Greetings, my fellow port swillers!
Yes, Ol’ Robbo and the Missus just got home from celebrating our 25th anniversary in Bermuda. My friends, all I can say is that it is a delightful, delightful place.
Friends of the decanter will remember that Ol’ Robbo asked some time last week about things to do and see in the place. In the end, however, by enthusiastic mutual consent, we wound up simply loafing about for three days. Uncle Robbo did remember to bring back a few snaps for your entertainment, however. On reviewing them, I believe you will concur that our decision was a wise one.
We stayed at a private club at Coral Beach, located on the south side of the island at roughly the midpoint. Here is the view from our balcony:
Room With A View
We ate breakfast here each morning, and by the time we left had collected quite the following of sparrows and kiskadees (a bird Ol’ Robbo had not seen before) through tossing breadcrumbs out on to the floor. With a full pot of java and that kind of view, why wouldn’t I linger over it?
At night, we left the double-doors open (but not the screens) so as to catch the sound of the waves crashing and the wind rustling in the palms. The other thing we heard all night was about a bajillion tree frogs, many of which had a call that sounded like a high-pitched sonar “ping”. Frankly, Ol’ Robbo slept very badly all three nights, but that’s because I always do so when away from home. I could have taped this particular cacophony and made bank selling it as a soporific.
Eventually, though, we’d toddle down to the beach. The first thing I must say is that I have never seen sea water quite like this – so clear and so luminously blue. The second is that for all the talk of “pink” Bermudian sand (and our beach is supposed to be one of the pinkest), you’ve really got to catch it at the right time of day and without a lot of footprints and tiretracks churning it up in order to get this notion.
Life’s A Beach
Anyhoo, as I say, we’d toddle down to the beach after brekkers. Each day, we’d set up shop under an umbrella and alternate between reading, dozing, plunging into the water (where we saw numerous schools of young Jack Permit fish fooling about), walking laps (the entire beach is about half a mile or so from end to end), and getting the nice man at the bar to bring us G&T’s and Pimm’s Cup. Tough life. Tough life. (Yes, we talked about marriage stuff, too, but I won’t bore you with what is, after all, confidential.)
Actually, it was truly tough in one respect: Ol’ Robbo, even as he types, is suffering from being thoroughly cooked by the sun. I tried spraying on sunblock, but evidently my skills are suboptimal, because I’ve come out looking piebald, like Ransom in Perelandra.
By the bye, and still keeping on the topic of the beach, the whole time we were there, we got to watch pairs and groups of the iconic Bermuda Longtail fly up and down the shore. An intensely beautiful tropicbird that I, of course, have not seen before. I can well see why so much of the local artwork incorporates images of this bird.
The place we were staying is set at the top of a forty foot cliff overlooking the ocean. (Right at the top are the restored remains of an English gun emplacement from the earliest colonial times. Idiot Robbo had forgot all about the fact that Bermuda was first settled in 1609 by Jamestown colonists under George Somers after their ship was driven ashore during a hurricane.) During the day, as I say, we were able to get refreshments down on the beach. In the evenings, we dined up at the top of the escarpment.
All in all, as I say, delightful.
A few random additional thoughts and observations:
♦ The Bermudians, as a rule, at least so far as I observed, seem to be friendly without fawning. They were all of them cordial, but one was always aware of a polite but firm barrier. I’ve no problem with that.
♦ The place is very cramped, and space is at a premium. The roads are narrow, shoulderless, and wound about, and it’s small wonder that the island-wide speed limit is only 25 mph. Between that and driving on the left side, Ol’ Robbo would have quickly gone insane behind the wheel had he attempted it.
♦ The place also is as expensive as hell, largely because everything has to be imported. I’m still gulping a bit about the total damage done from our trip (not that it wasn’t completely worth it).
♦ I had not realized that the only substantial water supply on the island is rainfall, so that each resident is responsible for catching and storing as much said rain as possible via roofs and tanks.
♦ Somebody remarked here previously that landing at Bermuda was like landing on an aircraft carrier. I dunno about that, since I don’t look out the window until the rubber meets the tarmac, but I can tell you that because of that comment, and because the flight out was rather bumpy, Ol’ Robbo found himself repeatedly muttering under his breath, “Next time, Jack, write a goddam memo!” **
** A nifty-gifty of a spotable quote.
Anyhoo, long story short, we had a lovely time and will definitely go back if and when we can.
UPDATE: My apologies if any friend of the decanter feels this post is a bit too Robin Leach-ish. Ol’ Robbo did not in any way wish to appear as if sticking on dog about “Champaign wishes and caviar dreams” here. This was the first vacay Mrs. R and I spent together alone and in some style in God-knows how many years and we worked like dammit to plan, save, and wangle so that we could enjoy it without worry.
By the bye and speaking of which, my favorite Robin Leach quote? “There was one room in her house that was always kept locked. It was….the garage.” Anybody spot the quote?
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