Grand South America & Antarctica Voyage, Roseau, Dominica...

It was out on the forward decks, once again, to capture photos as we sailed into Roseau, Dominica…  There were dark clouds and rain during this time but, it was scheduled to finish before we went ashore.  Cathy & I got off of the ship first thing and hired a taxi. Our driver was Ian with whom we arranged a 2-hour tour of Roseau and surrounding area. Our first stop was Morne Bruce located just above the Botanical Gardens and gave us a panoramic view of the entire city.  Next, we stopped at the Botanical Gardens. The gardens were hit hard by Hurricane David in 1979 and again in 2017. A highlight of the gardens is the African Baobab tree, nicknamed “Goliath”, felled by Hurricane David in 1979. It landed on a school bus which, thankfully. was empty at the time. We also made a brief stop at a grouping of bamboo trees known as the cave. Next, we made our way to the oldest part of town around Old Market Square, formerly the original slave market. The Old Market square is now a craft vendors market for cruise and other visitors. We walked through the old Post Office building now the home of the Visitors’ Information Centre, and the Dominica Museum. It was very busy downtown with three ships in port including the Holland America Eurodam and the Seabourn Ovation. We walked to the waterfront and around the downtown streets taking on the sites. The quaint town is a picturesque array of 18th century French architecture, and is small enough to be easily explored on foot. Our last stop downtown was the Roseau Market where we bought some hot peppers for the crew. Heading back to the ship we stopped at the pier side craft market before returning to the ship. If you ever need a driver and tour guide in Dominica contact Ian Maximea@optimisttaxiandtours@gmail.com. Another pleasant afternoon spent on the aft deck. Tonight is our last formal dress night so let the packing begin...