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| Arriving in Nassau on bus #10 |
It was an ordinary day. Carol and I are riding Bus #10 from the Melia Nassau Beach Resort to the city known as Nassau. The ten minute ride costs $1.25 in Bahamian money which is equal to the same amount in U.S. dollars.
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| Bahamian money's value is equal to U.S. money |
Arrived in downtown Nassau, paid the fare and headed toward Rawson Square, Parliament Square, Supreme Court and Garden of Remembrance. Easy to find these places, since most every government building is painted pink. Spent the next hour or so wandering around the historical sights of the city, snapping photo after photo of the locations for my story today. So, without further adieu, follow along with me on my historical route through the beautiful city of Nassau.
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| Rawson Square is my first stop. The plaque tells of Sir Milo Boughton Butler who was born on New Providence on August 11, 1900. He married Caroline Watson and was father of ten children. He served as a Vestryman, Synodsman, businessman and politician. He was elected to the House of Assembly in 1937 and served until 1949. Seven years later he was elected Baintown and served until 1973. He served as Minister of Health & Welfare, Minister of labour &a Welfare, Minister of Agriculture & Fisheries and was twice honored by Her Majesty, The Queen. Sworn in August 1, 1973 as First Bahamian Governor General in an Independent Bahamas. He died on January 22, 1979. |
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| Parliament Square has three buildings that were constructed in 1815 by the Loyalists. They are modeled after buildings that are found in New Bern, the old Capital of North Carolina. These flamingo-pink buildings are excellent examples of the colonial architecture of old Nassau. The building to the right is the House of Assembly where parliamentary meetings are held. The Senate meets upstairs in the center building and the building to the left houses the office of the Leader of the Opposition. Queen Victoria's Statue, erected in 1905 from funds donated by the public who held her in high esteem, is in the front of the Senate building. Located at the back of the Senate Building is the Supreme Court which occupied this building since 1921. To take a photograph of this building without anyone walking past it or standing in front of it took at least 20 minutes. |
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| The Garden of Remembrance is located to the back of the Supreme Court, which can be seen on the right, and the Parliament Building. In it is a monument which serves as a memorial to Bahamians who lost their lives in the World Wars I and II and the four Royal Bahamas Defense Force Marines who lost their lives when the HMBS Flamingo was attacked and sunk by a rocket from a Cuban MIG fighter. |
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The Straw Market is located a few blocks West on Bay Street. It is considered one of the country's oldest industries with organized markets in Nassau, Cable Beach, Paradise Island and a number of The Family Islands. Fun to stroll down the numerous aisles of tourist wares and talk with the vendors who are willing to bargain with just about anyone.
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| The Royal Bahamas Police Force is the national law agency of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. The RBPF operated within the portfolio of the Ministry of National Security. The police force was established on March 1, 1840 and is headquartered on East Street Hill in Nassau. They will pose with you for a photo if asked. I'm the one on the right with the baseball cap. |
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| Streets in Nassau are very similar to streets in any town in the world. |
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| Tourists love to ride in a cart pulled by horses which take you around the city. |
As you can see, the city of Nassau is a very busy city. The cruise ships dock directly to the north of the city and on days when there are half a dozen ships at dock, the streets are filled with tourists. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.
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