Final Summer Hoorah: Bermuda

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The cruise left from Boston and was supposed to be 6 days with 4 days on the ship and 2 and a half days docked in Bermuda. Thanks to Tropical Storm Colin, our arrival in Bermuda was delayed by a day but the ship took a wider route to get to the island and completely bypassed the storm so we had nothing but blue skies. On the return from Bermuda to Boston the weather wasn’t so accommodating with rain, wind and cloudy skies, but the sun did manage to peek out a few times.

The days at sea were spent relaxing on the deck, reading, people watching and drinking. Once the boat docked at the Naval Dockyard in Bermuda we disembarked and took a ferry to St. George. We explored St. George, went inside the Crystal Caves, lunched at the tasty Swizzle Inn and then went “snorkeling” in Tobacco Bay. The next day Gali found out that St. George dumps their untreated sewage a mile offshore of Tobacco Bay - YUCK! (no wonder the water was so murky). On our way to Tobacco Bay, we met three couples all celebrating their thirtieth anniversaries and the husbands have been best friends since university. We nicknamed them the “sixtuplets”. They were a riot and we hung out quite a few times after that. They definitely added to our fun. During the cruise we also befriended Alan, Chris and Kim.

That evening we ate on the ship and then went into the Dockyards. We started at the Frog and Onion Pub where we met Dougy, Jon (the birthday boy) and Beatrix. We ended up having a great time listening to Tony B and Tony Cox who joined us after finishing their set and chatted until the bar closed when a bunch of us went to Snorkel Park (a club at the far tip of the island) to continue toasting John’s birthday with yummy tequila. (If you are heading to Bermuda, check out Jon's pottery studio in the Dockyards where he has some beautiful work: www.jonfaulknerpottery.com)

The next morning we took the ferry to Hamilton, the capital of Bermuda. The streets were the opposite of St. George, full of people, shops and restaurants. The local business attire is climate accommodating; the men wear pastel colored Bermuda shorts adorned with a classy leather belt, knee high navy socks, dress shirts and ties.

From Hamilton, we took the bus to Elbow Beach. STUNNING! The sand was white, soft like talcum powder and the water a clear turquoise blue. Really, really beautiful. (We have traveled to quite a few beaches and we think it is safe to say that this is the most beautiful beach we have yet to visit). We walked along the beach for a little and then went to a restaurant on the beach named Mike’s for a lunch. The food was delicious but crazy expensive (Gali had a $40 salad… the view was worth it though)! From Elbow Beach we got back on the bus and went to Horseshoe Bay for the rest of the afternoon. This beach was also gorgeous.

Other Bermuda highlights were the hibiscus bushes growing wild, the multicolored homes and the friendliness and hospitality of the locals.

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