Last year I decided that I will miss Advent in Prague. and I'll go out into the heat. No frosts, no stress, just disappear for three whole weeks and not come back until Christmas Eve. I combined business with pleasure and set off for a language course in Barbados. How did I spend these three weeks?
St. Nicholas Abbey
My Sunday trip to Barbados started off brilliantly and I honestly didn't expect to get so much done. The goal was to visit the famous St. Nicholas Abbey. Because I knew that the path was, to put it mildly, complicated, I preferred to leave in the morning. First I hailed a taxi to get to Bridgetown, from where I walked to the second bus terminal and looked for a bus to Speightstown.
Actually, it was enough to get here. I was determined that if things didn't work out here, I would go to St. Nicholas Abbey. I'll take an Uber. or another taxi. The stupid thing was that I wanted to catch the train and they buy tickets for that. time tickets. But I preferred not to buy anything beforehand and wait to see how the trip would turn out. However, today the The trip exceeded my expectations..
Upon arriving in Speightstown, I simply asked at the station how to get to St. Nicholas Abbey, the lady called the van driver and he loaded me in. He even told me that he would stops at the shortcut, so that I wouldn't have to walk so far from the road to the Abbey. And I have to say, I really helped a lot and I arrived at the place unexpectedly almost an hour before the first morning train ride. The best start to the day.
Historic railway ride through Barbados
The local railway has an incredibly rich history, even though its the main era ended in 1937. Originally, sugar cane and people were transported from Bridgetown all the way north, but today everything is different.
As a result, the St. Nicholas Abbey Heritage Railway the only functional line on the island. It only opened in 2019 and is an absolute blast for anyone who enjoys travel and history.
Once the historic steam locomotive starts moving, you will be taken on an hour-long ride through mahogany forests. Along the way, your guide will tell you lots of interesting facts from history and the present, talk about the plans, and point out interesting places along the route.
The train will take you to the viewpoint. Cherry Tree Hill, from where you have the whole coast in the palm of your hand. Here the train turns. The machine is easily disconnected and the turntable is simply turned over by human power. No turning circle. Just that quick and easy. Then the ride continues back to the station, where some passengers get off (they only bought a short ride), the others continue on to the second circle.
Plantation House and Liquid Gold
After about an hour on the train, the next part of the tour continues. There is also a manor house from 1900. 1658. It is one of the only three preserved Jacobean houses in the Western Hemisphere. The interiors are full of period furniture and you feel like you're in another century.
Here the tour is faster, they show the ground floor of the house, but it is still very interesting.
St. Nicholas Abbey is also a working rum distillery. Everything is made by hand here. The rum is distilled in a copper pot still called Annabelle and they don't use molasses, but fresh sugarcane juice.
Each bottle is hand-filled and waxed. It's honest work. During the tour there was also a tasting and I have to say that this rum is also very good. And the price corresponds to the handwork. I just don't have any more space in my suitcase, so I didn't take a bottle from here. Maybe next time.
Barbados and wildlife in the reserve
I have a great time and it's about 4 km away Wildlife Reserve. I originally wanted to walk, but I'm glad I changed my mind and just called Uber. Just like in Prague. Only the poor lady drove all the way from Speightstown to drop me off 4 km. When I saw that, I immediately tipped her $3… and then cleverly added another $3 extra on the way out. So ten-minute journey $12, tip $6. Well, I got a thank you note afterwards. But I saved my legs and a lot of time.
The reservation itself there is no classic zoo, where the animals are in cages. It's a four-acre forest where most of the inhabitants move completely freely among visitors.
Green monkeys: The main stars that come together by the dozens during feeding time.
Elephant tortoises: There are clouds of them here and they will easily cross your path.
Exotic animals: You will see deer, peacocks, parrots and caimans here.
I was lucky and I caught the feeding time. It was a blast. Monkeys next to monkeys. I've never seen them like this anywhere before. No bars, no nets, just unique nature and us. I looked at them for about an hour. I'm still excited about it and I definitely recommend a visit to everyone. I didn't forget to walk through the rest of the park, where there are other exotic animals, and I slowly made my way home.
Farley Hill National Park
As soon as I reached the road, I realized that I had a Farley Hill National Park. I had that one on my list too. So I crossed the road and went for a walk in the park.
They are there ruins of an old mansion and it's a perfect place to just sit and look out at the ocean and the coast. I enjoyed a moment of peace and quiet here. There was no one around.
That City
Time was running out and to get to Oistins safely I had to slowly head back. I got to the nearest bus stop just below the park and a local guy told me that Nothing will be moving here for at least another hour and a half.. Well, as is customary in Barbados, Nice and easy to the busier road.
I walked to the intersection with the road I had taken in the morning, hoping for better luck. Together we under the bright sun almost gone two kilometers, until I heard behind me honking and my favorite driver call from the window "Speightstown?". Sure, I'll get in and go. I'm going alone, in an unmarked car, so I just hope it's really a shared taxi.
We don't pick anyone up on the way, because no one is waiting on the route like this on a Sunday afternoon, and when the driver drops me off at the train station, he wants the usual 3.50 Barbadian dollars. So good.
All that's left is hour bus ride to Oistins, fortunately, it runs relatively well according to the schedule. In the evening, already in the dark, I return home, to the shower and to bed. One of the best days in Barbados.
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