Travel Tales

Beautiful Bermuda

Bermuda

Mix pink sandy beaches with cerulean blue waters and sunny 76 degree balmy weather and we had a wonderful unwiding vacation in the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. We sailed from Boston on the Holland – America Veendam, and enjoyed a perfectly effortless holiday. This cruise ship line caters to a more mature passenger, so if you are looking for a quiet, relaxing time, it is for you, but don’t expect zip-lining, go-carts, and noisy shows.  I found it to be a great value for the money with excellent food and good security. But if you are looking for excitement this ship and Bermuda will not oblige. 

Bermuda was discovered in 1505 by Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez, but neither Spain nor Portugal tried to settle it.  When King James 1 of England granted a Royal Charter to Virginia Company, it established a colony in Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, but when during a bad storm Sir George Somers, took his flotilla to Bermuda’s reef, they remained starting a settlement and he claimed this group of islands for the English Crown, and the charter for the Virginia Company was extended to include them.

Years later, Bermudians abandoned agriculture for shipbuilding, and deforested their landscape to begin a salt trade, which became Bermuda’s major economy for the next century.  Bermudian sailors also pursued whaling and privateering.  The Bermuda sloop became highly regarded for its speed and maneuverability and was adapted for the Royal Navy.  After the American Revolution, the Royal Navy improved its harbors. During the war between Great Britain and the United States in 1812, the British attacks on Washington, D. C., were launched from Bermuda.

In the early 20th century Bermuda became a popular vacation spot for American, Canadian, and British tourists escaping their cold winters. In 1937, Imperial Airways and Pan American World Airways operated a flying boat airline service from New York and Baltimore to Darrell’s Island, Bermuda. But in the beginning of WWII, US military installations were located in Bermuda. 

Bermuda is a group of low-forming volcanoes in the Atlantic Ocean, and 898 nautical miles northeast of Miami, Florida.  It boasts of 103 km of coastline. We spent the day swimming in beautiful Horseshoe Beach, populated by hundreds of tourists from several ships. If you want to sink your toes into the cool sand, it is best to go there early in the morning as by noon it is difficult to find a coveted piece of shade as towels from NCL, Holland-America, and other ships are dotted all along the shore.

Bermuda enjoys a humid subtropical climate, which is warmed by the nearby Gulf Stream and low latitude. In January, February and March you can experience cooler temperatures of about 63 degrees F; but in August temperatures can go as high as 86F.  In August 1989 the temperature was recorded at 93F.  Although it sits in the hurricane belt, the storms begin to weaken by the time they reach Bermuda; but in October 2016, they got battered by Hurricane Nicole, a category 3 hurricane. Rainfall is the only source of water which they collect on rooftops but they also have two desalination plants.

The predominant language on Bermuda is English, which is blended by British, American and West Indian characteristics.  In 1970 Bermuda switched from the Bermudian pound to the Bermudian dollar, which is on par with the U.S. dollar.  According to the CIA World Factbook, the average cost of a house in 2003, was $976,000.

Bermuda is an offshore financial centre, and is well-known for being a “tax avoidance” location, but also derives its income from tourism attracting half a million visitors annually.

 Alinka Zyrmont

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