Monday 16th October
St Nicholas Abbey
The entrance to St Nicholas Abbey is along road under thick trees. The hose itself sits being a gate and a paved formal garden with trees, shrubs and flowers provide the setting for the Tudor looking white building. The ground floor of the house is open to the public; the front room is full of artefact you would expect in a well to do home. I am particularly taken by the chandelier, entirely made with shells, there are also dotted around the place, geometric patterns made out of shells under glass. And stuffed birds under glass domes. The dining room is laid out as if awaiting guest for dinner. The best china is out so is the silverware. The back entrance leads to the old stable which have been reconverted as a restaurant/cafe/shop and tasting room for the rum. It is all very nicely done and the place is full of old artefacts. The path on the side leads to the outbuildings, the rum factory and bottling building. It is probably the best we have seen so far. It sits in a beautiful garden and looks well taken care of. The stills are gleaming and the bottling plant is immaculate, but then again the other distilleries we visited where in full flow, cane being crushed and boiled, producing noise and dust as well as rum. Everyone is very friendly and chatty. Back in the shop, we watch a video, old reels of film taken by the owner‘s father, showing Trinidad and the plantation in the 30’s. Fascinating stuff. The tasting comes next, a 12 years old rum and very nice It is too (above our price range though, they are not producing that much so it is quite dear). We sipped our rum on the cool terrace at the back overlooking the ravine with it huge trees on top of which monkeys were swinging. Very nice place.
The return journey is on one of the mini buses, and we have completely different experience, the music is loud and everyone is chatting away and laughing, including us in the conversations and the joke. Shame we have to change bus again in Speightown for another noisy bus but this time packed to the rafters, with a conductor making sure that every inch of the bus is occupied, chivvying passengers along. It is great fun; we could have done with him in the rush hour buses in London.