From a small village founded by pirates, the city of Nassau turned into a large city, which became the capital of the Bahamas. Now the architecture of the city is represented by an unusual mixture of modern buildings and colorful colonial houses. The shopping districts are bustling with business, with a huge number of duty-free shops where you can find any goods from all over the world. The main historical part of the city is a small Rawson Square, where the main streets of the city intersect. From all sides it is decorated with beautiful buildings. At any time of the year, you can listen to street musicians on the square, there are always a lot of tourists here, especially during the main festival – Jonkonu, at which time about 30 thousand people gather here. Not far from Rawson Square is the equally beautiful Parliament Square, around which rise the buildings of parliament and government offices. Most of these structures were built at the end of the 18th century. A few steps from the square is the famous Straw Market. Trading in this market has been going on for many years. Once upon a time, women sold sea sponges here, which at that time were one of the main incomes of the region. Today, interesting handicrafts and various souvenirs are sold here. In the mandatory list of places to visit in the capital, the Queen’s Stairs should also be included. This staircase was named after Queen Victoria and consists of 65 steps, the same number of years as the queen spent on the throne. The construction of the stairs was carried out for about 15 years, all this time the slaves were carving steps in the rocks, and only after the abolition of slavery in 1834, work on the stairs stopped. Now anyone can climb it up, from where a beautiful panorama of the city opens. Just one and a half kilometers from the city center are the small gardens of Adastra. About 300 representatives of the local fauna live in the gardens. Every day there is an interesting show of trained flamingos. The second most popular place in the Bahamas is the island of Grand Bahama, which is famous for its amazing nature. White sandy beaches, rich flora and fauna and much more will be the best place for a relaxing holiday. There are also great opportunities for outdoor activities and fishing. Even if you are not a fan of relaxing on the beach and swimming in the sea, you will definitely find something interesting for yourself. The most popular place in Grand Bahama is Freeport. Freeport is home to the Rand Nature Center with its beautiful garden. At the moment, in the garden you can get acquainted with more than 5,000 species of unusual exotic plants. The Grand Bahama Museum is also located in the garden. If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle, then you should visit Cat Island, which is not so heavily affected by tourism. The island is a long stretch of land where people live in thatched huts to this day. Beautiful beaches with pink sand stretch for several kilometers, where you can relax in complete solitude, watch the sunset and sunrise. In the southern part of the island lies the small town of New Bight, which once served as a free settlement of slaves. The main architectural asset of the island is the Catholic Church of the Savior, which was designed by an English apostate priest. An exciting canoe trip can be made along the small river Ambrister, which flows in the northern part of New Bight. You can rent a canoe in the nearby village. The river flows into the unusual lake “Boiling Hole”, the water in which, under certain conditions of high and low tide, bubbles.
National cuisine of the Bahamas
For many years, life on the island depended on fishing, poor soils and a constant lack of fresh water did not allow local residents to grow plants and raise livestock. Even today, when you can find a restaurant in almost every corner of the Bahamas, you can feel the abundance of fish dishes. Popular here are charcoal-baked shells, which are considered a local delicacy, fish cakes and a variety of seafood salads. The basis for local soups and one of the main side dishes – peas with rice, very often they are used together in one dish. You should definitely try the unusual local soup, which is made from meat, celery, lime juice and onions, but it is practically not cooked. Since most of the history of the islands, they were under the influence of Great Britain, then its culinary traditions are rooted here and you can find such traditional British dishes as scrambled eggs and bacon, toast with jam, steaks and fried potatoes everywhere. The national dessert is pies stuffed with coconut, and in general, most desserts are made using coconut. As in the UK, tea is the most popular drink, and strong Brazilian and Colombian coffees and fruit juices are also widespread.
Transport
According to extrareference, there is no public transport on the islands, and you can rent a car or hire a taxi to get around. To move to another island, you can use the numerous ferries or rent a boat.
