Last month we wanted to celebrate and mark the past two years since moving here to DC. We ended up finding cheap tickets to...Bermuda. And we discovered that there is a direct flight from Reagan/DCA that only takes an hour and a half to get there! Sometimes it takes us an hour and a half to get to Fredricksburg VA (40 miles from here) on our way to North Carolina! So for the price, ease, and convenience and what awaited us, Bermuda could not be beat!
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| Coming in to land... |
Bermuda reminded me of many places...
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| Flame of the Forest |
It's a tropical paradise most of the year with huge never ending banks of hibiscus, flame of the forest, plumeria/frangipani trees, and many other familiar tropical plants. However because it does cool down in the winter there are some consequences - though there are plenty of coconut trees, the coconuts don't mature completely. But it is also a very well kept, manicured tropical paradise - and just gorgeous! Some places reminded me of anywhere tropical I have been.
In some ways it is similar to Hawaii - island, great beaches and snorkeling but without the surfer 'hang-loose bro' attitude. It also seemed that swimming was safer on all the beaches than in Hawaii due to less dangerous currents. There were a couple places that reminded us of the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia with pines and windy roads.
Though still very proper and genteel (you ALWAYS greet people with a Good Morning or Good Afternoon) it was less British than I thought it would be, especially when it came to the grocery stores which were much more American and American influenced as most food comes from the US. But it is a little like England with British road signs, crosswalks and narrow village lanes - and you drive on the left. And of course accents are somewhat British, but not quite. Wikipedia says that Americans think a Bermudian accent sounds British and British think it sounds more American!
Most houses and buildings are painted in bright pastels conjuring up a bit of a Caribbean vibe. All roofs are white and used to collect rain water in underground water tanks - the only source of water on the island
And finally some of the rocky inner harbor shorelines and inlets with their majestic homes reminded me of some of Italy's famous lakes.
All of this beauty does not come cheap. Although our flight to Bermuda costs half of what it might cost to go to Belize or a Caribbean island, this island comes with a price: An apple is is $1.49 (and up) each - not a pound! Bananas were $1.69 a lb. Local bananas - $1.89 a pound. Some of the cheapest food of course were those items that had come a long way - New Zealand cheddar! And houses...are really really expensive! This also is true with many hotels on the island. Thankfully we found Greenbank Guest House where the prices though still high were much more affordable than the $700 cost per room at the Fairmont Princess across the bay from us. Greebank was a lovely spot - just our style! For full review on Trip Advisor, go
here. I l
oved being able to swim off their dock and saw some great fish right there - and a definite highlight was seeing a very large hogfish swim by me!
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| Greenbank Guest House |
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| Sea turtle swimming by |
Some of you might have seen my facebook post about a fish biting me on the elbow while swimming at Elbow Beach...here it is again. Of course this happened right after I had told Andrea that the fish were all harmless!
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| The storm swept over us, but we kept swimming |
We spent our five days resting, swimming and snorkeling at several beaches and exploring the island from end to end - including UNESCO World Heritage site St George's settled in 1612 where St Peter's Church (oldest Anglican church outside of the UK) is also located. Seeing the Queen's box, where she and any royalty sit when visiting was interesting but what really was moving was visiting a lesser known church that is becoming famous in its own right but still is not on the tourist maps.
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| St. Peter's Church |
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| Inside St. Peter's |
Andrea had read about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on Bermuda and how its priest had spent years painting scenes from the Bible and elsewhere, turning it into his Sistine Chapel. We were really fortunate to find Habte, a member and caretaker of the church, repairing a window, otherwise we never would have had the experience of seeing the beauty that has been created. It was a real treat and privilege to spend time with Habte as he told us the history of the church and about the priest, Abba Gebre Hiwot Wold Samuel who returned to Ethiopia last year but might return to continue painting as there are still stories to be illustrated and space on the walls. Habte also demonstrated the traditional drums they use in their services. We learned a lot and was a definite highlight of the day!
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| Ethiopian Orthodox Church |
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| Habte demonstrating the traditional drums |
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| Abba Gebre Hiwot Wold Samuel in the yellow |
Following this we had a yummy lunch at the kind of place we appreciate so much, where no tourist darkens the door! We also explored Tom Moore's jungle and tried in vain to find the caves that the locals try to keep hidden - and for another day the locals were successful! So in addition to all the other things we enjoyed about Bermuda, we have a real reason to return!
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| Swimming in a couple holes at Tom Moore's jungle |
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| Until next time... |
Duncan
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