BERMUDA
BERMUDA- only 90 minutes by air from NYC’s JFK is a find.
Imagine 180 islands nearly 600 miles in the Atlantic off the coast of the Carolinas.
Warm, hot sunny days June-October in the mid 80’s; warm, balmy nights in
mid 60’s, with lush.green foliage everywhere, and charming pastel colored cottages, some more than 200 years. Even the main churches in Hamilton are festooned in rainbow colors. Only 20 sq. miles the island with a population of nearly 70,000 is part of the British Commonwealth. For U.S. of A visitors you’ll need a U.S. passport to get there,though. And, yes, the U.S. dollar is honored here.
Sample Rum Swizzle, the island’s favorite drink, Black Rum Fish
Fish Chowder, Rum Cake, Pepper Jam
and Gingerbeer, to start.
Pink sandy beaches, soft, clear, acquamarine ocean for snorkling over
volcanic rock piles.
Art is everywhere with tours free-of-charge.City Hall Arts Centre/ Bermuda National Gallery in Hamilton and Botanical Gardens in Paget which will feature John Lennon’s legacy in song and text, Sept.21.
There’s also a lot of night life,too. Try the Moonlight Night Club in Hamilton or The Cellar in Fairmont’s Southampton property, perhaps Bermuda’s premier 5-star hostelry, with its 7 restaurants, par-3-st Executive Golf Course, situated on Turtle Hill overlooking Horseshoe Bay, one of Bermuda’s most scenic beaches.
Concerts in Victoria Park, Sundays, to Sept.2, and Harbour Nights on Wednesdays,to Sept.5, in Hamilton are also free-of-charge. Gombey is the national dance, performed in Queen Elizabeth Park, Saturdays, to Oct.27. It’s a remnant from African slave traders from the 1700’s and is a fully comic dressed extravaganza. Don’t miss it. Suggest you dress casually, since Bermuda shorts is the standard in Spring, Summer and Fall on the island.
For shopping, Bermuda its definitely top class. Brand names. London shops abound, particularly in Hamilton, the capital city. Expensive, yes, but quality is a given here.But don’t stop here try St. George where Bermuda first started in 1712. It remained Bermuda’s capital for more than 200 years. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site, celebrating its 400th anniversary this year. St. Peter’s Anglican Chursch celebrates its 400th year also, and is open to visitors daily, at no charge. It’s located on Duke of York Street. For women there’s the Bermuda Perfumery, since 1928. Tours here too.
Open daily, 9-5 pm, Mon.-Sat.You’ll find the Tucker House Museum, the St. George Museum, the Bermuda National Trust Museum, Barber’s Alley,
the State House, site of Bermuda’s
first parliament and Somers Garden, named after Sir George Somers, the city’s first director-general.. It was opened in 1920 by the Duke of Windsor, Prince of Wales. It’s opened daily.8-4pm. Note, as a WWII military encampment Bermuda has more than 100 forts protecting the island. Fortunately, none were activated, however. They were instead used for training exercises by both the U.S. and British navies.Today they stand as
visitors centers.
If you have the time check out the adjoining parishes. There are 9 of them. There’s more to Bermuda than Bermuda onions, Bermuda grass, and Bermuda shorts.
Bermuda is a find. Impressive, noble, traditional and historical. For more info
on Bermuda contact their tourism sector at:GoToBermuda.com or call:
1-800Bermuda, Mon.-Fri., 9-5pm
For more on our visit, listen to our show on August 1-15 on:
www.letstravelradio.com
Michael Zufolo, Editor, LET’S TRAVEL! Radio
