Monday, 1 March 2024

Bridgetown, Barbados

We awake to another beautiful morning, already preparing to dock in the capital city of Bridgetown. Because we are booked on an early morning shore excursion, we enjoy a leisurely room-service breakfast. I will describe the details after returning to Sunday in Dominica, the second of three English-speaking islands. 

Sunday, 31 March 2024

Roseau, Dominica

 

At 9am Sirena is docked at the island nation of Dominica (pronounced Do-min-eék-a), another first-time port for both of us. From our veranda this island looks about 20 times the size of Jost Van Dyke. I hate to report that it looks like another perfect weather day, although the heat and humidity are already rising into the 80's. We are docked at a small commercial port a few miles from Roseau, the capital city, because a much larger Celebrity Cruise Ship is docked at the main cruise port in town.

The island has been governed by the French, the British, the French again, and finally the British again before achieving independence in November 1978. Like the English, the local population drives on the left, plays cricket, and is governed by a president (currently female), prime minister, and parliament.

At 10:15 we head out on the first Oceania shore excursion of the journey:  "Easy Dominica & Rainforest Drive."  We are in a large, comfortable van holding about 20 passengers. After driving through the center of Roseau, with quaint balconied buildings, clearly influenced by French architecture, we take a circuitous drive up Mourn Berne for views of the city and a short guided visit to the Botanical Garden.

After learning about flowers and trees endemic to this island, we continue up a seriously frightening road of many hairpin turns and narrow driving lanes to reach a higher elevation in the center of the island, where we can view Jackoo Falls. Intrepid tourists can walk down a series of steps to reach the bottom of the falls, but Will and I are content to view it from the top. We are in the midst of a rainforest and the vegetation is luxuriant and strange.

After a light refreshment--watermelon and juice--we return to Roseau and ms Sirena. There is a free shuttle from the ship to downtown Roseau, but I forego that in favor of a light lunch in the Terrace Cafe. We have dinner reservations in the second premium restaurant, Red Ginger, and we wouldn't want to spoil our appetites.

For dinner we order a series of old favorites that we enjoy on every Oceania cruise. First comes a plate of warm, salted Edamame pods with tasty seeds that pop out onto our fingers. Will begins with an Asian mixed salad with peanut dressing; I start with a crispy duck salad and then prawns in a spicy chili sauce. For the main course, Will and I order the same item:  scrumptious Chilean sea bass filet, wrapped in a large green leaf. I have Red Ginger rice on the side and Will enjoys asparagus in a creamy white sauce. For dessert we both enjoy Bounty Cakes: creamy filling surrounded by ladyfingers and topped with coconut and chocolate sauce. We order a bottle of Pinot Grigio to go with it all, but manage to finish only half the bottle. We will the wine when we return to Red Ginger in two days.

Sorry for delay of this blog. No photos today. Both the result of terrible web service on first day in the Atlantic.