Last Day & Home

Wow, that week went quickly! We always seem to prove the theory about time flying when you're having fun! Antigua was a great island to visit. We only saw one mosquito,  but that may have been a result of the fogging that went on daily. There were also no snakes, bees, wasps, spiders or other giant insects. That's always a plus!

We started the day with a small rain shower at breakfast and this beautiful rainbow. It was a full arc but this part was the most defined. 

 The grounds at Sandals were amazingly well kept at all times. The variety of plants, shrubs and flowers was incredible. As we walked around we tried to record some of the best. These two are, we believe, types of frangipani. 

These are the beachfront chairs that are highly valued by sun seekers. They get booked quite early but are usually free later in the day. 

This is the beachfront restaurant where the floor is sand. We had a couple of lunches here. 

We walked the beach a few times on the last day, just because it was so beautiful. 

We decided to spend some time by the big pool and found good seats again. We watched the Reggae aerobics class which made me hungry. So, we got some take out pizza to eat by the pool. It seemed like the best choice at the time!

Marilyn wanted to swim in the sea. I was content to walk in it and be the photographer. I don't mind going into seas and oceans with a purpose, like snorkelling, but swimming around is not my favourite activity. 

We then intended to go and sit at the swim up bar in the smaller pool by our room. However, as we arrived, the daily pool volleyball game was starting and they were short a player. Not having sunscreen on my covered parts was a problem, so I left my shirt on. At least Marilyn could see which one I was!

After a few strenuous games, I thought sitting on the beach with some wine to watch a final sunset would be appropriate. 

Impromptu beach wine holder. It worked well except when the wind kicked up the sand.

  

Our last dinner was at Mario's, which turned out to be our favourite of all the restaurants at the resort.

And, this was our parting view of Antigua. 

St. John's, Antigua

This is Friday's post. Blogger has been acting oddly so I apologize if this post is a mess and has double photos etc. I'm redoing it, which may fix the problem.

Not too much blabbing from me today as it will be mostly pictures. We took a taxi to St. John's, the capital of the island and spent a couple of hours exploring. In the end, we walked around 10 km and saw some interesting parts of the city.

    

   We wanted to see the market which only opened on Friday and Saturday. When we got there, we found it was being renovated and only a few stalls were open.

However, there were a lot of stalls set up on the streets outside. They sold everything from clothes to food. 

    There's a large monument to Vere Bird near the market. He was the prime minister in 1981 when Antigua achieved full independence from Great Britain.

    In the touristy part of town, most of the buildings are well maintained and brightly painted.

    You do have to watch out for the sidewalks though. They're a bit of a nightmare for someone who is prone to tripping on flat surfaces. If you miss the edge because you're looking at your camera, it's a nasty drop into a ditch that is often filled with water and other stuff. 

    And then you arrive at the cruise ship dock. There were only two ships in while we were there.

    The ships are massive. I don't think we've ever been this close to them before.

    They drop off hundreds or maybe thousands of people who pretty much stay in the tourist area of town.

    This is the tourist area. Quite fancy with all the high end stores that are pretty much the same in every stop. I don't get how this constitutes visiting the island. You are constantly approached by people wanting to take you on tours which is quite annoying. We left the area quickly!

 We walked over the St. John's Cathedral, a 179 year old building that is being extensively renovated due to age and termite damage. It appears to be quite an undertaking that is moving slowly.

   

   As you move away from the tourist zone, you get a better impression of what the city is like. We were told that it was safe to walk around so we did. Everyone we met was very friendly although there weren't that many people around.

There were lots of little places to eat and some had quite interesting signs.

I know this will sound like a rerun, but we spent most of the afternoon by the pool. The volleyball game was the entertainment!

I also managed to catch another one of the tufted hummingbirds eating. We've figured out that they approach the hibiscus flowers from the back which helps a bit when trying to capture them with a camera!

Field Trip

So, somehow I forgot to include the photo we had taken at the restaurant last night. Yikes! This is us on our 20th anniversary. As happy now as we were 20 years ago!

Today was our exploration day. We went on a private taxi tour of some of the major sights. A number of small villages were also included. The driver was a local who told us about the history and culture of the island. 

    Another resort on another beautiful beach.

The first stop was Nelson's Dockyard at English Harbour. We saw the harbour that now holds multi-million dollar yachts as well as the old buildings and fortifications. 

Next, we moved on, or rather up, to Shirley Heights. Here we saw the remains of the fort that overlooked and protected the harbour. The view from the top of the mountain was spectacular. There was also an interpretive centre that provided a historical background for Antigua. And that was about all of the knowledge our brains could handle on a trip like this!

    The impressive view of English Harbour from Shirley Heights.

    A view of the other direction shows Eric Clapton's compound at the end of the rocks to the far right. 

   Remains of the old fort.

    Stairway to nowhere!

One of the small towns we passed through was called Liberta. We made a quick stop there to see a church. No, not to attend a service, but to look at the bricks. They were made from a kind of green stone found here. 

After a quick lunch when we got back, we spent the rest of the afternoon by the pool. With this Tequila Sunrise I officially finished off my side of the drink menu. Marilyn has a bit of work to do on hers.