Friday, November 4, 2011

Antigua – Island of 365 Beaches

This was our second visit to Antigua. The first time, we spent the day on a beach (one of 365, as the Antiguans so proudly proclaim) so this time we decided we wanted to see a little more of the island. We began our trip around the island with a drive through a few of the little villages on our way up to Shirley Heights. One thing we immediately noticed along the way were the trees, telephone poles and fence posts all wrapped in banners displaying the colors of the Antiguan flag. They were everywhere! Our guide explained that the Antiguan independence day had just been celebrated on November 1st.

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Black for the soil, Yellow for the sun, Blue for the sea, White for the sand, Red for the blood shed

The Antiguans make good use of a variety of paint colors on the exteriors of their homes.

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Once we arrived at the Shirley Heights Lookout, we had a bird’s eye view of the coastline.

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Another stop along our tour was the historic Nelson’s Dockyard National Park, named after the famous British admiral. The government is in the process of restoring the buildings in this former British naval shipyard.

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After all of this sightseeing, climbing in and out of the bus, it felt good to cool off in the water at Dickenson Beach.

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That makes it 2 down, 363 beaches to go!

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