R. Doug Wicker's Blog, page 53

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Dominica; Soufrière back to Roseau

That charming church you see above is Saint Mark in the northeastern quadrant of Soufrière just yards from Bubble Beach Spa. The colors and architecture of Saint Mark may at first appear stark until you recall how colorful the surrounding buildings and boats are in this small village. Sat Mark is just a fun, fun structure to photograph when the light hits it right, as it did in this afternoon shot.

Saint Mark closeup

I’m going to present three more images of Soufrière sights, then take ...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Dominica; Soufrière and Bubble Beach

Heading back north from Scotts Head, our next stop was the small fishing village of Soufrière (good article on things to see and do in Soufrière at this link: 11 Amazing Things to Do in Soufrière, Dominica. Here you’ll find Bubble Beach, in which small Champagne-like bubbles gently rise to the surface from a volcanic vent below. There is even a Bubble Beach Spa here to take advantage of it all, but you can get those bubbles for free just by stepping off the public beach into the water. And, ...

Trashy Amsterdam and the Hellhole of Schipol

Amsterdam:

Once was a great place to visit. Now, it’s pure garbage… literally. Ripped trash bags everywhere. Trash strewn about. Piles of trash on what seemed every corner. Trash floating in the canals. Trash, trash, trash. Has no one in this once great city heard of trash bins? Does no one in this city any longer give a damn about their image, or the impression given to their visitors?

And Schipol Airport? Don’t even get me started on that fiasco. Arrived over five hours early because of ...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; Dominica Favorites 1

Colorful Fleet

Time of the first of two Fun Photo Fridays featuring Dominica favorites:

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Dominica; Scotts Head

Welcome to Roseau, Dominica

Time to step off the ship and head out toward the pickup point for our tour. But before we start heading south here’s another view of the hurricane damaged Our Lady of Fair Haven Cathedral and the Bethesda Methodist Church standing in the foreground:

A pair of churches

Along the way to where the Caribbean Sea meets the Atlantic Ocean we would pass by Government House, the official residence of the president of Dominica:

Government House

About halfway to o...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Dominica; Reaching Roseau

The above panoramic is of Roseau, the capital city of the Southern Caribbean island nation of Dominica. Dominica was not on our original Grandeur of the Seas itinerary, but that’s okay. We were originally slated to hit Trinidad before heading back to Barbados, but we’d stayed on both Trinidad and Tobago before. And, as you would expect, this last-minute substitution was related to the pandemic.

Bahamian “Courtesy Flag” on Grandeur of the Seas

We didn’t spend any real time in Roseau, as ...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; Puerto Limón, Costa Rica Favorites 2

Puerto Limón

Today concludes Puerto Limón’s visit. Next week we head to… well, let’s just wait for the surprise, shall we?

“The best of lemon is its people” Vargas Park Color Balconies and Colorful Doors Wappin Man (What’s Happenin’, Man); Welcome to Pto. Limón Costa Rica

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Puerto Limón, Stained Glass and Other Colors

The stained glass and interior design elements of Limón’s cathedral were totally unexpected. Below is a gallery/slide show of these features:

But now it’s time to start heading back to the cruise port and our awaiting yacht, Grandeur of the Seas. Along the way we ran across this old second-generation “Type 2” VW Microbus now used as a sales prop:

VW Type 2 (second generation)

We left Limón with the feeling that we’d taken in the important highlights. I hope you agree. Next week I...

Southern Caribbean Cruising — Puerto Limón, Catedral Sagrado Corazon de Jesus

One block north and one block west of the post office is Limón Catedral Sagrado Corazón de Jesús (Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus). The 151-foot/46-meter modernist spire will guide you. That spire (pictured above, right) is a striking contrast to the traditional bell tower. I suspect the older bell tower dates back to a previous onsite cathedral. Let us compare Old:

Old cathedral bell tower

To new:

New cathedral spire

Make sure you check out the back of the cathedral from Ca...

Fun Photo Friday — Southern Caribbean; Puerto Limón, Costa Rica Favorites 1

Hard at Work on Grandeur of the Seas

Time for the first to two Limón Fun Photo Friday favorites:

Слава Україні! (Slava Ukraini!)