Cathy ColeI woke up in time to watch us dock in Bridgetown, Barbados at about 8:00 the next morning. There were 3 other ships already there, but the port is large, so we didn’t have to tender. We had another tour booked, this time the Plantation Great Houses and Orchid Farm. There was a shuttle from the ship to the tour bus, this time a huge Greyhound type, very comfortable and air-conditioned. Barbados couldn’t be more different from Dominica. It’s much flatter, and MUCH more settled and affluent. We saw huge homes, expensive shops, and even more expensive vehicles as we headed inland for our tour. The plantation houses were lovely; the first was occupied by the great great grandson of the original owner, and allowed tours through the first floor only, as they still lived in the home. The floors, paneling and ceilings were made of Brazilian mahogany, and all the rooms had wonderful two tiered shutters to let in the cool breezes. The grounds were spectacular, and the owner himself conducted the tour. We had another glass of strong rum punch and got back on the bus for the Orchid Farm. We have never seen, or even knew existed, so many kinds of beautiful orchids. Some grew in the ground, some in pots, and the most amazing grew in the air alone, strung up on wires above the ground. We had a brief warm shower, obviously a common occurrence, as the farm had a rack of umbrellas for you to borrow. They had a nice, if a little pricey, gift shop and snack bar available. I can’t recommend this stop enough – it was fantastic! Then back on the bus for one more plantation house, this one unoccupied, but fully furnished with exquisite antiques and examples of clothing from the 18th century. The walls were 2 feet thick to protect it from the hurricanes, and also had the lovely 2 part shutters. After yet another glass of punch, we got back on the bus and some of us asked to be let off in town to do a little shopping. The prices were reasonable ($1 US = $2 Bajan), but the shops were nothing special. We did find some whole nutmeg in the cruise terminal after a short cab ride back from downtown ($5 US).