St. Nicholas Abbey

On Tuesday Nora and I went to St. Nicholas Abbey, which is a restored 17th century plantation house that now produces an exquisite rum and gives visitors a window into what life was like in early colonial Barbados.  Equally informing were our cab drives to and from the Abbey; our driver Orville was also an excellent tour guide.  He taught me and Nora all about sugar cane, termites, housing developments in Barbados, as well as some of the island's political history.  From now on, whenever I need a cab I am going to call Orville!  Anyway, here are some photos of the Abbey:

The first two photos are of the stately dining room and the "Gentleman's Chair" in the living room.  The chair was considered the apex of sitting technology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  As you can see it has all sorts of attachments and hidden features that make reclining, reading, drinking/eating, etc more comfortable.  It was basically the Lay-Z-Boy of the times.

The next two photos are of the giant 350 year old tree in the back courtyard.  It's absolutely massive and upon closer inspection one realizes why it has survived for so long: it has GIANT spikey things for defense against curious animals and treehuggers alike.

Also in the back courtyard was the loo/privy/bathroom/place where people did their business.  There can be no doubt that this is one area where modern technology has considerably improved quality of life! Just imagine having to use this facility in the heat of the Caribbean.  No wonder the planter class was constantly getting drunk off rum.

Connected to the back courtyard was the building where vistitors can get their complimentary rum punch and rum tasting.  The rum punch was the first good rum punch I've had in Barbados - not too sweet, plenty of rum, and very cold.  Even better was the straight up rum, which is so smooth it's really more like a brandy or cognac.  According to the son of the owner, their rum is "smooth enough for the ladies but strong enough for the men."  I was smitten enough to buy a bottle, hoping that it will make the rest of the semester go by a little more smoothly.  Also, next time a hurricane hits Barbados I know that I'll have a clean drinking source available in case the water goes off.

Overall the Abbey was quite beautiful.  The old stone buildings blended in nicely with the surrounding foliage .

All in all it was a very fun day and I hope to revist the Abbey in order to take advantage of their half off refill policy before I leave Barbados.  Finally, I have to thank Nora for coming to visit me and providing the impetus for going to see the Abbey.  I probably would have delayed going for a long time otherwise.