Bermuda

Arrived at Dockyard Bermuda in very windy conditions at 4pm on the 4th. Met for our tour of the Islands at 8:30am on Wednesday 5th. Eighteen of us boarded a small minibus with our guide Jevon who was very informative about life on the Island. We headed out from Dockyard along the narrow, winding road and it soon became evident why they only seem to use these minibuses. Today’s tour took us from Dockyard at the SW end of the Island right through to St Georges at the NE end. We headed along the only road, crossing small bridges and observing various points of interest. Houses here are generally painted in pastel colours but all have white limestone roofs. Houses are all built on top of a water tank and rainwater is funneled down from the roof to provide their water supply. We came to a fork in the road and followed Middle Road towards Hamilton, the capital. This is one of the smallest capitals in the world with a population of 902. We arrived in Hamilton around 9:30am and had free time to explore the streets and waterfront. Hamilton has the only fast food restaurant in Bermuda which is a KFC and is the most expensive one in the world. Around 10am we set out again heading towards St Georges, passing Government House the residence of the Governor who is appointed by the UK. We continued past the recently opened new airport and arrived at St Georges around 10:30am. This is the original capital and a UNESCO world heritage site. It is the site of the first landing of Sir George Somers in 1609 who went on to establish the first town here. We were given 1 hour to explore the town which included the old Town Hall and St Peters Church. Visited the church graveyard which had many really old graves. Met the old gardener who informed me about the latest ones over at the far end. These were of Governor Sir Richard Sharples and his aide Captain Hugh Sayers who were assassinated at Government house in March 1973. Around 11:30 we set out again back down the Island and headed on South Road which is the scenic route passing the houses of the wealthy and the best beaches. At Warwick beach we were given a break to observe the pink sand. Continuing on we eventually came to the highest point where stands Gibbs Hill lighthouse. We stayed here from 12:50am until 1:15pm observing the views with the rest of the crowds. The lighthouse itself is apparently being renovated and does not appear to be in good condition. Back on the bus we finally returned to Dockyard around 1:45pm.