Day 175: St George, Bermuda

Friday, 30 June 2017 (Part II)
O/N @ the St George Cruise Terminal

Stats @ Ship’s Time 9:00p (ADT) … UTC 00:00a (July 1)
Temp: 78.8F (26C)
Position: 32.22.73N / 64.40.80W

Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.
~ Matsuo Basho ~

After writing about my Bermuda reminiscences (previous post), I joined Mui for breakfast at the Terrace Café with the Gelmans.  Following a leisurely meal, we returned to the cabin to get ready for the day ahead.  Then I sat out on the veranda to do what somehow never happened yesterday — relax!  Fume-free … comfy temps … a light breeze … and a veranda in the shade.  Perfect.  But not for long.

Once the ship changed course, the sun moved in.  With the humidity a factor, it was no longer comfortable to sit on the veranda.  I grabbed the laptop and found a seat on the port-side of the Deck 5 promenade.  Good thing I did as might not have otherwise noticed when Fort St Catherine came into view right around 10:30a.  Time to get the camera.  I called Mui from one of the house phones and asked him to join me even as the ship was maneuvering to pick up the pilot who was on his way out to us.

Turns out The Cut was straight ahead of us, so we didn’t round the point to get a closer look at St Catherine’s.  Instead, Insignia followed the coastline, giving us glimpses of the colorful houses typical of Bermuda … with St David’s Lighthouse on sentinel duty behind them.

St David’s is an active 19th century lighthouse at the eastern end of an island
by the same name.  It is one of only two traditional lighthouses in Bermuda.

Once past the lighthouse, we were able to get a good view of The Cut — the narrow channel that allows small- to mid-size ships access to the harbor.  Once through, we switched to the starboard deck to watch as Insignia crossed the harbor in front of St George’s main square and continued to its berth not too far away.  Captain B did a 180-degree turn, giving us a nice view for our overnight stay … but not one of downtown St George.  By 11:15a the ship was tied up to the dock.  Time to grab a bite to eat at the Terrace Café.

Insignia Transiting The Cut	View from The Cut

On approach to St George’s.

Panorama from our veranda.

We dallied on the ship until 2:00p, letting the tour groups and the first-time visitors who were in a hurry disembark first.  When we got off, I almost turned around to return to the ship … it was downright hot in the sun … and the humidity was not helping.

Although we were familiar with the general layout of the town from our visit here in 2001, we picked up a map from the Heritage Center near the Pepto-Bismol-pink terminal building and headed off into the heart of downtown … maybe a five minute walk from where the ship was berthed.  Our plan was to take a stroll down memory lane and visit some of the sights we remembered from 16 years ago.

At King’s Square, we walked across the bridge to Ordnance Island to check out the replica of the Deliverance.  We were thinking we’d go aboard, but it was closed for restoration.  The original ship, along with another one by the name of Patience, delivered Sir George Somers — considered by many to be the founder of Bermuda —  and his contingent to Jamestown in Virginia a year after their ship was wrecked on a reef offshore from St George in 1609.

View from the bridge crossing to Ordnance Island.
The deliverance is in the distance on the right side.

Next we wandered up King Street towards to the Old State House, and from there to Somers Garden.  This is a lovely green space where the heart of Sir Somers is buried.  I mentioned him with reference to the Deliverance above.  So, if he returned to Virginia on the Deliverance, how did his heart make it back to St George?  You see, when he reached Jamestown, he found the people who had reached the colony before him were starving to death.  The short story is that he returned to Bermuda to gather and bring back provisions to sustain the colonists.  Unfortunately, he fell ill and died on the island.  The longer story — including how his body was taken to England — is at this link.

Buckingham House (foreground) is a mid-18th century Georgian style mansion.
The Old State House behind it was built in 1620.  It is the oldest building in Bermuda.

Somers Garden front and rear (by the stairs in the distance) entrances.
In addition to a tomb where Sir Sommers’ heart is buried (not pictured), there is a stone memorial column at the entrance. The Prince of Wales officially opened the park in 1920.

We wandered around the garden for a bit and enjoyed the solitude.  I was surprised there were no tour groups, but wasn’t about to question our luck.  On one side of the garden, we came upon a moongate.  These circular stone gates are iconic landmarks of Bermuda.  According to local lore, if newlyweds step through the gate hand-in-hand their happiness will be everlasting.

The first moongate was built by a local sea captain who was inspired by his visit to China.

We walked out the back gate of the garden and went uphill towards the Gothic style Unfinished Church, which dates back to 1874 … one of my favorite spots in St George.  As one would expect from the name, the construction of the church — which was to replace St Peter’s Church — was never completed.  Why?  Partly because the parishioners could not agree amongst themselves on whether to build anew or repair the old church.  Funding was another problem — which probably wasn’t helped when some of the parishioners took matters into their own hands and built a church of their own.  More at this link for those interested.

A roof was put on the church in 1897, but that was long gone when we visited in 2001.
From a distance the church looked the same today as it did 16 years ago.

I’d been looking forward to wandering around the shell of the church like we did in 2001, but that’s apparently no longer allowed.  The interior is now deemed unsafe and a padlocked gate bars entry.  We took a quick stroll around the structure, peeked through the gate and clicked a few photos, and then continued on towards the beach.

Peeking through the padlocked gate for a glimpse of the interior.

On our first visit to Bermuda, Tobacco Bay Beach was but an empty crescent of sand.  It was popular with snorkelers who didn’t mind that there were no amenities.  Well, that’s no longer the case.  There are facilities here now.  We didn’t walk all the way down to check it out further this afternoon.  We plan to go there first thing tomorrow morning so Mui can get in one last swim for the RTW voyage.  Hopefully there is shade there for me … I couldn’t quite tell today when we took a peek from the top of the hill.

The color of the water is as we remember it … better, in fact, since the sun is shining.

From Tobacco Bay, we retraced our steps towards town, enjoying the architecture along the way.  We made a few short stops … the longest one at St Peter’s Church.  It is said to be the oldest Anglican church in the Western hemisphere that’s been in continuous use.  The current church replaced the one that was built in 1619.  When the first church was damaged by a hurricane, wood from the original building was incorporated into the new place of worship.  In 2012, to honor the church’s 400th anniversary, Queen Elizabeth named it “Their Majesties’ Chappell.”

Left: The steps leading up to St Peter’s are part of the 1841 extension of the church.
Right: Wood from the first church was incorporated into the new one.

After peeking inside, we wandered around the cemetery in the churchyard.  One of the two cemeteries is where black slaves were buried back in the day.  There are some prominent Bermudians buried in the cemetery reserved for the white people.  None of their names were familiar to us, so we didn’t dally to check them out.  Also buried here is an American sailor … said to be the last man to die in the War of 1812.

Although no graves from the 17th century have been identified, it is believed
that burials likely took place in the historic churchyard as early as 1612.

From the church, we headed back to the ship.  We were soaked in sweat and it was no longer fun to be wandering around St George.  Back in the cabin, I rested for a while and touched base with the family.  Then I took my iPad and went down to Deck 5 to read for a while.  The promenade was nearly deserted and the cool breeze was very welcome.

For dinner, we headed off the ship again … with the Gelmans and the Sweets.  The temp had cooled down from the midday highs, so it was nice to go out.  Mui had looked up restaurants on TripAdvisor and found a place named Wahoo.  Two people the Sweets had spoken to had also recommended Wahoo to them.  Located on the waterfront on the way to King’s Square, it worked out quite nicely.  The tables on the deck were all full, but we managed to find outside seating that worked for us.  I ordered the starter size of the wahoo tacos, which I really enjoyed … the waiter offered to bring the tacos to me deconstructed when I asked for the pico de gallo on the side, so I could make them up exactly as I wanted.  Mui ordered the fish platter special — which included wahoo, rockfish, and mahi mahi … served on a bed of rice.  Everyone was very pleased with their menu choices — a 6-thumbs-up dinner.

We returned to the ship for coffee and dessert.  We thought about going to the dining room, but Mui and Boris were in shorts, so we went up to the Terrace Café instead.  It was nice to chill on deck as the sun set.  A nice breeze kept us comfortable … an excellent end to our day.

Coffee and dessert on deck.

As I wrap up this journal on the veranda, I hear the occasional lapping of the water against the pier.  But the predominant sound is that of tree frogs … almost as loud as cicadas when they are at their peak.  Not bothersome … just noticeable.  I think I will prolong my veranda-time by doing a bit of reading now that my journal writing is at an end.

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