My sister was preparing to do an upcoming event at St. John’s Parish Church. I asked her if I could accompany her, as I wanted to take a tour of the church, as it has a lot of history and is one of the oldest surviving churches in Barbados. The day arrived for the tour. As we set off for the tour, on the way to the church we picked up Phillip, who is a member of the church and also gives tours around St John’s Parrish Church.

 As we strolled along looking at the walls on the right, Phillip our tour guide, told us about the sculptures that we noticed on the walls,  and some of the oldest tomb stones dating back to 1666. This could be seen at the back of the church, as Philip excitedly gave us information with such passion, that you wanted to step back in the past, it was like finding treasure.

We then strolled outside to the graveyard, which was so beautiful, with lots of history and a view to go with it. Outside was just as fascinating as the church interior. Phillip showed us many ancient vaults, and a monument to the memory of Ferdinand Palegus, a church warden in the 17^th century, who was supposedly a family member of the ancient Greek  Emperors of Constantinople.

He then continued to excitedly show us  a sundial, which the time could still be gauged from. As we strolled along, we are looking at the most spectacular view of the coast line from Farley Hill and the Atlantic Ocean. 

Discovering another gem in Barbados!!

https://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Ruthann-Discovery-Tours/d30-29386P2

Barbados will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary of Independence on November 30^th, 2016. Barbados remained a British Colony, until the premiere of Barbados Errol Walton Barrow (from 1961-1966) attained Independence from the British on November 30^th, 1966, giving Barbados the momentous break away from the British.

Subsequently, he became the First Prime Minister of Barbados in 1966, which was accompany by the raising of the Barbados National Flag and the playing of the National anthem for the first time on November 30^th, 1966.

The symbol on the Barbados flag, which is the broken trident, depicts the breaking away from Britain and becoming an Independence nation. The three points on the trident symbolize Democracy, Government and the People. The broken end of the trident represents the break from the British. The Island has since made major changes, but when taking a walk in the city of Bridgetown, Barbados, signs of British influence can still be seen around the UNESCO Historic Bridgetown, with many of 16th-18th-century buildings that have been restored, dating back nearly 400 years ago.

Bajans, as they are affectionately known, have already started celebrating the 50^th anniversary of Independence, with many events across the island leading up to the big 50^th anniversary celebration. Come celebrate with us on November 30^th 2016, for our 50th years of becoming an Independence nation. Book a guided UNESCO Historic Walking Tour of Bridgetown, Barbados with Ruthann Discovery Tours. Let us show you a glimpse into the past.

https://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Ruthann-Discovery-Tours/d30-29386P2

As I sat chatting with an acquaintance, she told me about this restaurant on a hill with a breathtaking view that she had lunch at in St. Joseph, Barbados called Surinam. It sounded wonderful, so I set about to discover this place. I am not very map savvy, so I asked my friend Steve, who had never heard of this place, to find it on the map for me, and sure enough he found it. We proceeded to Google the place, liked what we read and decided there and then that we were going to go there.

Six of us made plans and set out a week later to visit this breathtaking place. We were all pump up as we set out to see the awesome view and to have lunch at the restaurant on the hill. The six of us then set out in a van we hired, hyper as little kids, on the drive toward St. Joseph. We passed through St. Andrew, Saint Andrew, which is one of the eleven parishes in Barbados. We also passed many landmarks as we drove by, like the  St. Andrew Sugar Factor, which is the largest sugar processing factory in Barbados and St. Andrew Church that dates back to the 1600’s. The parish of saint Andrew also  has some awesome rolling hills, it  has the countries highest elevation of 1, 102 ft, called Mount Hillaby, offering the best view in Barbados.

As we continued on our destination toward St. Joseph, after witnessing  the rolling hills  in St. Andrew that we could not get enough of,  the roads seemed to narrow and we saw monkeys as we were passing by. The sighting of monkeys in Barbados never seems to get dull for me, I love to see the mischievous animals that even lovelier as a family of monkeys together. However, we finally arrived at our destination, jumped out the van and looked up to the restaurant on a Hill called Naniki.( ‘Naniki’ is the Arawak word for full of life.)

We could not contain our excitement, and all started talking at the same time. We rushed through the gate and the sight that met our eyes was unbelievable, we found paradise. We saw 10 wooden cabins, a swimming pool, hot tub, hiking trail, a beautiful garden and to top it off a restaurant on a hill with a beautiful view.

After exploring the place, we then proceeded to explore the restaurant, order lunch, and ate with a spectacular view all around us. After topping off our dessert, we decided then and there that we were going to come back to spend the weekend at Naniki.   

Another fabulous discovery!!  https://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Ruthann-Discovery-Tours/d30-29386P2

Once again, I have discovered another exciting piece of history in Barbados and this time it is a ruin castle. A group of us set out to help me celebrate my birthday, by Island hopping and the first stop was Sam Lord Castle, which was once a beautiful hotel with lots of history behind it.Unfortunately, it burned down in 2010, and one day will be rebuilt. In the meantime people are fascinated by the tale behind the castle and locals and tourists alike still flock to the castle, which is located in St. Phillip.

I remember going there when I was quite young, but I was not really interested in the castle per say, I was more interested in the beach that is quite close to the castle. However, me and my friends anticipated going there, as I had told them the tale about the castle and its owner Sam Hall Lord. Legend has it in Barbados that Sam Lord was a notorious pirate who lured ships on the rock surrounding his castle, by putting lanterns in the coconut trees around the castle. The passing ships would think it was the Bridgetown port and would sail toward the lights and wreck the ships. Sam Lord would then take the loot from the ships.

Over the years it has been said that they tried to find the loot Sam Lord had taken from the ships, but it has never been found. 

 Finally, we arrived at the castle ruins and had an awesome time exploring, and even discovered there is a modern day Robinson Crusoe living on the beach, hut and all. Legend has it that Sam Lord haunts the castle.

Book a tour with Ruthann Discovery Tours. 

http://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Ruthann-Discovery-Tours/d30-29386P2

The History of Pelican Island has always fascinated me, and I always asked myself why did the government of Barbados let that little island go to be replaced by the deep water harbor.

Pelican Island was a small, uninhabited island that once existed off the west coast of Bridgetown and Fontabelle, in St. Michael, Barbados. According to historical records, the island received its name from the brown pelicans that would nest there.

One weekend while chatting to a friend at home, we started to talk about Ruthann Discovery Tours. Just as I was telling my friend about the pelican tour, my mum chimed in and told us about her days on Pelican Island as a young girl. My Mother then went on to tell us the history of the island.She said that when she was a girl guide in 1946, she and the other girl's guides would normally camp on the island on Fridays after school for the weekend.The young girl's guides were taught the skills of preparing a camp fire and preparing a meal.

Mum said in order to get to the Island the group of children would be rowed over to the Island in a little boat, in what was known as a jetty.

She said that she remembered a large house that was on the Island where the girl’s guides would spend the weekend residing in, and that sometime later the Island then became a quarantine station for the sick crew and passengers when ships came to the island. Sometime later in 1956, she remembers that the government of Barbados started to build what is now the deep water harbor, and said that they used very large boulders to fill up the water.

In 1961, the deep water harbor was completed. When it officially opened mum said my oldest sister had the opportunity of seeing the opening of the deep water harbor. I am sure that was quite a treat!!

There is now a tourist attraction called The Pelican Village ("Pelican Crafts Centre") in the area, a port, as a tribute to the separate island that once existed there called Pelican Village. It opened in 1999 and is an attractive and spacious shopping village offering the very best of local handicrafts, and providing the opportunity to see Barbados' craftsmen at work. Take a tour with Ruthann Discovery Tours. http://www.viator.com/tours/Barbados/Pelican-Arts-and-Crafts-Tour/d30-29386P4

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