Bermuda

Wednesday, October 26th - Thursday, October 27th

 

Wednesday, October 26th
Amazing Amazon
Day 2
M/S Regatta
Hamilton, Bermuda
United Kingdom
Arriving: 2:00 PM
Sunny - 74 Degrees

 

There has been continuous settlement on the island of Bermuda since 1612, making it the oldest English settlement in the Western Hemisphere. Still part of the United Kingdom, but just 508 miles East of the United States, Bermuda is distinctly "English in character and American in culture." Regatta is docked in downtown Hamilton.

 

This is not an impoverished third-world island nation of streets lined with beggars. Bermuda is clean and colorful, refined and dignified. The standard of living is high, unemployment is low, and even hourly workers make a decent salary. Expenses are high here too. There is no income tax, anything that can't be grown or manufactured on the island must be shipped in, and the import tax is stiff. There is no municipal water supply on the island. Bermudians rely almost solely on rainwater. Every roof is painted with a thick coating of stark white lime-based paint. The lime neutralizes the acid in the rain, which runs off the roof, down the gutters, and into underground water tanks. There are four wells on the island and a fleet of water trucks makes deliveries when the tanks are drained by drought, but the wait for water can last weeks.

 

Bermuda is a haven for the rich and famous, and we are always up for a boat ride, so we booked the "Famous Homes & Hideaways Cruise," billed as "the ultimate water experience" and "long recognized as one of Bermuda's best tours." Cool!!!

 

It was pleasant afternoon on the water and we saw some lovely homes, but it turns out that fame is local and we had never heard of most of these people, except for Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, who have actually lived in this house full time.

 

This one is our favorite, and a favorite of the locals as well, having garnered many architectural awards.

 

Hamilton is a sleepy little town and shops were closing up when we tied up at the pier downtown for the walk back to the ship.

 

 

Thursday, October 27th
Amazing Amazon
Day 3
M/S Regatta
Hamilton, Bermuda
United Kingdom
Departing: 4:30 PM
Sunny - 77 Degrees

 

Docked in Hamilton overnight and for most of another day, we were free to explore on our own. Downtown Hamilton is a rainbow of pastels. We took a walk down Front St and just out of town.

 

The oldest resort on the island is the Hamilton Princess, dating from 1885. It is operated by Fairmont now and is currently undergoing refurbishment of all its rooms, but it is still the Grand Dame of Bermuda. Ocean liners have been calling here for more than a century, and when the jet age arrived, the jet set followed. This hotel has been home to Presidents and Princes, but its most famous and beloved guest in residence was Mark Twain, who once said of the Princess, "You may go to heaven if you want to - I'd druther stay here." Carlos, the front desk man, and international soccer star, gave us a tour. He looked good in the official Bermudian uniform: coat and tie, starched white shirt, Bermuda shorts, knee-high stockings, and wingtips. Looking good in the neighborhood!!!

 

By the way, if you find yourself in Bermuda, and jonesing for a taste of home, stop by the sundries shop at the Hamilton Princess where you will find the cooler well stocked with Jones Soda.

 

Today is bright and calm, but our new favorite drink is an old favorite, the Dark & Stormy. A Bermudian classic, Gosling's Black Seal Rum, made on the island since 1806, and ginger beer. If you have not had the pleasure of a ginger beer, it is what ginger ale aspires to be but will never achieve. We had a very nice lunch on Harvey's Terrace at the Princess overlooking the Harbor, sipping a Dark & Stormy and dining on local produce.

 

Harvey's Menu:

• Dark & Stormy
• Fresh Bermuda Tomato and Marinated Mozzarella Served over Toasted Rustic Focaccia Bread
• Harvey’s Fish & Chips With Bermuda Mustard Tartar Sauce
• Sautéed Shrimps, Grape Tomatoes, and Garlic, Tossed with Angel Hair Pasta with Wilted Baby Spinach Salad

 

On the way back into town, we stopped at Gosling Brothers for a bottle to go, duty free if we had it delivered directly to the ship.

Back onboard, we sat out on our veranda as we sailed out of Hamilton Harbor. When the rum arrived, we mixed a Dark & Stormy to toast Bermuda as she faded into the distance. Just as we were wishing for a snack to go with our cocktails, Rosario the Butler appeared with mixed nuts. We offered him a chair and a Dark & Stormy, but a gentleman's gentleman's work is never done.

 

You can rest easy tonight, as we will, for the myth of the Bermuda Triangle has been thoroughly debunked. Reasonable explanations have been proffered for each of the ships and planes lost in the region to the SouthWest of Bermuda. Just the same, we have charted a course outside the triangle to our next stop in St. Barts.