Excursion: South Shore Scenery & Hamilton

We docked at 8.30am and our Stateroom was portside. What a beautiful morning and harbour. We met our group leader who divided us into groups of six as our tour would be by taxi. This is because the roads in Bermuda are very narrow and windy so better suited to people-movers rather that coaches, only one lane either way. It was pleasing to see Bermuda drive on the same side as we do. Our driver was Bramwell, a delightful gentleman who knows the history of is homeland very well. He was informative and funny and very attentive to the six passengers on board. We shared the drive with a couple from Florida and a couple from Hamburg, Germany. It was a wonderful three hours.
Port Highlights
A picturesque port tucked at the bottom of the Main Island peninsular, Hamilton is the capital city of Bermuda, a British Overseas Territory in the Atlantic made up of a group of small islands. First discovered in 1505 by Spanish sailor Juan de Bermudez, the namesake of Bermuda, the islands were claimed in England’s name in 1609.
Bermuda is a wonderfully eclectic mix of crystal-clear waters, relaxing beaches, thrilling cuisine, dramatic scenery, and bustling hubs of business and commerce.
Bathed in warm sunlight, sprinkled with lush tropical flora and bays of pale pink sand, Hamilton was the perfect gateway to an unforgettable visit, we loved it.

The drive to Hamilton took about 40 minutes, winding our way passed residential homes, manicured lawns and gardens. There was evidence of the latest hurricane that hit Bermuda three days earlier. Strewn palm leaves and dead vegetation lay on footpaths, yet to be cleared away. Bermuda is very adapted to these frequent weather events. All windows are made from impact glass or have shutters. The noticeable feature of housing is white roofs. They are limestone tiles so that rainwater runs off the roofs into storage tanks under the houses, and filtered. This was very necessary in the early days when collection of water was vital to settlement. Now it is still practised though the islands have desalination plants and does not have water shortages.

We arrived in the city centre and were given 40mins to shop or explore the capital. We had the best coffee so far on this trip in a little cafe on the waterfront. We drove past the Cathedral on our way out though we didn’t get to see inside as it was closed. Bermuda is a very ‘faith’ focused island. Sunday worship is very important and most of the population attend church.

Another stop was a Gibbs Hill Lighthouse afforded us great views over the island and we were able to pickup our two Christmas decorations to add to our collection.

Next stop was at a beach where we were able to walk down several steps onto the beach and to the water.

The sand is pink as a result of pink crystals on beaches on one side of the island only. It sparkles under the sun, quite beautiful.
Temperature, beautiful 28°, water temp 28°,

All passengers were back on board 5.15pm and we sailed at 5.45pm.
We loved Bermuda.

We would now enjoy five sea-days crossing the Atlantic, west-east before arriving at Madeira, Spain.
We lose an hour at noon four of the five days, from 10-13 September, inclusive.