Bridgetown was founded by the British in 1628 and their influence is apparent in the many churches and cathedrals throughout the island, and the fact that it is divided into “parishes” (St. James, St. George, St. Michael, Christ Church etc.). It is a Christian country with 270,000 inhabitants and is 166 square miles, some of it reclaimed land. They gained their independence from Britain in 1966. Many fortifications (26!) were built to protect the island from invasions by Spanish, French, Dutch and even pirates, and the ruins of these can be seen along the coastline.
As we drove around the island we saw the remains of large sugar plantations and the last of the windmills which were used to grind the sugar cane to 
produce sugar, rum and molasses. They have two distilleries and produce two brands of rum -- Mount Gay and Malibu (coconut flavored). They also have a large flour mill that is used to process wheat purchased from Canada and other countries. Tourism is important to Barbados and they have many beautiful hotels along their white sandy beaches, and several golf courses. We passed though Holetown, with its quaint
upscale shops, hotels and condos, and then visited Sandy Lane Country Club where Tiger Woods was married. Apparently he reserved the entire club and hotel for his wedding guests. The views were spectacular! 
We also had the unique experience of taking an Atlantis submarine dive to 150 feet. What an interesting undersea world! We saw lots of small fish, a single stingray and a medium sized turtle foraging for food among the coral formations. Some areas reminded me of the desert with white sand and sparse brush. One of the more unusual plants was a wire plant that coiled like a spring -- winding counterclockwise in the northern hemisphere and clockwise in the south! We were also able to see how the sea life affects sunken objects when we m
oved past a ship wreck and some old tires. The clarity of the water and the colors of the corals were awesome!It easy to see why people choose the Caribbean islands for vacations -- we loved them and look forward to a return visit some day.
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