The concept of the off season has never been prominent in my thoughts until I arrived in Bathsheba on the East coast of Barbados exactly one week before Easter Sunday.
I had just flown for 10 hours from Vancouver to Bridgetown via Toronto. I arrived at my hotel around 3:30 p.m. and was told that the restaurant would be closing at 7 p.m., so I would have to place my order by 6 p.m. I declined this invitation, assuming that somewhere would be open in Bathsheba.
I unpacked, showered, and went downstairs at 7:20 p.m. The only person from the hotel still around was the pool attendant, who mixed me my complimentary cocktail. Apart from two couples, I was the only traveller staying in the hotel. I played pool on my own and noted how the sound of one of the balls hitting the stone floor resonated around the room.
I walked into Bathsheba but the restaurant had closed around three hours earlier. This was the off season – but even then the rhythm of the Atlantic Ocean hitting the beach was a relaxing experience and remains my abiding memory of a wonderful stay.
Julian has written articles on Middle Eastern and European architecture for the US magazine Skipping Stones. He has written travel articles that were published in The Toronto Globe and Mail, Fate Magazine, National Catholic Register, and Northwest Travel. Julian has also written articles for the In The Know Traveler, Go Nomad, InTravelmag, and Go World Travel websites. He has also taken many photographs that have appeared in travel guides by National Geographic, Thomas Cook and The Rough Guides. Examples of his work can be found at http://www.photographersdirect.com/sellers/details.asp?portfolio=13734
