Bermuda Shorts Tory: | |
Last spring we went to Bermuda. What a wonderful place to relax. We stayed at a timeshare for a week
in the town of Saint George, on Saint George's Island, close to Fort George, next to Saint George's Harbour. Obviously this end of
Bermuda was named after a guy named Fred. Our trip started out with a tribute to the Bermuda Triangle. We arrived Saturday morning.
Our luggage arrived Sunday afternoon. We bought a couple shirts at a shop at the Dockyard to hold us over,
but it was nice to have our own clothes back. It rained lightly on and off the whole week we were there, but never very hard and never enough
to slow us down. Right after we checked in, we took a bus to the far end of the island chain to the Royal Navy Dockyard.
That encompasses an old fort, a dockyard and the old Governor's Mansion. It's all been converted into shops,
restaraunts, museums, etc. |
Bermuda Triangle
View From Our Room
Our living room looked out over Saint George Harbour,
so we were forced to endure this view every morning.
Our living room looked out over Saint George Harbour,
so we were forced to endure this view every morning.
View From Our Room
White Roofs & Bright Pastels: | |
Bermuda is more of a big rockpile than what you'd expect an island to be. There are many grottos and underground
waterways. Unfortunately, they don't have a lot of fresh water resources because the ground is so briny. They've
compensated for that by incorporating rain catches as part of every structure. Works very well and explains all the
white-washed roofs. Why pastels? I have no idea, but it just seems right. It's as if the island is mimicking a flowerbed. |
View From Our Room
The White roofs serve a purpose: water.
The White roofs serve a purpose: water.
View From Our Room
The Pool at Our Timeshare
Flowers Along One of the Trails
Sightseeing on Foot: | |
Bermuda was another opportunity for Pam to try to walk me to death so she can collect the life insurance.
Didn't work. Maybe next trip. There used to be a train from Saint George all the way to the Dockyard, but it hasn't been operational
for many years and the tracks have been converted to a hiking/biking trail. This is a great trail.
There's a few breaks here and there, but it's pretty contiguous through most of the island. And, it's
mostly flat. Yee Hah! We hiked along the beaches, the railroad path, through the streets of the few cities, in some parks,
up and down glaciers, across lava flows..... Maybe not. Wherever we went, we truly enjoyed the scenery.
We just had to be careful the few times we had to walk along the road where there wasn't a sidewalk
(which was pretty common). |
Down by the Pink Sand Beaches
The Pink Sand Beaches
Pam Looking Over a Map To Find a Cliff She Can Push Me Over
The Pink Sand Beaches
Down by the Pink Sand Beaches
Note the Old Steps Carved Into the Rocks
Note the Old Steps Carved Into the Rocks
Close-Up of Those Steps
Can't you just picture Captain Jack Sparrow tripping up and down.
Can't you just picture Captain Jack Sparrow tripping up and down.
Beautiful Coastline
Beautiful Coastline
Coastline
Hard to tell the sand is Pink, but it is - sort of. Kind of a whimpy Pink.
Hard to tell the sand is Pink, but it is - sort of. Kind of a whimpy Pink.
Beautiful Coastline
Reminds me of Van Gogh's famous painting:
Three People Walking Next to a Tree-Rock on a Pink Beach
Reminds me of Van Gogh's famous painting:
Three People Walking Next to a Tree-Rock on a Pink Beach
Beautiful Coastline
Beautiful Coastline
A bit o' rum and a view like this - what else ya need?
A bit o' rum and a view like this - what else ya need?
Beautiful Coastline
Beautiful Coastline
Beautiful Coastline
Kings of the Mountain: | |
After walking along the shore for a couple miles, we headed up to a Lighthouse at the top of a hill near the South
end of the island. The next set of pictures is a series of views from there. This is the highest point of Bermuda and it's probably not much more than a couple hundred feet.
For perspective, there are sand dunes in the desert twice that high. Not much of a bump, but plenty
high compared to the rest of the island. We were blessed with plenty of sun the day we were up
there, mixed with an occasional light sprinkle. |
The Kings Enjoying the Scenery
View From the Lighthouse
View From the Lighthouse
Pam at the Lighthouse Map
You can see the "You Are Here" marker near the bottom.
That's where we are, but not actually on the wall.
We're not that small.
You can see the "You Are Here" marker near the bottom.
That's where we are, but not actually on the wall.
We're not that small.
Another View From the Lighthouse
Another View From the Lighthouse
Another View From the Lighthouse
Another View From the Lighthouse
One thing that's obvious is that you can see a lot more water than land.
One thing that's obvious is that you can see a lot more water than land.
And Another View From the Lighthouse
More Sightseeing: | |
As we walked around the island, we saw the typical, normal, beautiful scenery kinda stuff.
What we didn't expect, was so many abby-normal objects-de-fascination (that's French for "stuff"). We still haven't figured out the purpose or fascination for the "Stargates" we kept seeing, but
they seem to be everywhere and they're all about the same size. I didn't see any aliens, except
for the bus drivers, so I don't think they're operational (at this time, anyway).
Still, everywhere we walked, we'd see one. Just added to the mistery of Bermuda. |
Stargate SG-1 Travelers, Dial 1-800-BERMUDA
A Cruise Ship Anchored at the Dockyard
Walking Around the Saint George Area
Yes, it's Green and Yes, it's a Church
An Old Cemetery Near Saint George
Along the North Coast of Saint George
Note the rain clouds moving out of our way.
Note the rain clouds moving out of our way.
Follow the Rainbow to the Bermuda Triangle
Pam & Stargate
Rich & Stargate
Wish I could say it was just the round backdrop making me look fat.
Wish I could say it was just the round backdrop making me look fat.
More White Roofs & Pastels
At first the bright colors make you cross-eyed,
but in no time, it just seems right.
At first the bright colors make you cross-eyed,
but in no time, it just seems right.
Bermuda's Forts: | |
There are a lot of forts surrounding Bermuda. Some built back in the 1600's by the British and many from
WWI and WWII. Some of the more recent ones were built by the American Army Corps. of Engineers. Even the airport was built by the Americans for strategic reasons and I think we still have a small
contingent of Navy and Coast Guard stationed there. One interesting note about the forts and gun emplacements all around Bermuda:
In all the history of the island, not one gun has ever been fired in anger.
You'd think it was French. |
Fort George
Another Bunker Near Saint George
Another Bunker Near Saint George
Another Bunker Near Saint George
The Inlet to Saint George Harbor, Next to Gates Fort
Very deep. We saw a cruise ship come through here.
Very deep. We saw a cruise ship come through here.
The View the Other Way, Next to Gates Fort
Gates Fort
Gates Fort
The Dockyard: | |
The Dockyard is an old fort and dockyard area at the far Southeast end of Bermuda on Ireland Island. It housed the
Governor's Mansion, multiple batteries, a prison, and customs yard. It now consists of museums, a
dolphin pool, shops, restaraunts, and a brewery. We went to the Dockyard a couple times by bus and once taking the water ferry from Hamilton, Bermuda's capitol.
There's a couple nice restaraunts there. The cool thing about them is the age of the buildings they're in. Muskets
and other decorations are likely the real thing. Great setting for a Black-n-Tan. |
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Believe it or not, you can't rent any of these boats.
Believe it or not, you can't rent any of these boats.
An Old Maritime Clock in the Museum
Maritime Museum
Maritime Museum
Sheep Guarding the Fortress at the Dockyard
Down to the right of the photo you can see a bit of the Dolphin pools.
This ain't no Sea World, that's for dang sure.
Down to the right of the photo you can see a bit of the Dolphin pools.
This ain't no Sea World, that's for dang sure.
Cruise Ship at the Dockyard
The Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
View From the Governor's Mansion
Inside the Governor's Mansion
We made an offer. Still haven't heard back.
We made an offer. Still haven't heard back.
The Museums: | |
Basically, the whole island is a museum. I love all the old stone forts and gun emplacements.
I think the shear numbers of guns plus the coral reefs surrounding most of the island made Bermuda too
prickly a Porcupine to mess with. At least the theory seems good. Whatever the reality, it gives me
an idea for landscaping the front yard. |
Gun Emplacement
Gun Emplacement
Dockyard Fort Museum
Dockyard Fort Museum
Bermuda's Biker Gangs: | |
I actually saw a "gang" of bikers pass our bus on their choppers one day. The choppers were a bunch of
tiny little 250cc bikes. They had the biker leathers, ape-hanger handlebars, raked front-ends, all
the essentials........... sounded like a stampede of sewing machines when they passed us. So sad. |
Bermuda is Only 27 Miles Long - Might as Well Ride a Scooter
With gas already at $6.00 a gallon plus, the scooters make a lot of sense.
With gas already at $6.00 a gallon plus, the scooters make a lot of sense.
Bermuda's Friendly Bus System: | |
Bermuda's bus system is spectacular. Bus stops are distinguished by a stone shelter,
or if there is no shelter, a single Pink, or Blue pole on the side of the road designates a bus stop.
A Pink pole signifies the bus is heading to Hamilton, and the Blue pole denotes the bus will be heading away from Hamilton.
That's all you need to know. Of course, you'll need to know where Hamilton is. All busses going to Hamilton end up at the bus terminal. For the most part, the terminal is the only
place where the destination of a bus is identified (remember - only 27 miles long - not a lot of choices). One of the highlights of traveling on the bus is the opportunity to talk with locals, especially the
uniformed school children. They are more than happy to answer questions and share information about their
island. The bus drivers are also very helpful. Tell them where you want to go and they'll tell
you where to get off - really. |
The Flatts Village
Another Island Resort
A Great Place to Own a Boat
The Railroad Track Trail: | |
One of our long walks along the old Railroad Track Trail was a bit rainy, but still scenic.
One of the pictures below shows a good view of the coral that makes up most of the island's foundation.
Fort Scaur was a pretty complete outpost we saw on the way to the Dockyard. |
Fort Scaur
Fort Scaur
Fort Scaur
Fort Scaur
Walking Along the old Railroad Cut
The Higher-End of Bermuda
View from the water taxi between Hamilton and the Dockyard.
View from the water taxi between Hamilton and the Dockyard.
The Higher-End of Bermuda
The Higher-End of Bermuda
Hamilton: | |
Hamilton is the capitol of Bermuda. It's a very nice town. A little more colorful than most capitol
cities in the world and we always felt safe there. |
Hamilton
Hamilton
More Views From Our Condo
More Views From Our Condo
More Views From Our Condo
Down in Saint George Harbor on a Wet & Windy Day
Down in Saint George Harbor on a Wet & Windy Day
Walking Along the Golf Course Near Saint George
Saint Davis Lighthouse
Across From Saint George Harbour
Across From Saint George Harbour
Saint George Sites: | |
There was a lot to see just walking around the Saint
George area. More forts, beautiful houses, ships, boats, and more. Within a short walking distance from our condo was an abandoned church. Unfortunate as it looked
like it would have been beautiful if finished. Still, ruins have their own beauty.
This one made me feel like I was in Ireland (the part of Ireland with lots of palm trees). |
White Roof, Pink Walls, Stargate, Animal Reliefs - Very Bermudian
Saint George Sites
Saint George Sites
Saint George Sites
Abandoned Church in Saint George
Hard to believe they abandoned the church
and left behind a perfectly good brunette.
Hard to believe they abandoned the church
and left behind a perfectly good brunette.
Abandoned Church
Abandoned Church
Abandoned Church
Abandoned Church
Miniature Park in Saint George
Saint George Sites
Saint George Sites
Old Wreck in Saint George Harbor
Our Condo
Evening View From Our Room
Evening View From Our Room
The Grotto & The Swizzle: | |
Being too cheap to take a Grotto Tour, we instead walked through one of their larger parks to
an area that was basically the back door of the grotto. It was a nice walk. Afterwards, we were force-marched
to the Swizzel-Inn Pub to partake in the elimination of a couple of the famous local Swizzle drinks. Another
must-do on the list of Bermuda's attractions. |
Along the Walk to One of the Grottos
Along the Walk to One of the Grottos
Along the Walk to One of the Grottos
Along the Walk to One of the Grottos
One of the Locals
Another One of the Locals
Along the Walk to One of the Grottos
Entrance to One of the Grottos
Entrance to One of the Grottos
Bermuda - I Could Almost Live Here
