We’re down in Freeport, on the Grand Bahama Island, for a wedding.
I realized, fully and completely, that we were no longer in Columbus when I stepped outside onto the balcony of our hotel room this morning, saw this scene, and thought: “Omigod! It’s actually warm here! I can step outside in the morning without wearing a coat!”
It’s nice to be warm for a change.
Freeport, Bahamas is a significant port. No surprise there — presumably, that’s how Freeport got its name in the first place. It’s very close to the American mainland, and a convenient stopping point for ships coming and going to the U.S. of A.
During our recent visit to Freeport we had the opportunity to take a boat trip past the port, thanks to our gracious hosts the Bahamians, and therefore got to see some of the larger ships up close. What’s interesting to me, as a dry landed Midwesterner, is the many different kinds of big boats you see around the Freeport port. Tankers, tugs, and tenders, construction boats and unloading boats — each with its own special design related to its specific function in making the port work.
As our host, the Bahamian Captain, aptly observed on our walk this morning: “The last day of a vacation always has the best weather.”
When we pulled into the lagoons at Port Lucaya, Freeport, to dock last night, the sun was sinking, the air was cooling, and the water was smooth as glass and a mirror to the sky.
I think it is crucially important to any Midwesterner’s sanity to get a little beach time every once in a while. When it happens during the middle of winter it’s a bonus.
Nice change from gray and cold Columbus!
Exactly what shade of blue is the water around Grand Bahama Island, anyway? Of course, the water color changes as you move from deeper water to spots closer to the shoreline. But as you reach the shallow depths near the beach, the water becomes an inexpressibly beautiful shade of blue. Is it azure? Cyan? Aquamarine? Turquoise seems to fit best, but then again a word can’t really capture the sunlight glinting on the water, the different shades created as the waves move past, and glimpses of the ocean bottom appear through the crystal clear water.
