To Bermuda With Love
It was October 21, 2011 the day the world was suppose to end and my friend Tamara, the reverend of my church Rev. Wilson, a few church members and myself were about to board a 757 to Bermuda. A prayer for protection was said and we were off. 2 1/2 hours later we landed in the beautiful Caribbean island of Bermuda safe and unharmed. It took roughly 10-15 minutes to get to the hotel (Grotto Bay Beach Resort) from the airport. As soon as we arrived at the hotel we bumped into one of our church members who had flown out days before us. She mentioned that she was going into town so we dropped off our bags and followed along.
Nine of us hopped on the bus outside of our hotel and headed into town to (St. John). We were dropped off at the ferry which we then took to the Kings Wharf, Royal Naval Dockyard across the water. This is the largest cruise port in Bermuda. The dockyard housed an abandoned prison, glass blowing studio, rum cake factory and a few restaurants and a mall. First we stopped at Dockyard Glassworks the glass blowing studio and watched a demonstration of how the display pieces were made. Then we tried out about 10 different flavors of rum cake at the Bermuda rum cake company. Yummmmy!!!!!
We stopped in the Clocktower Mall where most of us got our souvenir shopping out of the way.
The group unanimously decided it was time to get some grub. So we followed the leader and went to a restaurant our church member suggested. The wait to be seated wasn't too bad, but the wait for our food was ridiculous. It took forever for our food to arrive and when it finally did not everyone received what they ordered. I doubt I'll ever go back there. After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel and it was lights out.
Day 2:
Woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of fresh salt water. I was well charged and ready to get on with the day. While I got ready Tamara went to get breakfast. The hotel breakfast was very pricey so she went down the road to a gas station to pick up something to eat. The prices were much more reasonable and the selections were right up our alley. I had a sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant with a cup of tea. I was satisfied. We waited in the lobby for a few of our church members because the plan for the day was to go to the pink sand beach at South Shore Park Horseshoe Bay. One of Bermuda's National Parks.
Once everyone was accounted for we made our way to the bus stop. It took us about an hour to there, but it was well worth it. My goodness, it was absolutely breathtaking. The sand was soft, the water was mild and the rock formations were to die for. The scenery looked as if it was out of a movie. Simply beautiful. We did some wave jumping, discovered hidden caves and took plenty of pictures. I really enjoyed myself. After we had enough of the beach we hopped back on the bus and took it to one of Bermudas tourist attractions, a subterranean cavern called The Crystal Caves of Bermuda. We took a guided tour a few hundred feet below ground where we learned how they came to be, seen interesting limestone formations, stalactites covered with crystallized soda straws and a crystal clear underground lake. It was a short tour about 20 minutes, but very informative. From the Crystal Caves we walked about 10 minutes to The Swizzle Inn. Bermuda's famous pub & reataurant. As you walk in you notice the business cards stacked on the ceiling, writings on the wood furniture and the cool atmosphere.
We grabbed a table and prepared ourselves for the Swizzle experience. The menu was a newspaper (cute touch) not only did it list the food and drink choices but it also had a page full of Swizzle history. The Swizzle Inn is Bermuda's oldest and certainly most famous pub. Established in 1932 in a 17th century roadhouse.
Most of us ordered the Bermuda's national drink called The Rum Swizzle. It's a fruity alcoholic rum punch drink that packed a punch. As an appetizer we had the voodoo shrimp (lightly battered jumbo shrimp the size of golf balls), fried fish sandwiches, teriyaki wings and conch fritters. We had a feast. Once we were done we walked the 5 minutes back to the hotel. Instead of going straight to our rooms we took a little detour to the the cave pool that was on the premises. The brave souls jumped right into the very frigid waters. Me on the other hand had to test it first with my big toe which only made me not want to jump in. It was freezing. Eventually I mustered up the courage to dive in. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Tamara stayed on the sidelines taking pictures. In other words she was a chicken. Lol. Don't tell her I said that.
Later on that evening, we had the option of either going out on our own or going to a birthday party for my pastors friend who is a pastor on the island. We chose the party at The Carriage House a restaurant and sushi spot. It was an elegant and classy event which included such guest as, the Prime Minister of Bermuda, Judges, political figures and more. The party lasted about 3 hours. After which, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
Day 3:
The main purpose for us being in Bermuda was to support our pastor as he lead a worship service at one of the islands churches. A van picked us up to take us to the church around 9 am. We took our seats and the service began. It was a lovely service. A youth organization from the island did a dance routine, members of my church (the Nubian Queen Mother's) blessed the church goers with a praise dance that was out of this world. After my pastor delivered the word half of us boarded the van back to the hotel and the other half stayed behind in order to have lunch with the pastors.
As soon as we got back to our room Tamara and I changed into our bathing suits and ran to the beach. This was our time to do absolutely nothing but tan. I slept for a little while, but then woke up and read a magazine. Eventually, I couldn't lay down any longer. I walked down the beach and snapped a slew of photos of myself. Lol. I'm not vain, it's just that Tamara was sleep so who else was going to do it???
When she finally woke up we were joined at the beach by a few of our church members. We had so much fun.
Later on, Tamara and I went back to The Swizzle Inn for our last dinner on the island. I had the conch fritters and voodoo shrimp while Tamara had the Rock fish Bermuda style. We were looking forward to this meal the entire day and it did not disappoint. We left that place stuffed to capacity.
On our way back to the room we ran into some of the ladies from our church hanging out by the pool. They ask us to join them so we did. We listened to some music, danced and sipped on wine. It was a nice way to end the trip.
Day 4: It was time for us to say good-bye to beautiful Bermuda. Tamara and I grabbed some breakfast from the gas station and got back to the hotel just as our transportation was approaching.
Upon arrival at the airport I noticed a Welcome to Bermuda sign across the road, with time to spare I ran across and got the picture I wanted.
After checking in, the group went to the Duty Free shop to pick up some last minute souvenirs and bottles of Rum Swizzle. :). After which it was time to board our flight.
So long Bermuda....
Tips:
Nine of us hopped on the bus outside of our hotel and headed into town to (St. John). We were dropped off at the ferry which we then took to the Kings Wharf, Royal Naval Dockyard across the water. This is the largest cruise port in Bermuda. The dockyard housed an abandoned prison, glass blowing studio, rum cake factory and a few restaurants and a mall. First we stopped at Dockyard Glassworks the glass blowing studio and watched a demonstration of how the display pieces were made. Then we tried out about 10 different flavors of rum cake at the Bermuda rum cake company. Yummmmy!!!!!
We stopped in the Clocktower Mall where most of us got our souvenir shopping out of the way.
The group unanimously decided it was time to get some grub. So we followed the leader and went to a restaurant our church member suggested. The wait to be seated wasn't too bad, but the wait for our food was ridiculous. It took forever for our food to arrive and when it finally did not everyone received what they ordered. I doubt I'll ever go back there. After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel and it was lights out.
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| In Route |
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| The St. Luke gang |
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| Royal Naval Dockyard |
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| Dockyard Glassworks & Rum Cake company |
Day 2:
Woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of fresh salt water. I was well charged and ready to get on with the day. While I got ready Tamara went to get breakfast. The hotel breakfast was very pricey so she went down the road to a gas station to pick up something to eat. The prices were much more reasonable and the selections were right up our alley. I had a sausage, egg and cheese on a croissant with a cup of tea. I was satisfied. We waited in the lobby for a few of our church members because the plan for the day was to go to the pink sand beach at South Shore Park Horseshoe Bay. One of Bermuda's National Parks.
Once everyone was accounted for we made our way to the bus stop. It took us about an hour to there, but it was well worth it. My goodness, it was absolutely breathtaking. The sand was soft, the water was mild and the rock formations were to die for. The scenery looked as if it was out of a movie. Simply beautiful. We did some wave jumping, discovered hidden caves and took plenty of pictures. I really enjoyed myself. After we had enough of the beach we hopped back on the bus and took it to one of Bermudas tourist attractions, a subterranean cavern called The Crystal Caves of Bermuda. We took a guided tour a few hundred feet below ground where we learned how they came to be, seen interesting limestone formations, stalactites covered with crystallized soda straws and a crystal clear underground lake. It was a short tour about 20 minutes, but very informative. From the Crystal Caves we walked about 10 minutes to The Swizzle Inn. Bermuda's famous pub & reataurant. As you walk in you notice the business cards stacked on the ceiling, writings on the wood furniture and the cool atmosphere.
We grabbed a table and prepared ourselves for the Swizzle experience. The menu was a newspaper (cute touch) not only did it list the food and drink choices but it also had a page full of Swizzle history. The Swizzle Inn is Bermuda's oldest and certainly most famous pub. Established in 1932 in a 17th century roadhouse.
Most of us ordered the Bermuda's national drink called The Rum Swizzle. It's a fruity alcoholic rum punch drink that packed a punch. As an appetizer we had the voodoo shrimp (lightly battered jumbo shrimp the size of golf balls), fried fish sandwiches, teriyaki wings and conch fritters. We had a feast. Once we were done we walked the 5 minutes back to the hotel. Instead of going straight to our rooms we took a little detour to the the cave pool that was on the premises. The brave souls jumped right into the very frigid waters. Me on the other hand had to test it first with my big toe which only made me not want to jump in. It was freezing. Eventually I mustered up the courage to dive in. Brrrrrrrrrrrrr. Tamara stayed on the sidelines taking pictures. In other words she was a chicken. Lol. Don't tell her I said that.
Later on that evening, we had the option of either going out on our own or going to a birthday party for my pastors friend who is a pastor on the island. We chose the party at The Carriage House a restaurant and sushi spot. It was an elegant and classy event which included such guest as, the Prime Minister of Bermuda, Judges, political figures and more. The party lasted about 3 hours. After which, we headed back to the hotel and called it a night.
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Mara and Michelle
Fun times at Horseshoe Bay
 We had a ball   The Swizzle experience
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| Beware - entrance to the resorts cave |
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| That water was freezing cold |
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| Mara and I at the Carriage House |
Day 3:
The main purpose for us being in Bermuda was to support our pastor as he lead a worship service at one of the islands churches. A van picked us up to take us to the church around 9 am. We took our seats and the service began. It was a lovely service. A youth organization from the island did a dance routine, members of my church (the Nubian Queen Mother's) blessed the church goers with a praise dance that was out of this world. After my pastor delivered the word half of us boarded the van back to the hotel and the other half stayed behind in order to have lunch with the pastors.
As soon as we got back to our room Tamara and I changed into our bathing suits and ran to the beach. This was our time to do absolutely nothing but tan. I slept for a little while, but then woke up and read a magazine. Eventually, I couldn't lay down any longer. I walked down the beach and snapped a slew of photos of myself. Lol. I'm not vain, it's just that Tamara was sleep so who else was going to do it???
When she finally woke up we were joined at the beach by a few of our church members. We had so much fun.
Later on, Tamara and I went back to The Swizzle Inn for our last dinner on the island. I had the conch fritters and voodoo shrimp while Tamara had the Rock fish Bermuda style. We were looking forward to this meal the entire day and it did not disappoint. We left that place stuffed to capacity.
On our way back to the room we ran into some of the ladies from our church hanging out by the pool. They ask us to join them so we did. We listened to some music, danced and sipped on wine. It was a nice way to end the trip.
 |
The Queen Mother's during their praise dance  No matter what, my family is with me wherever I go  Chillen at the beach   |
Day 4: It was time for us to say good-bye to beautiful Bermuda. Tamara and I grabbed some breakfast from the gas station and got back to the hotel just as our transportation was approaching.
Upon arrival at the airport I noticed a Welcome to Bermuda sign across the road, with time to spare I ran across and got the picture I wanted.
After checking in, the group went to the Duty Free shop to pick up some last minute souvenirs and bottles of Rum Swizzle. :). After which it was time to board our flight.
So long Bermuda....
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| Until we meet again |
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| Lift off |
Tips:
- Definitely explore the island. There is so much to see. The St. John area is where you'll find many shops including high end stores such as, the Rolex store, Coach, Tiffany's etc...
- Beware of the taxes. Being that a lot of the islands product is imported from other places taxes are very high.
The Bermuda pics are amazing! this trip aint for those penny pinchers it was def expensive on the island! Your photos are sooooo dope!!! Beautiful and lively!!! your blog is dope!!1
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, you got that right. If anyone plans on traveling to Bermuda they better be prepared to spend or at least find a gas station where they can grab breakfast and the Swizzle where they can eat lunch and dinner.
DeleteI'm glad your enjoying the adventure. Take care!
ATWG
Love the pics and the blog. I'm so ready to go back we had a ball. So proud of you. Guess who I am???????
ReplyDeleteHi Anonymous, first thank you for checking out ATWG its my baby. I'm glad you like what you see. I'm ready to go back myself.
DeleteI have the slightest idea who this is. Lol
ATWG