and international surfing championships take place here every year. 

Andromeda Botanic Gardens
Not far from Bathsheba are these well-kept botanical gardens. A stepping stone path leads you through the various plants and trees. The highlights of the garden and walking paths are charted out in a flyer that is available at the ticketing center. 

Barbados Weddings
A beach wedding is very popular nowadays with many couples. Getting married in Barbados is very easy as there is no required waiting period or minimum length of stay. Legal weddings can even be performed on the island for cruise ship passengers within a few hours. Many hotels offer great packages for couples who want to get married. Couples can choose from many venues like on a boat, in a church, under a cool shade of a tree, breezing sea cliff or in the soft white pinkish sandy beaches. After the matrimonial ceremony itself couples can enjoy their romantic honeymoon in the white sandy beaches. 

Harrison’s Cave
Located in the centre of Barbados, Harrison's Cave is a natural phenomenon, unique to the tropical world. The cave was naturally formed by water erosion through the limestone rock. This limestone cavern has beautiful stalactites and stalagmites. An underground tour displays numerous caverns, calcite formations, and crystal blue waters form magnificent pools and waterfalls. One main area of the caves is a huge cavern, termed "The Great Hall", measuring over 100 feet in height.  A comfortable tram takes visitors through the underground tunnels. The cave was opened as a tourist attraction in 1981. The entrance fee is quite high.
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St. Lawrence Gap
Saint Lawrence Gap, sometimes just called "The Gap", is located on the South Coast of Barbados between Oistins and Worthing. It is a one mile stretch of road and famous for it's lively nightlife and fine restaurants. It is a hive of activity morning, noon and night as it backs on to Dover Beach which is a busy hotel area. The Gap makes Barbados to the party island of the Caribbean. The bars and clubs offer different types of entertainment from Rock, Reggae, Calypso, Rhythm & Blues to Salsa with live music and karaoke. Many street vendors selling a variety of goods and sometimes bother the tourists.

Crop Over Festival
Crop-Over, as the name states, is the end of the harvest, a celebration that now goes for five weeks. It is like Carnival and the most popular and colourful festival of Barbados. Its origins can be traced back to the 1780's, a time when Barbados was the world's largest producer of sugar. At the end of the sugar season, there was always a huge celebration to mark the culmination of another successful sugar cane harvest - the Crop Over celebration.

Karaoke Competitions
Karaoke is very popular in Barbados and many bars and rum shops offer karaoke competitions. You can often find a bar featuring karaoke at any given night of the week, although Fridays and Saturdays are particularly popular. The contestants come from all over the island and not all can sing, what makes the show very funny. Karaoke in Barbados carries with it a relaxed, easygoing attitude that it's impossible not to laugh. There is even a Barbados Karaoke Championship hold in April every year.

Speightstown
Located at the north-west coast of Barbados, Speightstown is one of the islands major towns. Once one of Barbados's busiest ports, Speightstown had fallen into disrepair. Much of the character of Speightstown can be found in its colonial architecture. The historic buildings dating back to the early settlement of Barbados.

Bussa Emancipation Statue
Bussa, (also recorded as Bussa, or Busso or Bussoe) was born in Africa but captured and brought to Barbados to work as a slave. In 1816 he led a slave rebellion and got killed in battle. Although the rebellion ultimately failed, it was never forgotten. In 1985 the Emancipation Statue was created by Bajan sculptor Karl Broodhagen and erected at the roundabout in Haggatt Hall, St Michael. In 1999, Bussa was named as one of the national heroes of Barbados. The statue symbolizes the "Breaking Of Chains". There is also a national holiday “Emancipation Day”, which celebrates the emancipation of the slaves.

Light Houses
Barbados has four historic lighthouses: Ragged Point, South Point, Harrison Point and Needhams Point. Ragged Point Lighthouse from 1875 is located on a bluff above the Atlantic about 2 km northwest of East Point, the easternmost point of the island. South Point Lighthouse from 1852 is located near the southernmost point of the island. Needhams Point Lighthouse from 1855 is located at the south end of Carlisle Bay, southwest of Bridgetown. Harrison Point Lighthouse from 1925 is located at the northwesternmost point of the island, about 8 km north of Speightstown. 

Sam Lord's Castle
Sam Lord's Castle is a beautiful Georgian mansion built in 1820 by the notorious buccaneer Samuel Hall Lord. Unfortunately a fire in October 2010 destroyed the historic building. Sam Lord's Castle was located on the south-east coast on a white sand beach  and used as a Resort. 

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