Pictures are worth a thousand words

Today, due to continued impairment in the finger department, I thought I'd share a photo collage of Grenada - the island that has welcomed us as long term visitors:

Thought I'd start with a scene from any tourism brochure, luring all the northerners from their frosty cocoons. You want white beaches and palm trees in the sun? You got it!

Here is a house, or should I say epic mansion in Mt. Hartman bay where we're anchored today. This is not what I'd picture had someone described a 'green' house built into a hillside with a grass roof!

Here's an entirely different kind of house, we walked by it on the hash, far up in the hills, away from roads and miles from anything but vegetation as neighbors. We met a roots man on the porch, he had the look - dreadlocks and the smell of a natural weed ... but he was chatting on a cell phone!

Vegetation is everywhere in Grenada. One feels that if you dropped a seed and came back in a week, there would be a plant growing. The day we walked through St. George the capital, we walked up some steep concrete steps toward the old fort, and either side of us, trees grew up, offering fruits, blocking the view of the concrete homes beyond. This is a breadfruit tree. You cut these open and boil them, then pretty much treat like potatoes. I've yet to have some! I hear they make a great addition to a breakfast fry up.

St. Georges fort sticks out, high above the city like a decaying monument to a colonial past. We saw people on guided tours, but we declined. I've never liked being led around like cattle through damp old buildings with their dead energy. It does have an interesting past though, and has been nicely summarised here.

Much more my thing, down below, the vibrancy of the city, with it's people, sights and smells.

A few cafes on the Carenage sea front road. Notice the Schnitzel Haus!

A local vendor sells lambi (conch) and tortoise shells

I love Grenada's road signs. I assume lick means wear in this instance!

This monster is a Princess Cruise ship - it was the second last one for the season to grace Grenada's shores. It holds about 3000 passengers and 1200 staff. I guess the spice sellers and vendors of cheap Chinese 'Caribbean' trinkets will have a lean few months ahead...

Finally, a scene closer to 'home' for us. A boat yard (where many people 'haul out' their boats for the upcoming hurricane season). If you look closely, a cruiser lies in her hammock on one of the boats, probably deciding whether to pack it in, as the impending black clouds were moving fast. (We did get safely to De Big Fish for a beer and protection before the rain hit!)