A nice place to visit...
a week in Bermuda was enough time to see a great deal of the island and visit with Colin. We even got to meet a number of Colin's co-workers and future Vancouver peers. The highlights were the trips to the beech, the ferry to the Dockyard, shopping in Hamilton, the aquarium, Crystal caves and of course our scooter ride to St. George. We were very fortunate to stay in the apartment on the same property where Colin was living.
We arrived on Saturday the 8th of March and spent the day wondering around Hamilton visiting a few spots with Colin. we purchased some groceries and returned to our wonderful apartment for supper. It is quite a walk from the bus stop to Colin's place, especially since there are no sidewalks and the roads are so very narrow. There are places I wonder how cars are able to pass each other without a scrape or two.
Sunday we found Horseshoe Bay and went for a swim. The waves were such that we were able to body surf without any trouble. After a packed lunch and the start of a sun burn, we headed off to visit a friend of Colin's he met at Dalhousie. We walked across the island and got to Kiren's place around 2:30. After a quick visit we grabbed a bus and headed back to the house. Colin's friends were coming over for a bar b que and we had to be there to welcome them. Victoria was the chief cook and looked after most of the meal including the BBQ. It started to rain so we all sat around our dining room table and enjoyed the meal. Since Monday was a work day for most of them, the party was over around 9 and we sat and chatted for a couple of hours until bed time.
Monday we traveled by ferry to the DockYard and explored the sights and shops on the west side of the island. We ate lunch there and purchased a few souvenirs. On the bus trip back we stopped to have a looked a the worlds smallest draw bridge, 22 inches. We took some pictures and hopped on the next bus and headed to Hamilton. While waiting for Colin to get off work we took some time and explored Fort Hamilton, an unfinished fort with a great view of the city. We also grabbed a beer and some fries at Flanagan's Irish Pub. It was a nice little spot in the downtown area. We then met Colin and went back to the house for supper and a relaxing evening.
After a nice breakfast Tuesday morning, we bussed to Hamilton and caught the number 4 to Spanish Point. There we spent an hour and took pictures walked around and had a picnic lunch. There is a nice little park there with some tables and tenting areas. Shortly after lunch we took the bus back and transfered to the bus for Elbow Beach. Devon and I went in swimming while Nadine enjoyed a few rays of sun. After chasing sand flies away we left for the apartment to change and head back into town for a walk around Hamilton after dark. The one thing we noticed was that all of the shops close early. there was nothing opened except the bars, and there are only a few of them.
Wednesday was shopping day. We spent the day in the gift stores looking for presents for the boys. We met Colin for lunch and got a sandwich at the Hickory Stick and ate it in the park. The weather was co-oporating as it was supposed to rain. During the afternoon we stopped long enough to visit our friends at Flanagan's and had a beer
and fries. For supper we bar-b-qued hamburgers on the BBQ owned by the landlord. Colin stayed in town and ate with some of his friends. Today was his last day on the job here in Bermuda and a few friends took him to supper.
Colin and I were up early Thursday morning and headed to town to pick up our scooters. The four of us took off around 10:30 and headed for Crystal and Fantasy Caves. These are caves full of crystal stalactites and stalagmites surrounding a clear lake which is 55 feet deep. This was one of the highlights of the trip. After a picnic lunch outside the caves we mounted up and headed for St. George. Devon was quite nervous on the back of my bike as it was hard to control the bike with him on it. We had a couple of near misses, but I was able to keep us both safe. We toured around St. George and went in a few shops. There was a cruise ship docked there that was traveling around the world. We took a side trip to Whalebone bay, which was up a very narrow street and I was so happy we did not meet up with another vehicle coming toward us. We ate supper in St. George at a very nice restaurant sitting on the side of the harbour. We headed back to the apartment before it got too dark and arrived back around 8:00 pm. Colin had to return his scooter that night as he borrowed it from a friend.
Friday was our last full day on the island and after returning my scooter, we all took the bus to the aquarium and zoo located in Flatts. This was a small facility but had lots of unique animals. we had fun watching the different colored fish, one in particular with lip stick on. The mammals, birds and reptiles were also interesting and different. It was well worth the price of admission. We grabbed the bus back to sit at pool side for the afternoon while Colin packed up all of his worldly belongings. Devon and I had a side bet to see who would get the best tan while in Bermuda so we soaked up the rays all afternoon. (I won). For supper we met more of Colin's friends at the bar called Robin Hood, a nice and very busy english pub. On the way to dinner a very nice lady offered us a drive into Hamilton. They are extremely nice people. I had the local fish chowder as an appetizer and found it to be very good, certainly not the New England Chowder I was expecting. We stayed and chatted until 10:30 and caught the bus at 10:45 back to our place.
Bermuda is such a clean island with a beautiful view of the ocean from almost everywhere you stand. We are so grateful to Colin for his kind generosity and hospitality while visiting. Colin you make us proud.
I also have a few pictures on "flickr"