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| Charlie in front of a Junkanoo entry |
After a wonderful week here in The Bahamas, Bryn, Joel & Charlie have returned home to Colorado. During their time, thanks to Erin's generous hospitality & planning, we experienced so many wonders of this lovely island nation.
One of our favorites was Junkanoo--the Bahamian national celebration centered around Christmas & New Years.
Its origins trace back to colonial times when the only time the enslaved peoples had off were during that time. Highlights include parades both on Boxing Day and New Year's Day, featuring beautifully and flamboyantly dressed dancers and band members and elaborate floats.
Parades start in the middle of the night--12:00 midnight or so and go on to 11:00 or 12:00 in the morning. Seems like the entire nation participates. Erin secured us front row balcony seats to see the New Years' Day parade. We all especially loved the music--hard to describe but with a wonderful & lively beat.
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| Bryn and Charlie at Nirvana |
You would expect an island nation to have gorgeous beaches, and The Bahamas doesn't disappoint. The sands are soft and white and the water is crystalline blue. After Junkanoo, we all got to relax on one of the beaches appropriately called Nirvana.
It was Charlie's first time ever seeing or swimming in the ocean; he showed no fear--we adults would have perhaps preferred just a little dose of fear at times.
The weather this time of year is so delightful--little humidity and temps in the 70's and low 80's--the turquoise blue waters are delightful to view and inviting to enjoy. Cool but not cold.
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| Bryn, Joel and Charlie in the beautiful blue ocean |
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| Larry and Charlie in the sun |
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| Boarding the catamaran |
After the beach day, Erin planned an even better water adventure for us--a cruise around the islands on a catamaran sailboat.
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| Swimming near the anchored boat |
Erin invited some friends and work colleagues to introduce us to and to share the experience.
The boat was incredibly comfortable and graceful and easily accommodated our large party of more than 20.
We swam at a private beach and then snorkeled at a turtle preserve. You could sometimes get within just a few feet of the turtles.
It was a tremendously fun day, filled with new experiences and with the opportunity to meet and to get to know the people Erin knows and works with.
Some of Erin's friends included a British family with two young girls--Amy who is 11 and her sister, Rosie, who is almost 8 and just one day younger than Charlie. They became fast friends.
You can see that we all had a wonderful day--adults and children.
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| Atlantis Day with the Brits |
Another day took us to Atlantis to enjoy their huge water park and aquarium.
Rosie and Amy and their family, including grandparents, joined us for the day.
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| Aquarium at Atlantis...simply amazing |
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| Our gang with Jazz, our guide |
On a day when Erin had to work and Oma needed recuperative time, the rest of us visited Clifton Heritage National Park to learn a little about Bahamian history.
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| Preserved home |
The park preserves parts of four colonial plantations where you can see some 18th and 19th century ruins, including enslaved peoples' houses and hear about their history.
Slavery was abolished in 1834 but learning about the evils of this system is very important to understanding the Bahamian nation of today. Our tour guide, Jazz, was fantastic.
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| Charlie found a treasure |
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| A weary traveler |
Meanwhile, Oma and Charlie spent a quiet evening at home and an early bedtime... for Bryn, Joel and Charlie, it was back home on the following day.
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| Oma, Charlie and Teddy |
With Bryn, Joel and Charlie gone back to Denver, we will miss them..but will enjoy our extra special time for one more week with Erin in her lovely home away from home.
