Bridgetown, Barbados - Downtown HD (2015)
Bridgetown (metropolitan pop 110,000 (2014)) is the capital and largest city of the nation of Barbados. Formerly, the Town of Saint Michael, the Greater Bridgetown area is located within the parish of Saint Michael. Bridgetown is sometimes locally referred to as The City, but the most common reference is simply Town.
The Bridgetown port, found along Carlisle Bay (at 13.106°N 59.632°W) lies on the southwestern coast of the island. Parts of the Greater Bridgetown area (as roughly defined by the Ring Road Bypass or more commonly known as the ABC Highway),[3] sit close to the borders of the neighbouring parishes Christ Church and St. James. The Grantley Adams International Airport for Barbados, is located 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) southeast of Bridgetown city centre, and has daily flights to major cities in the United Kingdom, United States, Canada and the Caribbean. While there is no longer local municipal government, it is governed as a political constituency within the national Parliament. During the short lived 1950s-1960s Federation of the British West Indian Territories, Bridgetown was one of three capital cities[4] within the region being considered to be the Federal capital of region.
The present day location of the city was established by English settlers in 1628 following a prior settlement under the authority of Sir William Courten at St. James Town. Bridgetown is a major West Indies tourist destination, and the city acts as an important financial, informatics, convention centre, and cruise ship port of call in the Caribbean region. On 25 June 2011, Historic Bridgetown and its Garrison were added as a World Heritage Site of UNESCO.
Barbados Map From 2004/2005
Map of Barbados from 2004/2005
Barbados Insight Flexi Map on Amazon: (2004 edition); (2010 edition)
This Insight FlexiMap of Barbados is the best maps of the island that I've ever seen. It is made of high quality plastic-type material that make it water resistant and less likely to get ripped. It was published in 2004/2005 and cost about $11 U.S.
One side shows a map of the whole island, with local highways, roads, paths, towns, and communities. On the other side are 5 smaller maps- a small map of the entire Caribbean, showing the location of Barbados in the region; a map of Barbados' West Coast; a map of Bridgetown and surrounding areas; a map of the South Coast; and a map of the Garrison area.
There is also some tourist information- info about transportation, local currency, and attractions like beaches, shopping, natural wonders, and cultural highlights.
Barbados is located in the Lesser Antilles / Eastern Caribbean region of the Caribbean islands / West Indies. It is the most easterly of the Caribbean islands and lies a few miles west of the main island chain. Many of the Caribbean islands are volcanic, but Barbados is mostly made of coral. The island's beautiful white sand beaches are made up of coral fragments. The island isn't very big. It is smaller than major cities like London, or New York City, and even Toronto. But it is densely populated, with a population of almost 280,000. One thing you'll notice if you travel around the island are houses everywhere, and new housing always being built. In Southern Ontario there's a sharp division between urban (or suburban) and rural areas. For example, in 1 of my videos you can see how the built up suburban area suddenly ends and turns into farmland on the border of the cities of Mississauga and Brampton just west of Toronto. But many areas of Barbados have a mix of suburban and rural features. The rural areas have lots of housing (unlike the much emptier rural areas of Canada that have big farms and not many people), and even residential urban or suburban areas around Bridgetown have farm animals like chickens, pigs, sheep, and cows around.
The eastern coast of Barbados faces the open Atlantic Ocean, so the water is very rough. The big waves may be good for surfers, but it's not really safe for regular swimming. The west coast, which is popular with upscale tourists, faces the Caribbean Sea, so the water is very calm and warm. I remember 1 of the beaches there having hard coral under the water, making it uncomfortable to wade in the water, although the water was warm, calm, and shallow. The south coast beaches, between Bridgetown and South Point (Oistins area) are somewhere in between the extremes of the east and west coasts.
The Garrison Area used to be home to one of the major British military bases in the Caribbean. It is just south of Bridgetown, near the coast.
Tags: Barbados, map, Fleximap, beaches, attractions, tourism, Insight, Caribbean, West Indies, Eastern Caribbean, Lesser Antilles, Americas, tropical, Bridgetown, Garrison, Oistins, South Point, Christ Church, Caribbean Sea, Atlantic Ocean, coral, limestone, sun and sand, Barbadian, Bajan, West Indian, Saint Michael, Saint Philip, Saint Lucy, Saint John, Saint George, Saint Thomas, Saint James, Saint Joseph, Saint Peter, Saint Andrew, parishes, parish, Constitution River, Broad Street, Mount Hillaby, Speighstown, Holetown, geography, West Coast, South Coast, Garrison Savannah, St. Lawrence Gap, Roebuck Street, St Michael, St Philip, St Lucy, St John, St George, St Thomas, St James, St Joseph, St Peter, St Andrew, Mt. Hillaby
Morning Has Broken St. Matthias Anglican Church Barbados 04/10/13
We stayed across the street from St. Matthias Anglican Church in Barbados. This was our alarm clock. What a beautiful way to wake up in the morning!! The lyrics are so beautiful and inspirational.
According to Wikipedia Morning Has Broken is a Christian hymn first published in 1931. It has words by English author Eleanor Farjeon. Made popular by Cat Stevens in 1971 on his Teaser and the Firecat album.
Lyrics:
Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.
Sweet the rain's new fall, sunlight from heaven.
Like the first dewfall, on the first grass.
Praise for the sweetnes of the wet garden,
Sprung in completeness where His feet pass.
Mine is the sunlight, mine is the morning.
Born of the one light Eden saw play.
Praise with elation, praise every morning;
God's recreation of the new day.
Morning has broken, like the first morning.
Blackbird has spoken, like the first bird.
Praise for the singing, praise for the morning,
Praise for them springing fresh from the Word.