Wednesday, January 12, 2012--We stepped off the MV Fantasy at about 9:30 AM for a day of discovery on New Providence Island. As we walked down the gangway there was a Norwegian cruise ship berthing across from us. The other three berths were empty.
No passport is required here. As we strode toward morning and the colorful Festival Place Welcome Center building with the 855 foot long white cruise ship behind us at Prince George Wharf it was a warm day with cloudless sky. We stopped in the Welcome Center long enough to get a map of the downtown Nassau area. Almost immediately we sensed the friendliness of the Bahamians. Every face seemed to have a smile on
No passport is required here. As we strode toward morning and the colorful Festival Place Welcome Center building with the 855 foot long white cruise ship behind us at Prince George Wharf it was a warm day with cloudless sky. We stopped in the Welcome Center long enough to get a map of the downtown Nassau area. Almost immediately we sensed the friendliness of the Bahamians. Every face seemed to have a smile on
it with a cherry "Hello" or "Good morning".
Across Wooden Rogers Walk was Ransom Square. The park had the traditional park benches and the aged men on the benches. Amongst the towering palms was a bust of Sir Milo Houghton Butler, the first Governor-General of the independent Bahamas. We crossed busy Bay Street to Parliament Square. The building is of Greek Revival architecture and is what must be the most popular color in the Bahamas, pink. A statue of a young Queen Victoria adorns the front of the building but has little resemblance to Emily Blunt. The two cannon with iron carriages flanking the statue are very similar to those at Edinburgh castle in Scotland. A pretty girl of about ten-years-old was pretending to fire one of the cannon, and I snapped her picture.
We continued our walk up Parliament Street past the Supreme Court Building and the Garden of Remembrance. On the corner of Parliament Street and Shirley Street stands the Nassau Public Library and Museum. It is the oldest building on Parliament Square, built in 1798 as a jail and later converted. It's a very interesting building of octagonal shape. We turned left on Shirley Street, facing the morning sun, as we sought the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle. At the corner of Elizabeth and Shirley we turned right and began the climb up Bennet's Hill past some construction projects and the hospital. The construction workers, like everyone else, were friendly. The street traffic was quite heavy, and pedestrians did not always have the right of way. I believe they would hit you. You drive on the left here, but there are many left-hand-drive cars.
Near the summit, after passing the hospital, we were somewhat bewildered to find no signage to the Queen's Staircase, a noted tourist attraction. However, a smiling Bahamian woman sensed our plight and pointed us in the right direction. She referred to it as the "66 steps" not the Queen's Staircase. These stone steps were cut from the limestone in this quarry in the late 1700's by slaves. They were later renamed The Queen's Staircase in honor of Queen Victoria. Like many old structures, many stories are told about their origins, and to prove their accuracy is sometimes futile. This was a delightful place with cool temperatures from the shade of trees and the quarry walls. There are vendors here selling all sorts of souvenirs, and Claudette bargained for a straw hat. I've been trying to teach her not to pay the asked price, and I think my coaching is paying off. She bargained five dollars off the asked price. At the top of the stairs was a chatty man in a wheelchair. I expected him to ask for a hand-out, but he did not. The Bahamas are full of surprises. The top of this hill is the highest point on New Providence Island. Is there a better place for a fort? I don't think so. From here you get a breathtaking view of the island and the turquoise sea beyond. By now there were four cruise ships tied up in the harbor, and about ten thousand people would be coming ashore. I suggested to Claudette that we finish our excursion soon before this island got too crowded.
Across Wooden Rogers Walk was Ransom Square. The park had the traditional park benches and the aged men on the benches. Amongst the towering palms was a bust of Sir Milo Houghton Butler, the first Governor-General of the independent Bahamas. We crossed busy Bay Street to Parliament Square. The building is of Greek Revival architecture and is what must be the most popular color in the Bahamas, pink. A statue of a young Queen Victoria adorns the front of the building but has little resemblance to Emily Blunt. The two cannon with iron carriages flanking the statue are very similar to those at Edinburgh castle in Scotland. A pretty girl of about ten-years-old was pretending to fire one of the cannon, and I snapped her picture.
We continued our walk up Parliament Street past the Supreme Court Building and the Garden of Remembrance. On the corner of Parliament Street and Shirley Street stands the Nassau Public Library and Museum. It is the oldest building on Parliament Square, built in 1798 as a jail and later converted. It's a very interesting building of octagonal shape. We turned left on Shirley Street, facing the morning sun, as we sought the Queen's Staircase and Fort Fincastle. At the corner of Elizabeth and Shirley we turned right and began the climb up Bennet's Hill past some construction projects and the hospital. The construction workers, like everyone else, were friendly. The street traffic was quite heavy, and pedestrians did not always have the right of way. I believe they would hit you. You drive on the left here, but there are many left-hand-drive cars.
Near the summit, after passing the hospital, we were somewhat bewildered to find no signage to the Queen's Staircase, a noted tourist attraction. However, a smiling Bahamian woman sensed our plight and pointed us in the right direction. She referred to it as the "66 steps" not the Queen's Staircase. These stone steps were cut from the limestone in this quarry in the late 1700's by slaves. They were later renamed The Queen's Staircase in honor of Queen Victoria. Like many old structures, many stories are told about their origins, and to prove their accuracy is sometimes futile. This was a delightful place with cool temperatures from the shade of trees and the quarry walls. There are vendors here selling all sorts of souvenirs, and Claudette bargained for a straw hat. I've been trying to teach her not to pay the asked price, and I think my coaching is paying off. She bargained five dollars off the asked price. At the top of the stairs was a chatty man in a wheelchair. I expected him to ask for a hand-out, but he did not. The Bahamas are full of surprises. The top of this hill is the highest point on New Providence Island. Is there a better place for a fort? I don't think so. From here you get a breathtaking view of the island and the turquoise sea beyond. By now there were four cruise ships tied up in the harbor, and about ten thousand people would be coming ashore. I suggested to Claudette that we finish our excursion soon before this island got too crowded.
On top of Bennet's Hill is the most interesting fort I've ever seen, Fort Fincastle. Built of stone in 1794, it is semicircular with a triangular structure on the flat side of the semicircle. The cannon are mounted on the curved walls. These cannon aren't the originals but were placed here in the 19th century. I find the cannon unique in that they are on iron carriages which sit on tracks to allow recoil. The entire track and cannon can be pivoted. This allows for full coverage of the city of Nassau as well as Paradise Island, formally known as Hog Island. The cannon are at least six feet off the ground which makes me ponder how they were loaded and fired. But, that pondering is food for another blog. The fort gets its name from once governor Lord Dunmore, Viscount Fincastle. The admission is only one dollar. US currency is readily accepted in the Bahamas. Inside the fort are guides who work for tips. They aren't pushy, they simply state that they earn their livelihood this way. The fort soon fills up with tourists which signals time for us to leave.
We took a dirt foot path from the front of the fort past two sleeping dogs to the street below. There is a fruit stand near an abandoned car with tasty appearing citrus, but we were without small domination bills, so we didn't shop. We found ourselves on Charlotte Street and continued down the hill to Bay Street. We were ready for some shopping and a mid-morning snack. The street seems to be all jewelry shops and souvenir shops with few restaurants. Eventually we found Skans at the corner of Bay and Market Range. It seemed to be a great time for a spot of tea. To my surprise hot tea is not readily available. I think perhaps the tourist trade has destroyed a bit of English tradition. But what I really wanted were some conch fritters. I have memories of those in Key West some years back. According to the menu they are a lunch dish, but our waitress said the cook could probably make some for me before the lunch hour. Claudette chose the conch burger, and we shared. They were great, especially the fritters with slightly spicy dipping sauce. We had just finished our meal when the waitress said, "Look out into the street!" We rushed onto the sidewalk to see what was going on. It seems the court was going into session, and the justices walk down the street to the Supreme Court building. There must have been over a hundred of these elegant Bahamians in their black robes with their powdered wigs on their heads.
We took a dirt foot path from the front of the fort past two sleeping dogs to the street below. There is a fruit stand near an abandoned car with tasty appearing citrus, but we were without small domination bills, so we didn't shop. We found ourselves on Charlotte Street and continued down the hill to Bay Street. We were ready for some shopping and a mid-morning snack. The street seems to be all jewelry shops and souvenir shops with few restaurants. Eventually we found Skans at the corner of Bay and Market Range. It seemed to be a great time for a spot of tea. To my surprise hot tea is not readily available. I think perhaps the tourist trade has destroyed a bit of English tradition. But what I really wanted were some conch fritters. I have memories of those in Key West some years back. According to the menu they are a lunch dish, but our waitress said the cook could probably make some for me before the lunch hour. Claudette chose the conch burger, and we shared. They were great, especially the fritters with slightly spicy dipping sauce. We had just finished our meal when the waitress said, "Look out into the street!" We rushed onto the sidewalk to see what was going on. It seems the court was going into session, and the justices walk down the street to the Supreme Court building. There must have been over a hundred of these elegant Bahamians in their black robes with their powdered wigs on their heads.
Since we were right next door to the Straw Market we went inside to see what was for sale. There were souvenirs galore: T-shirts, hats, sun visors, et cetera. There was one thing of interest though: wood carvers. They are magicians with primitive tools. A chunk of wood complete with bark, a chisel, and a short length of tree branch to use as a hammer is all they use to produce beautiful wooden sculptures. By this time it had become extremely crowded, so we boarded our huge white ocean going steed for safe refuge.The next day found us watching the ships enter and leave Freeport harbor while sitting at a table under a palm tree. We were munching the ubiquitous conch fritters and discussing the merits of the various brands of native beer. While there I did have the opportunity to try my hand at the conch trumpet. I could not find one that made a sound, but the young man with dreadlocks and a Bob Marley t-shirt could.
I should like to return to the Bahamas some time to get to know some of the islanders and perhaps spend a few days without seeing a white face.
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