Hero's Day

[habby]

Anhbody know when Hero's Day is this year? When we were in Barbados in 2004 it was on April 28th and there were a lot of things closed. Since we'll be there at the end of April again this year, I thought I'd check on this so we're prepared.

 

Thanks much!

[Sunniebgi]

Hero's day is Always April 28th.. The day/date doesn't change. Check your calender to see if is going to conflict with your cruise date. While the stores are generally closed, some of the tourists sites may still be open on national holidays.

[habby]

Thanks for the response. We'll be in Barbados on the 26th this year. Do you happen to know anything about a snack bar up at the north point?

[kimcruiser]

I would like to learn more. What is Hero's day? Thank you

[habby]

Hero's Day is similar to our Veteran's Day.

[kimcruiser]

Thanks again Habby:)

[cruisingbajan]

Hero's Day is similar to our Veteran's Day.

 

Actually National Heroes Day...is not at all like your Veterans Day. I think it may come closest to your President's Day.

 

National Heroes Day is a celebration of all those persons who have made an indellible contribution to the country in EVERY facet of life. It recognizes those forefathers who have contributed to our education, independence, sports,infrastructure,religion etc...

 

It usually gives persons an opportunity to take an introspective look at how far we have come since we gained or independence from Britain almost 40 years ago.

 

OK...off my soap box now....:D

 

Enjoy your stay/visit to our island

[habby]

Thanks for the info, Bajan Keith.

 

When we were there two years ago we were under the impression that it was more to honor "military" type people. Are there special celebrations or anything for Hero's Day?

 

Is there a lot of building of houses going on these days? We generally rent a car and do our own touring, and yes we get lost, but noticed a "subdivision" or "neighborhood" being built, probably just a bit east of Crane Beach if I remember.

 

Visiting Barbados was the first consideration when booking our cruises for the last two years, and this year. There's just something about your island that I can't explain but it's one of those places I really hate to leave.

 

Thanks again for clearing things up, and for caring enough to do so.:)

[cruisingbajan]

Habby.... No problem...we are here to learn from each other.

 

For the Heroes Day celebrations there is normally a thanksgiving service followed by some cultural performances and festivities in the National Heroes Square...which as you may know is in the heart of Bridgetown(not very far away from the port...walking distance in fact) Then the various disciplines that the National Heroes pioneered hold there own individual festivites geared towards that particular individual.

 

Yes there is a bit of a construction boom going on right now. The construction is still ongoing at the Crane Development. They are building some condos/townhouses there. This type of development is also going on in a big way on the west coast of the island as well.

 

Thank you for your kind words about the island it is always great to have repeat visitors like yourself and you are quite welcome to stay as long as you want.:) Hey don't worry about getting lost...it is half the fun:D

[habby]

Thank you for your kind words about the island it is always great to have repeat visitors like yourself and you are quite welcome to stay as long as you want.:) Hey don't worry about getting lost...it is half the fun:D

 

Amen about the getting lost and having fun.:D Those times have been our favorite memories, like finding the Scotland Visitors Bureau. I'm just really sorry we didn't stop and talk to the guys. That was in 2004 when we were there on Hero's Day and it seemed that everywhere we went there were just people hanging out in front of their homes. Interesting though, we saw mostly men. Is this normal? Do the women stay indoors most of the time? Just kinda wondering.:confused:

 

 

And, about staying as long as we want, to be honest if we could afford to move there we would do it in a heartbeat.:)

[cruisingbajan]

Amen about the getting lost and having fun.:D Those times have been our favorite memories, like finding the Scotland Visitors Bureau. I'm just really sorry we didn't stop and talk to the guys. That was in 2004 when we were there on Hero's Day and it seemed that everywhere we went there were just people hanging out in front of their homes. Interesting though, we saw mostly men. Is this normal? Do the women stay indoors most of the time? Just kinda wondering.:confused:

 

 

And, about staying as long as we want, to be honest if we could afford to move there we would do it in a heartbeat.:)

 

Hi Habby...yes whenever there is a public holiday you will find alot of ppl just hanging around(you are very observant...it is usually men) its usually just am opportunity for most ppl to get together and relax since different work schedules may prevent this.

 

It is a cultural thing...not that women are excluded.... but the majority are usually males who are chillin' out. Sometimes they hang out as well but you know how it goes when males are bonding:eek::D

[habby]

Hi again Keith,

 

How long have you been in Barbados, or are you a "native" (gosh I really don't like that word)? Let me know if I start asking questions that are too personal.I just like learning about new people and places.

 

Back to Hero's Day....

 

Is is always the same people who are honored, or does it change from year to year?

 

President's day came about from combining Lincoln's bday and Washington's bday into one day (neither of which got you a day off work in the past), and somehow it became a federal holiday. Of course, it's always celebrated on a Monday so the federal employees and union people get a three-day weekend. There aren't really any celebrations or things like that (except that the big stores have their "President's Day" sales).

 

Do you know if there will be anything special going on Wed, April 26th? That's when we'll be in Barbados.

 

Thanks for taking time to answer questions.

[cruisingbajan]

Hi again Keith,

 

How long have you been in Barbados, or are you a "native" (gosh I really don't like that word)? Let me know if I start asking questions that are too personal.I just like learning about new people and places.

 

Back to Hero's Day....

 

Is is always the same people who are honored, or does it change from year to year?

 

President's day came about from combining Lincoln's bday and Washington's bday into one day (neither of which got you a day off work in the past), and somehow it became a federal holiday. Of course, it's always celebrated on a Monday so the federal employees and union people get a three-day weekend. There aren't really any celebrations or things like that (except that the big stores have their "President's Day" sales).

 

Do you know if there will be anything special going on Wed, April 26th? That's when we'll be in Barbados.

 

Thanks for taking time to answer questions.

 

Its perfectly ok...I have no problems with your questions..we all need to learn from each other.:)

 

Yes I am a "native" of Barbados and have lived here all my life except for 1 year that I lived in Boston.

 

Yes the same ppl are honored each year...it is also celebrated on the b'day of our first Premier(head of state) Sir Grantley Adams and is always celebrated on the April 28...(there is also a school named after him as well as appearing on our $100 bill. In fact similar to your presidents most of our National Heroes appear on our money as well.:cool:

 

I am not sure if there will be anythiny special on the 26th with regards to heroes day but they should be the usual cultural presentations and so on at the Pelican craft village which is not far away from the port. Which ship will you be on?

 

I actually leave on April 28 for my first cruise so I will not be here for the celebrations:( but I sure will be having fun on my first cruise:D

 

Feel free to ask anymore questions you may have

[habby]

Its perfectly ok...I have no problems with your questions..we all need to learn from each other.:)

 

Yes I am a "native" of Barbados and have lived here all my life except for 1 year that I lived in Boston.

 

Yes the same ppl are honored each year...it is also celebrated on the b'day of our first Premier(head of state) Sir Grantley Adams and is always celebrated on the April 28...(there is also a school named after him as well as appearing on our $100 bill. In fact similar to your presidents most of our National Heroes appear on our money as well.:cool:

 

I am not sure if there will be anythiny special on the 26th with regards to heroes day but they should be the usual cultural presentations and so on at the Pelican craft village which is not far away from the port. Which ship will you be on?

 

I actually leave on April 28 for my first cruise so I will not be here for the celebrations:( but I sure will be having fun on my first cruise:D

 

Feel free to ask anymore questions you may have

 

Disappointed that you'll be leaving on the 28th, but very happy for you too. You holiday should be fabulous! I love being on a cruise and seeing different parts of the world. We'll be on the Carnival Destiny, scheduled to be in port from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. In the past, we had stayed until 10:00 p.m. and went to the Boatyard at night. I didn't really care for the music, but the ship's crew would go and we would meet some of them there.

 

I think the Triumph has the same layout as the Destiny. It's very easy to get lost on the ship, but then again that can be fun. You can get to almost anywhere if you're on Deck 5 though.

 

It looks like the Pelican craft village is fairly close to where the ship docks; maybe within walking distance? I'd much rather buy something handcrafted on the island than the typical souveniers available on every island we've been to. Do you have any recommendations, maybe crafts of someone who is family or a friend of yours? I like to support family and friends of people I know (or have had contact with), and bring back something made by hand and not machine.

 

Don't want to take up too much of your time at once. We'll talk again soon.

 

(And I'm hoping that there are other cruisers reading this thread and learning about things to do and see on Barbados.)

[cruisingbajan]

Hi Habby,

 

Yes the pelican village is there on your left hand side when you exit the port and walk about 50 metres. I had a friend who use to work from there...her name is Ichia(pronounce I-esha). We have lost touch so I am not sure if she works from there anymore.

 

You will definitely get handcrafted items. I know for a fact all the crafts people there make all their items themselves by hand!!

 

I believe the Destiny and Triumph are sister ships and from what I have learned here on CC the layout is the same. I really am looking forward to this trip..can't wait.

 

It is great talking to you...anything to assist repeat visitors/lovers of the island. Any questions you have I will be more than happy to answer for you.

 

Talk to you later

[habby]

Keith,

 

Thank you so much for your info. I'm sure as the time gets closer we'll have more questions.

 

Have a great day!:)

[habby]

Keith,

 

Thank you so much for your info. I'm sure as the time gets closer we'll have more questions.

 

Have a great day!:)

 

As we don't know yet about anything at the Animal Flower Cave snack bar, we're starting to explore other options just in case we don't go up there, and our time is decreased from last year. Since the ship is scheduled to sail at 6:00 we have to be back on board by 5:30, which doesn't give us nearly enough time to show my brother and sister-in-law everything.

 

DH definitely wants to go to the Crane and Bathsheba, and I'd like to do some walking around Pelican Village. Is Harrison's Cave something to see? How about the Malibu factory? (Got hooked on Malibu and pineapple juice last cruise, YUM!)

 

It would really be great if we could get to meet you in person. Maybe we'll figure something out as the cruises get closer.

 

We'll talk soon.

Sandy

[cruisingbajan]

As we don't know yet about anything at the Animal Flower Cave snack bar, we're starting to explore other options just in case we don't go up there, and our time is decreased from last year. Since the ship is scheduled to sail at 6:00 we have to be back on board by 5:30, which doesn't give us nearly enough time to show my brother and sister-in-law everything.

 

DH definitely wants to go to the Crane and Bathsheba, and I'd like to do some walking around Pelican Village. Is Harrison's Cave something to see? How about the Malibu factory? (Got hooked on Malibu and pineapple juice last cruise, YUM!)

 

It would really be great if we could get to meet you in person. Maybe we'll figure something out as the cruises get closer.

 

We'll talk soon.

Sandy

 

Hi Sandy...I don't know much about the Animal Flower Cave but I can investigate it for you. Maybe sunniebgi may have some info on this(how about it sunnie?)

 

Harrison's Cave is definitley worth seeing..it is absolutely amazing if you can by ALL MEANS GO!!. The Mailbu Factory does have a Visitors Centre and I am sure they are tours available.

 

Since your time on the island is limited now it maybe difficult to fit all these into your day. Crane and Bathsheba are a fair distance apart, Harrison's cave is closer to Bathsheba so it maybe easier to do both of these. Animal Flower Cave is in the very north of the island(St. Lucy)

 

I will try my best to meet you and your family when they come, hopefully It won't be too hectic for me that day...2 days b4 I leave. Keep in touch and we will see how things go as the time gets closer...

 

Talk to you later...

[Sunniebgi]

Well I haven't been to Animal Flower Cave in years, but I would assume the it's still being operated before and that the snack bar is still there. I might be able to find out (a couple of surfing nephews of mine have been going to far up on the west coast lately, so maybe I can ask them to pass by there and check it out.)

 

Harrisons cave is a great place to see, but it's supposed to be closing for renovations (which should have started June05).. I think most of the people are taking it one week at a time as to if it's actually open.

 

I agree with Keith on the distance between crane and bathsheba. It's doable, but stopping might be a problem. You can actually drive up the highway all the way out to the airport and go to the Crane that way and then go along the perimeter road around Barbados from there to Bathsheba and on the Cattlewash and over to Animal flower Cave. The back down the west coast to the port. It might be a problem adding in Harrisons cave to that..

 

and also then walking around Pelican and Malibu. You could actually stop at Malibu on the way back to the ship, but if they day you are here is a holiday, you may find places you want to visit (pelican village) may not be open.

 

What time do you arrive into Barbados??

[habby]

We are in Barbados from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. We'll probably have to be back on board by 5:00 or so to get ready for dinner.

 

We had been up to the north point way back in 1987, and then when we were there in 2004 it happened to be Hero's Day and the snack bar was closed. We went back last June and Maritza told us that they were planning on tearing the building down over the winter. If there's no snack bar, and neither she nor her son Manny are going to be there, we may not take the trip up there.

 

I don't think my brother and sister-in-law are really big on just relaxing on the beach, so we probably won't be spending too much time at the Crane. Still, it's just one of those places that I have to go to.

 

We've got a few weeks to figure things out and get more info. I know that whatever we decide will be just fine though. Oh and by the way, we are renting our own jeep and won't be relying on timed tours while we're there.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to answer.

 

Sandy

[cruisingbajan]

Hi Sandy,

 

sunniebgi is right about the route you can take. Driving on your own though you may have to factor in "Fun Time"(translation...getting lost(which is always fun right?:D)

 

Yup...they can't seem to make up their minds on Harrison's Cave so you will probably have to play it by ear on this one.

 

Let me know what you decide as time gets closer.

[habby]

Hi Keith,

 

I've sort of been watching the Harrison's Cave news just in case we don't go up to the North Point. Luckily we're not the type who have to have every minute planned. In fact, this is the most planning I've ever done for our time on the islands. Usually we just rent a vehicle and go somewhere.

 

Thanks again for your help.

 

Have a great day!

 

Sandy