We visited the jewel of The Islands Of The Bahamas -- Nassau/Paradise Island. As the cultural, social, political and economic centre of The Bahamas, it is the most visited destination in the islands. Nassau/Paradise Island has much to offer visitors. The area known as Nassau /Paradise Island includes two separate islands connected by two bridges. Nassau, the capital city of The Islands Of The Bahamas, is located on the northeast shore of the island of New Providence. Tiny Paradise Island is directly across the bridge from Nassau.

 Although Nassau/Paradise Island accounts for less than two percent of the land area in The Islands Of The Bahamas, it is the residence for 60 percent of Bahamians. Nassau is the home of the Bahamian national capital. Nassau is the bustling hub of The Bahamas since the shipwrecking days of the legendary pirate Blackbeard. Prized for its sheltered harbour, the city made history and preserved it beautifully in Victorian mansions, cathedrals, 18th-century fortresses. Parliament Square in downtown Nassau is the traditional center of the Bahamian government.

 Here, picturesque pastel buildings erected in the early 1800s by Loyalists, including the Houses of Parliament, the old Colonial Secretary's Office, the Supreme Court, surround a marble statue of Queen Victoria. We ventured east and crossed the bridge from the town of Nassau to "Paradise," with resorts, casinos and exciting nightlife on an island formerly called "Hog." Its transformation is not unlike Cinderella's putting on the glass slipper. For years the island stood completely undeveloped, its beaches and tropical splendor unnoticed by the world. For those who prefer a quieter, more serene Nassau/Paradise Island, it can be found farther west. Indeed, once you leave Nassau, the pace is slower. For example, the section of West Bay Street that leads to Cable Beach is nicknamed "Go Slow Bend." Cable Beach, with its luxury hotels, casinos and beachfront, got its name in 1907 from the laying here of transatlantic telephone cables linking what was an isolated Bahamas to the rest of the world. Beyond Cable Beach, the island is transformed. Large tracts of pine trees and rolling hills dominate the central portions of Nassau/Paradise Island, and the island's perimeter is marked by miles of fine white sand beach.