Bahamas Cruise - Nassau

Wednesday morning, Thomas and I got to sleep in... as much as two people who are used to getting up at 6:30 with a 2 year old are able to sleep in. Thomas was sweet and went to the buffet to get some fruit and orange juice for me to wake up with. After a leasurly stroll around the ship, we went to the formal dining room, where we were seated with two mothers and daughters on vacation together. We weren't too impressed with the breakfast menu, but the spinach and bacon quiche was fine.

After grabbing the sun hat I had purchased on the ship the night before, we went out to the capital of the Bahamas, Nassau! (Please don't ask me how to pronounce that, I heard it at least three different ways, and never could figure out what was the "official" way to pronounce it.)

The gangplank back onto the ship

 It was a little difficult nagivating out way off the docks, but once we finally were out, we were met with scary traffic. They drive on the 'wrong' side of the road there, and even though most of the streets are one-way, its still a bit disconcerning.

We found this statue of Queen Victoria outside a pink, official-looking house. There were a lot of cameras and people in suits hanging around outside the house, but we decided to keep going, and never discovered what was going on.

Behind the house was a small garden, where we found this memorial. On one side is a dedication to the men who fought and died in WWI, and on the other side the same thing for WWII. It was surroundd by hibiscus plants, and a bush I didnt recognise with pretty purple flowers.

Walking around, we discovered that there's really not a whole lot to do in Nassau that doesn't involve money. There's a huge resort and beachfront called Atlantis, but you have to pay money even if you're just going to walk around the thing. There were a couple of historic tours, which might have been interesting, but all of them required spending some time in a bus, which neither Thomas nor I were thrilled about doing. So we stuck to the touristy shopping area. While walking around, I admired the colors everywhere! Lots of turquoise, corals and yellows. When I came to this wall that had been torn away, I made my poor husband take a picture of me in front of it.

ALSO - I actually made this dress, and am rather proud of that fact. 

We stopped at the famous straw market, which is basically this huge wearhouse covered from floor to ceiling with handmade goods. There are many different stalls, but they mostly sell the same things: wood carvings, shirts, items made from straw (hence the name of the market) jewelry, magnets, toys and other trinkets. We got most of our gifts for everyone back home here. I found it very overwhelming. With so many different stalls, you have all the owners talking to you, telling you to pick up an item and asking what you're looking for. They were all calling me "pretty lady" and showing me jewelry/bags/hats and other things all at once. Thomas LOVED the market, as it reminded him of markets back in Brazil. I would whisper to him the items I wanted - after passing the first stall I learned not to point or speak so the sellers could hear me - and he would barter for the items. Some deals were better than others, but he had a lot of fun doing it. I was very happy when we got out of there, and headed for some food.

A sample of the wood carvings. We got a box of dominos for Thomas's parents, a turtle for Dad, and a cat for Rachel.

I was a little fed up, peopled out and hungry by this point. 

I had wanted to eat somewhere local, but after seeing nothing but literal hole-in-the-walls (seriously, I wish I had taken a picture of one) we decided to go back to the pier and eat at the smaller touristy resturant. BOY are we glad we did!! We had one of the best meals ever there! The service was amazing also, and even though it was open-seating and there were some smokers, the breeze from the sea kept the air fresh.

Thomas mis-read the menu, and didn't realize there was a comma between the mango daquri and pina colada. He asked for a mango pina colada, and they made it for him! He said it was delicious. 

Conch fritters for Thomas.

You can't really see it, but there is a stage behind the bar. They had a steel-drum player, and a keyboardist, and played some fun music.

My food - Coconut Chicken patties. Not at all whaI was expecting, but it was absolutely wonderful!

Watching the boats!

 After getting stuffed at lunch, we enjoyed a leasurely walk back to the ship, going through the brand-name, duty-free shops.


Back at the ship we enjoyed a few activities, and had a lovely dinner. It was a relaxing evening, and when we returned to our room, we found a friend was left there for us. Can you find him?