Travel Log

Bermuda Cruise: Day 3

This morning was our first sighting of land. After sleeping in and having breakfast in the Garden Cafe, we went out on deck to get our first glimpse of Bermuda. Since we would not be able to get off the ship until one o'clock, Mom and I looked for something to do until then. We decided to go to the Aqua Dining Room for an art auction. Since we were there early, we checked out the art and sipped mimosa. We did not bid on anything during the auction because most of the lots were too expensive, but there plenty of pieces that we liked. My favorites were the paintings by an artist named Linda Le Kinff, whose elongated forms and bright, vivid colors were compared to Matisse and Modigliani. For attending the auction, we received a free print.

The ship arrived in Bermuda around noon and we were allowed to go ashore at one o'clock. Today's excursion was a bus tour around the island. Bermuda is dazzling and it is a treat to drive through it and see the lush greenery, pastel colored buildings, and spectacular views. Our first stop was the Gibbs Hill Lighthouse. Some brave souls climbed to the top while the rest of us stayed at the bottom taking pictures and buying souvenirs. The next stop was Warwick Long Bay Beach, one of Bermuda's pink sand beaches. I was wearing open toed shoes, so the sand poured in and I took them off and waded in the water, which was lovely on such a hot day. After leaving this beach, we passed the Stamp House, Bermuda's oldest residential building, which was built in 1705.

We made a quick rest stop in downtown Hamilton and Mom took my picture doing the pose from the logo for the musical Hamilton. The caption is going to be "Hamilton: A Bermudian Musical." Our longest stop was in St. George, the oldest part of Bermuda, where we were allowed to stay for an hour and fifteen minutes. Mom and I had lunch at the White Horse Tavern. I had the fish and chips and a rum swizzler, Bermuda's signature drink. I imagine that the rum swizzler can be deadly, since they go down smoothly. The fish and chips were delicious. I asked what kind of fish they were made from, since I figured that it would not be haddock or cod like I'm used to. The waitress told me that they were made from catfish. We ate outside on the deck, which is on the water. The ocean here is the most beautiful shade of turquoise. At the tip of St. George is a statue of Sir George Summers, one of Bermuda's first shipwrecked colonists and also a model of the Deliverance, the ship that Summers left for Jamestown Virginia on.

On our drive back, we passed through Tucker's Town, Bermuda's wealthiest neighborhood, where the likes of Sean Connery and Michael Douglas have houses. Our tour returned to the ship around quarter past six. We bid goodbye to Mr. Thomas, our tour guide who entertained us throughout our five hour drive back and forth the island by telling us about Bermuda's history, geography, economy, politics, and culture. After getting back on board the ship, we changed our clothes and went to the Stardust Theater to a watch a performance by the two aerial acrobats, Gilles and Laure, who featured in the welcome aboard show, which was nothing short of spectacular.

When the show got out, we went to our dinner reservation at the Venetian Dining Room. My dinner started off with the chicken caesar salad with an entrée of beef lasagna. My favorite dessert right now is tiramisu and luckily the Venetian had it on their menu. It was a long day, so we decided to make it an early night; I was feeling tired after my five hour tour and a little dizzy after a glass of wine.