La Dolce Far Niente

We flew to Barbados on January 6, celebrated our anniversary on January 7, continued our celebrations for a few more days, and returned home on January 11. I like to blog while we travel, posting updates as we go along, but this time I could not gather enough will and energy to sit down at my laptop and write. Lethargy and inertia ruled the day, and the night, too.

We were able to use our upgrade credits to get into business class, both going and returning, so instead of paying $10 for a little can of Pringles in the back we had champagne and an elegant meal on real plates, with real silverware, up front. We arrived late, around 9 p.m., and checked in to our third floor room overlooking the pool and restaurant . A few guests were dancing to the loud and lively sounds of a steel drum band but otherwise the place was quiet. We unpacked and went to sleep.

The next morning the sun was up and bright by 6:30 a.m. and a quick glance out the window showed us what we were in for: a white sand beach, swaying palms, and beautiful blue water. We went to the beach soon after breakfast and spent most of each day just, well, sitting there. Every once in a while I'd get up from my lounge chair and walk slowly into the water, going out far enough to let the cool, refreshing surf drench me. I'd stand there for a bit, get drenched a few more times, then walk back up the beach to my lounge chair to rest up for the next go round. La dolce far niente -- the sweetness of doing nothing.

Oh my, what a beach. The water was cool enough to startle you when you first went in, but after a few waves crashed over my head I knew I had never felt anything so relaxing and inviting. The sky was blue, the water was blue, the sand was white, and it was all gorgeous.

The sun set before 6 p.m. and we'd go back to our room for a shower. By 7:30 we'd be out on the street trying to decide where to eat dinner. By 9:30, we'd be walking back up to our room, ready for a nice lie down before starting over again the next day.

We stayed at Southern Palms Beach Club, one of the older Barbados resorts, located in St. Lawrence Gap, on the southern coast about midway between the international airport and Bridgetown, the capital. It is on Dover Beach, undoubtedly one of the nicest in Barbados, and there are many restaurants and shops within easy walking distance. Breakfast was usually bacon and eggs or banana pancakes, and dinner was always seafood. I had fried flying fish, a national dish, every night but one.

We considered a tour of the island but a woman at the hotel recommended hiring a cab for an afternoon. The cost of a taxi for three and a half hours was less than that for two tour tickets, and we got our own guide to take us all the way around the island. (Barbados is about 21 miles long and 14 miles wide, with a population of about 270,000. For more info on Barbados, check Wiki.)

While I was too lazy to write while we were there, I did manage to take a few snapshots. There's a set on Flickr or you can sit back and watch a short slideshow.

Terri and I also posted some snaps on Facebook. Here's my Facebook photos. And here's Terri's Facebook photos.

Fortunately we brought along our heavy coats because when we got back it was in the 20s at DFW. We're home and unpacked now, but we can't put away our luggage just yet. In another week we're off again, in a completely different direction.