We arrived into port very early, ahead of the many ships already at the pier. Among them “The World”, the wellknown residence ship. We biked the long pier and busy roads into the city. It was quite treacherous, especially since they were driving on the opposite side of the road! Narrow and one-way streets, kept us anxious – not to be hit! We found the oldest synagogue in the “new world” – it opened in 1685. This Sephardic shul was beautiful ly restored and still held weekly services for the 70 Jews who live on the island. An ancient cemetery and adjacent museum told the story of the first Jews who came over from Portugal and Spain and their influence in the spice and sugar trade. Bridgetown was a bustling city, filled with shoppers, markets, banks and stores. Back on board, we got ready for the evening Shabbat services led by the resident rabbi. There were about 40 people who attended, including six others born in Amsterdam! It was an instant connection…. Now, we have four days at sea, as we head over the ocean to Cape Verde and then onto West Africa.
p.s. it was GREAT talking with Nancy & Adam today in Austin. Naz even gave us a little “hello mimi, hello pops” – priceless… Sorry we missed Jonas & Nava!
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