Greetings from Bermuda! - Originally Posted August 15, 2010
For those of you who don’t know, I’m on vacation with my friend Michele and her son Billy. Our flight down was great, smooth sailing the whole way. What a contrast to Hong Kong. We were in the air less than 2 hours and they only gave us one beverage, not an all you can eat feast.
The shuttle driver provided a guided tour as we made the forty minute drive from the airport to our hotel in Southampton parish. He was a native Bermudian and was able to share some of the local history and culture. Fresh water in Bermuda is very scarce so all houses and buildings are designed with a stepped roof which captures the rain water and funnel it into gutters. Pipes from the gutters lead to holding tanks built underneath of each house. The roofs are painted with special white paint that contains lime to filter any impurities from the water.
We are staying at the Fairmount, a hotel of which the Koenig would certainly approve – private golf course for Uncle Ted and enough luxury and five-star restaurants to satisfy Jason. Our room has a balcony from which we can see the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. We’re hoping to get down there and take a tour before we leave.
We spent the afternoon at the beach. Our hotel has its own private cove right next to Horseshoe Bay. The water is crystal clear and warm, but still refreshing, we were able to swim all the way out to the rock formations that protect the cove from the ocean.
Tonight we are going to explore the hotel, check out one of the restaurants and plan tomorrow’s itinerary.
Day Two in Bermuda - Originally Posted August 16, 2010
We awoke this morning to beautiful weather so we decided to make it another beach day. But first, breakfast at one of the hotel’s restaurants, Windows on the Sound. The views from the restaurant were spectacular. We opted for the cold buffet since it offered more food than we could possibly eat and was much cheaper than the full buffet with hot food (although the smell of the pancakes was tempting). After that, it was off to Horseshoe Bay.
Horseshoe Bay is the beach directly next to the Fairmount’s beach. According to the travel guide, it is the most photographed beach in Bermuda. I know that Bermuda is known for its pink sand beaches, but truthfully, I’m having a hard time seeing it. One thing is certain, the sand stays cool even with the sun beating down on it all day. Nothing like walking on the New Jersey beaches where you burn your feet.
At the suggestion of the shuttle bus driver, we walked Northeast from Horseshoe Bay and followed the coast line. It reminded me very much of the Dragon’s Back trail in Hong Kong, winding up through the sand and desert-like vegetation until all of the sudden, we were overlooking the most breathtaking coves and isolated beaches. We found a cove that look easy enough to walk down to and had the whole beach to ourselves.
In the evening, we took a bus up to the Royal Naval Dockyard in Sandys Parish. So far, I have found the public transportation system in Bermuda to be fabulous. The bus drivers are very helpful, especially to tourists, and the roads run along the coast so it’s like being on a sightseeing tour. One thing that I’m noticing is people seem to use their horns a lot around here, not out of anger but to beep “hello”. I guess on an island this small, with a limited number of cars, chances are you’re going to know a lot of your fellow motorists.
Construction on the Royal Naval Dockyard began in 1809 and originally consisted of military barracks, a prison, a hospital, warehouses and munitions storage buildings encircled by massive bastions, gun placements and ramparts. Today, it’s a major port for the cruise ships. The Clocktower Building has been converted into a shopping mall full of specialty stores. Several other buildings have been converted into artists workshops. We were able to see the potters working at the Bermuda Clayworks as well as a glass blowing demonstration at the Dockyard Glassworks.
Tonight we ate dinner at the Frog & Onion pub which is located in the Naval Yard’s Cooperage. I think that is where they would have made barrels during the yard’s functioning days (I had to Google that one). The pub was founded by a Bermudian and a French man and seemed to have the feel that I would expect from an English pub.
Tomorrow the plan is to explore the parish of Hamilton and hopefully make it to the zoo and aquarium.
A Day of Sightseeing - Originally Posted August 17, 2010
Today we decided to get out and do some sightseeing. Our hotel offers a ferry service between the property at which we are staying on the southern most part of the island, across the Little Sound, to property it owns in the capital city of Hamilton. The ferry stayed close to the coast line so we were able to see the houses built along the banks.
After docking, we walked into town. Hamilton is considered the business district of the island although it retains the island feeling as it lacks the towering skyscrapers of Philadelphia or New York. We ate breakfast at the Lemon Tree Café and then walked on to the bus terminal to catch a bus to the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo or as they call it BAMZ. The aquarium was small, but contained displays showing fish and sea creatures that are native to Bermuda’s water. The zoo displays contained mostly birds, reptiles and small mammals, including sections devoted to Australian and Caribbean wildlife. The natural history museum gave an excellent overview of the changing environment of Bermuda from its volcanic creation through the British colonization clear on through to the present.
From BAMZ, we caught the bus back into Hamilton and walked to Holy Trinity Cathedral. According to the tour book, visitors are allowed to climb the stairs to the top of the cathedral from which one could see the surrounding parishes. Unfortunately, it was closed – quite disappointing. Instead we went to the Bermuda National Gallery to view the Bermuda Biennial Exhibition of Contemporary Bermudian Art. I found the works on display to be a sharp contrast to many of the contemporary works I’ve seen recently in Philadelphia galleries. The colors were more vivid and appeared to have a more positive feeling. I guess when artists live in a place this beautiful, it’s difficult to create dark, angst-ridden works.
Next, it was back to our hotel to see a cooking demonstration by one of the hotel restaurants’ master chefs. We watched him prepare yellow fin tuna tacos with pineapple salsa, yellow tail snapper with smoked pepper sauce and orange crème brulee, all of which we had the opportunity to sample. He even provided us with copies of the recipes.
With our appetites now spoiled for dinner, in the true Italian tradition, we took to the bocce court. Billy one the first two rounds but Michele and I rallied back to win the post dinner game. We spent the remainder of the evening at the pool, overlooking the ocean.
One Last Day at the Beach - Originally Posted August 18, 2010
Since today was our last full day on the island, we headed to the beach early. I was lamenting that for the past 3 days, we had been swimming in this beautiful, clear water and I had seen exactly 2 small, nondescript fish. When we arrived at the beach, it was low tide so we could easily walk out to the rocks. Much to my surprise, there were fish everywhere – large angel fish, small striped fish and beautiful turquoise fish with yellow fins that we think may have been parrot fish. With Billy’s underwater camera, we were able to get some great shots. Make sure to check out the video. It’s a little long, but we can edit it later.
We ate lunch at Cabana Bar and Grill on our beach. Ariell, our waiter, was very friendly. He was born in Chicago, but grew up in both Bermuda and the States. Ironically, he was stuck in Philadelphia during the first snow storm that we had right before Christmas. Ariell was able to give us some insight into the local Bermudian culture.
We stayed at the beach well into the afternoon. In the evening, we took the ferry back to Hamilton for the Harbor Nights Festival. This evening, our ferry took us on a different route across the sound, in between several of the smaller islands. Many of the locals had their boats anchored where they could relax around floating tables with drinks in hand.
Every Wednesday night, Hamilton closes the main street overlooking the harbor. Artists and vendors set up in the streets and the shops stay open late. There’s also a stage with live local entertainers. We ate dinner at the Hog Penny, Hamilton’s oldest licensed establishment and the inspiration for the Cheers bar in Boston.
Tomorrow the plan is to get up early and climb to the top of the lighthouse before leaving for the airport. It’s going to be difficult to leave.
