Bermuda Favorites

Street by the side of the craft...

by grandmaR

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Street by the side of the craft...
by grandmaR
Jewelry and the checkout counter
by grandmaR
From the van 2011
by grandmaR
Exhibit racks in the Craft Market
by grandmaR
Preserves and books
by grandmaR

Reviews from VirtualTourist Members

Bermuda Cedar

by grandmaR

The cedar is a wonderful aromatic rich looking wood that is endemic to Bermuda. That means it doesn't grow anywhere else. (It's also not really a cedar.) The first shipwrecked mariners used it to rebuild the Deliverance which took them on to Virginia. It is also extensively used for woodwork in places like St. Peters in St. George. There was even a cedar prison in St. George's. Juniperus Bermudiana is harder and darker than normal cedar, and it repels moths and fleas and to prevent mildew and rot. Settlers not only used it in ship building but also used it to cure toothaches and coughs (in the form of cedarberry syrup), and they boiled cedar brush in water to break fevers. Four centuries ago, Bermuda cedars grew throughout the islands, about 500 trees to an acre, according to some reports. But in 1944 Bermuda cedars suffered a tragedy that no one foresaw, when oyster shell scale, a form...

Blue water and Pink Sand

by grandmaR

Many people come to Bermuda for the beaches. The sand is ground up coral and limestone and it has a pinkish tinge to it. The water is lovely and clear, and (in the summer) warm because Bermuda is in the Gulf Stream.So if beaches are your thing, then I highly recommend the beaches of Bermuda to your attention. I personally am not a beach person. I love to swim, but I have had melanomas and I hate being out on the sun on the sand - sweaty and gritty. I never went to the beach when I was in Bermuda. Of course the last three times I have been there it was mid to late November, and in 2011 Tropical Storm Sean was approaching, so there was a lot more surf than usual.I love to look at the beaches - they are lovely. Just don't ask me to lie on the beach and try to get a tan.

The TWO national cocktails

by 850prc

I was really looking forward to trying out some of Bermuda's cocktail specialities. Considering that so many were based on rum (a personal favorite), I knew it would be an extra happy hour come drink time. :)Bermuda has two "national" cocktails. The first is called "The Dark and Stormy". Made from two parts Ginger Beer (a hairier version of ginger ale) and one part Gosling's Black Seal rum, it really packs a punch...especially if they've used the 151 proof version of Gosling's. (It comes in 80 proof, 140 proof and 151 proof varieties, please see my separate tip about buying Gosling's for the trip home)The other national drink is the "rum swizzle". The recipe for the swizzle is a bit more varied from place to place. Basically, it's rum with fresh fruit juices and mixer(s). One recipe for the swizzle is as follows: 8 oz Gosling's Black Seal rum 6 dashes Angostura bittersjuice of 2...

Heard but seldom seen...whistling tree frogs

by 850prc

Every evening, you'll here the gentle whistling sound made by millions of Bermuda tree frogs. Apparently, these little critters are tiny and difficult to set eyes upon. In fact, our hostess at the B&B, Marlie, indicated that she'd never actually seen one.But by golly, they're there. They make a distinct sound that I found somewhat peaceful...but then again, I'm a country boy who enjoys the sounds of crickets in the woods. The photo below was taken from a Bermuda's Fauna website, because we sure as heck didn't SEE any frogs. Just heard 'em. Shaking down a bush near the Princess Hotel trying to find a hidden tree frog. A few locals saw us doing so and just laughed. :) One guy told me that it was all a hoax and that the island government had installed tiny speakers all over Bermuda to intrigue tourists. And with that, they walked away laughing even harder.

The noisy Kiskadee of Bermuda

by 850prc

My wife and daughter are very much into birding, and were on the lookout for the local species. We never got a good look at the Bermuda Longtail, which is the bird locals seem most proud of.However, the kiskadee was everywhere...and they are NOISY. A very pretty bird that likes to chat, you'll be serenaded all over the island. The Kiskadee is actually an imported species, arriving by deliberate action in 1957. 200 Kiskadees were imported from Trinidad and their original assignment was to help control a species of lizard that was annoying the islands. However, as is usually the case, things don't go exactly as planned. They've invaded nesting areas of the native Bermuda bluebird, and have even hunted the formerly indemic cicada to extinction. On one website, I read the kiskadee described as a bird terrorist, a aviary mafioso, so to speak.Bermudians Well, we did enjoy indentifiying the...

US Dollars/Bermudian Dollars. Interchangeable

by 850prc

The "currency of the realm" for the islands is "The Bermuda Dollar". And this "Bermuda $$" is pegged at par to the value of the US Dollar. In fact, they're used interchangeably in Bermuda. Not only will EVERYONE accept the US dollar, in most cases, you'll get your change in US funds, both bills and coins. Occasionally, you'll receive a Bermuda dollar or two, or some local coins as change....but that's the exception rather than the rule.If you pay in Bermuda dollars, you'll usually get more of your change completely in the local currency, I just think the merchants are all trying to keep everyone happy.With the dollars at par, there's NO transaction fees for buying something in US funds rather than the local flavor. In fact, they don't even charge a fee on credit card transactions, or at least on the ones that we encountered. It could depend on your bank. We have Bank of America.If you're...

The SOUNDS of Bermuda (Calm Waters)

by 850prc

Bermuda is, as you know, surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. There is actually not a great deal of shallow waters around the island, and the Atlantic drops off to a much deeper body of water very quickly as you leave shore. And with Bermuda being out in the middle of "open ocean", the waters in the Atlantic can get kind of rough. Quite a few deep-sea fishing outfits do ply the Atlantic, but for water sports and more gentle fishing activities, you might like the "SOUNDS" of Bermuda.A sound is salt water surrounded on at three sides by land. Bermuda has three major "sounds"...The GREAT sound is bordered on the west by the Dockyards area, in the middle by Tucker and Morgan islands (formerly home to the US Navy in Bermuda) and by Spanish Point, Paget's Parish on the east. The Great sound is quite deep in the middle, as it's regularly plied by major cruise ships, whether they're docking at...

Gosling's Black Seal Rum (EXPORT TIPS, too)

by 850prc

THE national spirit of Bermuda is clearly Gosling's Black Seal rum. It's been bottled for hundreds of years, and is a legendary component of such Bermudian classics as the Dark and Stormy and the Rum Swizzle. "Black", as the locals call it, is good in any rum drink. A simple "black and coke" hits the spot, especially if they use the "hi-test" variety of Black.There are actually three different types of Gosling's Black seal, namely 80 proof, 140 proof and 151 proof. And for your export information, the 151 is not allowed on airplanes...too explosive for these modern times. Only the boat people (cruise ship occupants) can leave the island legally with 151 in tow. Score one for Royal Caribbean.If you want to take some Black home, you absolutely need to buy it at duty free out at the airport. They'll tell you as much at the Hamilton Gosling Brothers (the makers of black) liquor store. For...

Bermuda's Parishes, an overview

by 850prc

Bermuda is made up of 9 "parishes". And although small, each has its own special claim to fame within the whole of Bermuda. Size? The entire island is only about 20 miles long. :)You've read that I used to live in Bermuda, some 45 years ago. My parents tell me that, back then, there were people living on the east end of the island (St. George's Parish) who had never, in their entire lifetime, been over to Sandys or Southampton Parish on the west end. From their perspective, it might as well have been New York and San Francisco. Those days have changed, but in truth...people in different parishes view themselves as differently as people in different American states or Canadian provinces.An overview of the parishes, starting with the east end:ST GEORGE'S : Home of the village of St. George, the oldest settlement in Bermuda, dating to the early 17th centure. Also home to Kindley Field/L F...

Transportation Passes, your BEST deal

by 850prc

Unlike almost anywhere else on earth on the tourist-friendly earth, Bermuda does NOT offer rental cars to visitors. You can rent cycles, if you have a death wish. But for most visitors, using Bermuda's buses and ferries is a cost-effective way of getting around the island. The ferry fares are pretty simple, if you're buying point to point. You pay x amount (usually something like $4) to sail. But, the buses can be a little strange to figure out what your trip will cost. Bermuda is divided into 14 zones, and they'll sell you a ticket for either a three zone or a fourteen zone trip. See?? It's getting weird already, isn't it?Your BEST deal and bet is to buy yourself an unlimited transportation pass for your time in Bermuda. With a three zone regular bus fare being $3, and a fourteen zone trip being $4, it won't take long before a transportation pass will pay for itself... and that's not...