I’ve long been a fan of the English playwright and celebrated man of letters, Sir Noel Coward. He lived for years, died and is buried atop a hillside near Ocho Rios, Jamaica, at a house he named Firefly. He wrote several plays here and, in the 1960s, hosted his friends, the biggest names from Hollywood, Broadway and London, for holidays in the Jamaican sun.
The author of Private Lives, Blithe Spirit, Sail Away and countless more Broadway and West End hits, Coward thought of Firefly as his sanctuary from the hurly-burly world of the theater. It’s named for the myriad of fireflies that gathered on his hilltop each evening at dusk.
When our Coral Princess cruise in April 2007 listed Ocho Rios as a port-of-call, we knew that Firefly, long on our bucket list, was a must. Much has been written about its setting and atmosphere. The overlook across the ocean from the terrace has been called the most beautiful view in the Caribbean.
Investigating the options, we learned that no organized excursions included the house in their itineraries. So we arranged a private taxi.
Firefly is located high above the village of Port Maria, around 20 miles (32km) from the port where Coral Princess was docked. It’s a rugged 20 miles on unimproved roads, winding through villages and dense forest. At last, at the very top of the hill, there’s Firefly!
A small, simple white stucco house, it’s not what you might picture as the home of a world famous playwright. After Sir Noel’s death in 1973, the house fell into disrepair. Rescued by Chris Blackwell of Island Records, it is now operated by the Jamaica National Heritage Trust.
We were greeted by a charming young Jamaican lady tour guide who leisurely escorted us through the house and grounds. Photos are everywhere – and maybe even the ghosts — of Sir Noel’s friends who visited: Laurence Olivier, Vivien Leigh, the Queen Mother, Maria Callas, Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Beatrice Lillie and Ian Fleming among them. His books are on the shelves; his paintings are on the walls.
A few steps up is the small, simple bedroom where Coward died.
An expansive green lawn sweeps down from the house to the edge of the mountain and the blue Caribbean beyond. Here Sir Noel is buried on the exact spot where he enjoyed his nightly cocktails.
We brought from Coral Princess a small flask of ice cold martinis. At his grave site, we joyfully toasted this celebrated Renaissance man of the 20th Century. And, because it seemed right, we splashed a bit of the martini right on his marble gravestone.
In one of Sir Noel’s great lyrics, “If Love Were All,” he wrote: “But I believe that since my life began, the most I’ve had is just a talent to amuse.”
We think – and hope — he would have been amused.
Although modest in architecture and proportions, Firefly was Sir Noel's favorite place in the world.
His friends called him "The Master." Today, Coward's life-size sculpture overlooks his beloved Jamaican sanctuary.
Ken Young and Jack Ryan toast Sir Noel with his favorite cocktail, a martini. What some call the most beautiful vista in the Caribbean stretches out behind them.
WOW! I would not drive that car a mile…not with original tires on it. That has for being The most unsafe thing any individual can perform. Nice seeking car…seems to be is often deceiving. My suggestion, get new tires and drive the car. At demonstrates, place the originals. one. You’re safe, 2. The car’s safe, 3. You save tire’s you can’t invest in but. Win, win, win.
Pingback: hlcxLZnI
Pingback: VIWsoorJ
Your place is valueble for me. Thanks!
Wow, amazing blog layout! How long have you been blogging for? you make blogging look easy. The overall look of your website is excellent, as well as the content!. Thanks For Your article about Jack Ryan | Princess Cruises .
The panel van edition specially manufactured for the British General Submit Office, and utilized by both equally postmen and telephone engineers was called the Bedford HA110 listed here, and had a specially tuned engine. Detuned actually, to ensure that it produced a mighty 27 bhp! The joke on the time was that it absolutely was reserved for carrying second class letters, which didn’t offer up coming day delivery.
Pingback: www.stryker-hip-recall-info.com
Pingback: Seo Tools
Jack Ryan | Princess Cruises Jeremy Scott Adidas
Pingback: stryker hip lawsuits
Can anybody let know me that is certainly there any on the internet course for SEO, as I would like to find out much more about Web optimization. vestidos de dama de honor baratos
There are some interesting points in time in this article but I don
you have a great blog here! would you like to make some invite posts on my blog?
[url=http://carouselcheckscoupon.org]enter site[/url]
enter site
Pingback: 群发
Jack Ryan | Princess Cruises
Pingback: diablo 3 gold
Jack Ryan | Princess Cruises
Jack Ryan | Princess Cruises
WONDERFUL Post.thanks for share..more wait ..
I really appreciate this post. I have been looking all over for this! Thank goodness I found it on Bing. You’ve made my day! Thank you again! enter website