A few words about Bermuda

We were in Bermuda in May.  It was the first weekend of beautiful spring weather we heard from a boat driver.  He said we really picked a good one.  It was sunny every day, about 73 degrees, and the blue of the ocean will just knock you out!  It is such a glorious blue, I was disappointed in my pictures, which did not capture the blue and the sunshine.   The cruise ship docked on Sunday morning, and the upper deck was the place to be, watching the pilot boat and the dolphins that escorted us in.  The ship may be full of people, but it was still quiet, as people just enjoyed the view and their surroundings.

Bermuda is old.  It is built on white sands and ancient coral.  It looks like an ancient outcropping with a few white buildings.  The fort is picturesque and my favorite picture came from the morning when we were docking, of the fort in a glass calm bay.   We took a taxi ride around half the island.  Here is what we learned.

• You need to enjoy the scenery because pictures are almost impossible. Roads are narrow and there are few places to pull off.  
• People are friendly.  Our driver and all other drivers honked quickly, beep beep, at everyone they knew, and since they know everyone, it was beep beep all the time.
• Bermuda is a land of churches.  There are bible readings at almost every bus stop.  There are hundreds of churches, large and small.  People are religious in every day life and it shows in their demeanor and kindness.
• The beaches are the most stunning in the world.  It can't get any better anywhere.  They are not crowded in the morning, but start to fill up quickly after 10 a.m.  The water is pristine blue, and the beaches are white bordering on pink.  The outcroppings of coral make a haven for shore birds and Bermuda longtails.  These birds are so fantastic and we could not take our eyes of them.  Their black and white markings are dramatic and their long tails sweep out behind them as they fly.  
• Getting a taxi is easy.  Bring money.
• Bermuda is expensive, but we didn't have to buy anything, since the Norwegian Dawn had everything we could possible want or need.  Food is expensive.  Our driver showed us the gardens that people have to grow their own food, to try to limit their visits to the grocery store, where a tomato can cost $4.00.  He showed us the fancy hotels, and beeped at every valet or car park, and told us they were his cousins.  Everyone has LOTS of cousins.
• It is a place of wonder.  Our glass bottom boat tour took us to an ancient sunken boat to see the turtles and fish.  It was beautiful.  The boat was full of people.  You could have heard a pin drop.  No one talked, we just were full of wonder at the natural beauty of the place.

There are many beautiful places in the world, but it truly seems a miracle that Bermuda can be situated in the middle of the Atlantic ocean, and still be a land of such calm beauty.  It is a land of Glory, a glorious mirage, and one that I can't wait to see again.