AFTER TWO NIGHTS AND A DAY OF SAILING the good ship Venezia docked at the aptly named Dockyards in Bermuda, about 800 “seagull miles” from NYC. While Hurricane Helene was wreaking havoc on the Southeast US, we were barely affected. Seas remained relatively smooth with cloudy skies and periods of rain but it was mostly sunny and warm when we left the ship.
Gray skies are gonna clear up
Bermuda Dockyards, home for the next 3 days
Our Bermuda Triangle + the bus route
Naval storehouse, now a shopping mall
The Dockyards, once a British naval fortress, is now the main cruise port with all the amenities and services that conjures up. Since tourists can not rent autos, motor scooters are all the rage. We explored around the Dockyards on Sunday, our first day ashore, and checked out our sightseeing and travel options. In the end we opted for ferries and buses, $4.50 per ride. It’s safer than a scooter and we wanted to see the entire island, not just the nearby beaches. We would be making our own Bermuda Triangle—Dockyards to St. George to Hamilton.
Scooters for the foolhardy
Venezia and Vision of the Seas from the St. George Ferry
St. George World Heritage Site
With the limited ferry schedule to St. George and the arrival of Royal Caribbean ship, we planned an early get-away Monday, but even so it was standing room only. The 45-minute ferry ride gave us a good look at some of the island but we were shocked by the absence of birds—only a single gull and a couple of cormorants. Once ashore we we wandered pretty much without a plan, stopping here and there for photos of colorful houses and interesting streets.
St. George narrow lanes and pastel houses
Black Cemetery, St. George
The Unfinished Church
Wonderful publc transportation system in Bermuda
St. George dates began as a naval garrison in the early 17th Century and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. We were surprised to stumble upon the Black Cemetery where slaves and black indentured servants were buried. The other surprise was the “Unfinished Church,” left in ruins when funding was withdrawn to rebuild the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity in Hamilton. When we learned that the return ferry wouldn’t leave for several hours we bought bus tickets back to the ship. The driver would have scared the daylights out anyone on a scooter as she maneuvered on the narrow roads and we kept a death grip on the seat-back.
Hamilton from the Ferry
Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity, Hamilton
Let the light shine in—Most Holy Trnity
Even the Supreme Court is in pastel
There are many more ferries to Hamilton than St. George so we had no worries this morning. Again we wandered aimlessly, finally stopping at the Cathedral of the Most Holy Trinity—the one funded by monies earmarked for the Unfinished Church. Everything in Bermuda is picture perfect—as it should be with home prices beginning at $2,000,000 and condos from half-a-million and up.
Bermuda Shorts NOT Bermuda Shorts
Drive-by photo of Horseshoe Bay's pink sand
We planned on stopping at Horseshoe Bay to see the pink sand beach but had to settle for a quickie photo from the bus. Venezia would be sailing in a few hours!
