Around Nassau town we did roam...

We spent today in Nassau, Bahamas.

Nassau was pretty locked down and we were only allowed off the ship if we were on a Celebrity-curated excursion. That meant no shopping so that probably saved us some money.

The excursion we booked was Essential Nassau.  In the current world of COVID, that meant a narrated bus tour around the city with nearly no stops.  Oh well.

We rode over the new Sir Sidney Portier bridge to Paradise Island and drove up to, but didn't stop at Atlantis.

There were some nice views of the harbor.

We did stop at Greycliff, a hotel with a winery, cigar shop, and chocolate factory.  But, with the current situation, it was mostly a look-at visit with a really small taste of white chocolate and a tiny taste of wine.

We were not allowed to wander but did take a peek inside the grounds of the national art museum.  It was a shame we couldn't go in.

After that, we paid a visit to John Watling's rum distillery.

We received a really quick tour.  This is a natural well about 70 feet deep where they get the water.

In a building without air conditioning, the rum sits in barrels, aging.

In that same building, workers at this steel table bottle up to 2,000 bottles in a day.  Only three workers produce that impressive output.

We passed by one of the Bahamas treasures - the vessel used to win the first Olympic gold medal in sailing for the island country.

The Bahamas are so enamored with sailing that there is currently a push to change the national sport from cricket to sailing.

Speaking of sailing, we were not the only ship in port today.

That's us on the left, and then the Crystal Serenity and Adventure of the Seas.  Both are based here in Nassau and had just completed different seven-day itineraries.  When we got back to the ship, another had arrived, the Mariner of the Seas on a three-day cruise from Port Canaveral.  By the way, any ship named "...of the Seas" is a Royal Caribbean vessel.

As we returned to the ship, we drove past the main shopping road in Nassau.  While there were a few tourists on the street, not allowing the 1,200 or so passengers on our vessel was certainly a blow to the Bahamian economy.  Strange times.

A little afternoon trivia, pre-dinner martinis, and life are good.

Our view at dinner...

But that is eclipsed by my view at dinner...

As we dined, the water got like glass. The only waves were the ones created by the ship.

We walked around the top deck and watched a couple making a hot glass heart for their 50th anniversary before heading down for a nightcap.

Before bed, we sat on our deck and marveled at the night sky.

The next two days are days at sea.