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Let’s face it, a good part of the fun of cruising in being fed delicious meals.
So I’ll just skip the chit chat and post some of the delicious food we ate this past week.
Le Bistro
Ala Carte pricing however we had a voucher since the Mr. has Platinum standing and I have Platinum Plus.
Drinks at the Frog and Onion in Dockyards
Drinks $12(?)
Secret beaches. That’s right. Of of course other people know about them and other sites might tell you exactly how to get there, if you know what to look for. I’m not telling anyone their names…but I will tell you where they are. Consider it a quest for your next Bermuda vacation to find these lovely quiet spots.
Small Sea Glass Beach – Sandys Parish
There are a few of these around Bermuda. Frankly this one might have been private. I’m not sure, but we heard about it and made our way there. If you take a cruise here and arrive in dockyards it’s walkable however because there are no official sidewalks in parts I don’t recommend it. You can take the bus a few minutes and if he driver has heard of it, they’ll stop for you. However it won’t be immediately visible, you’ll have to walk a ways. There’s not nearly as much glass there as there used to be since selfish visitors have removed it by the bucket load…yes literally. Remember that if we all take from it, it won’t be here in future, so please don’t take it home, there are now penalties for doing so due to many greedy tourists and a picture says 1000 words, and so I leave you with these.
Seawalk in Bermuda with Hartley’s Helmet Dive
Considering all of the times we’ve been too Bermuda you’d think that we’d have done pretty much all that we were interested in. However there’s always something else that we want experience.
On this trip we took Hartley’s Helmet Dive. I’d done something similar in Australia before, but it was a while ago and I didn’t experience it with anyone that I knew. So as an anniversary present to my husband I booked this for us. I’m not much of a swimmer however my husband is pretty good. Despite the differences in our aquatic ability it was an enjoyable to us both.
Greg is the son of the man that originated this form of ocean exploring for tourists and he does a great job in keeping up the tradition.
After listening to instructions as well as Greg colorful and insightful way of seeing the world we donned out wetsuits about 35 minutes after taking off from Heritage Wharf in the Dockyards area. We went down in a small group of 5 and spend 45 minutes or so being enchanted and entertained by undersea life about 15 feet below in an adorable reef.
Alive with fish, sea cucumbers, coral, anemones and more. As they say if you can breath and walk at the same time you’ll be able to do this.
We took video and that will be posted soon…no really. Okay it’ll probably take me another month but it will be posted in the future.
It was a fun afternoon and it’s recommended. If you arrive by ship and plan on doing this the day you leave definitely take the morning sailing as the total time you’ll be out is about 4 hours. It’s $95 per person and $40 for the undersea photos and videos taken with their professional equipment. You can also bring your own underwater camera and video camera. Learn more here.
Below are a couple of photos with Leroy the fish. 🙂
Having been to Bermuda 4 times and my husband visiting three times, we’ve had a chance to see many of the main attractions. Despite however being small there’s always something new to do as a visitor to the lovely island off this sub-tropical island due east of Fripp island in South Carolina.
We once again boarded the Norwegian breakaway from New York pier 88 headed south for three days of sun and relaxation. Our main goal this vacation was to wind down, but we still wanted to learn more of the local history, see art made by native Bermudians, have a bite to eat on land as well as visit places that we hadn’t seen before. All at a reasonable pace. We weren’t in a rush to see everything or anything in particular for that matter, but to simply give our senses a chance to enjoy something new.
The other white house…
On our Breakaway cruise last month we wanted to expand our view of Bermuda so we decided to spend part of an afternoon delving into art found on the island.
If you take the ferry or bus over to a Hamilton you’ll find yourself only a block or two away from a very large white building located on 17 Church St., Hamilton, Bermuda inside of it you will find the National Gallery of Bermuda. (Free however donations are accepted) If you are arriving at the front of the building before even taking a step into he cool and breezy entrance area you look to you right and there is a bronze sculpture showing a mother reading to her two children, entitled ‘the Joy of Reading’ upon entering you then see a wooden sculpture to your right.
Heading up the stairs I went into the first set of doors there. Here is where you’ll find a small but welcoming a National Gallery that takes pride in showcasing its artists and their varying talents.
When the Bough Breaks (detail) 2013 by Ami Zanders
I was fortunate enough to arrive about an hour before a talk given by one of the artists featured in their welcome booklet, John Gardner. (Inside of the Bacardi provided welcome booklet titled ‘Bermuda Biennial 2014 – A View From the Edge’ you’ll also find information on other local artists featured in the gallery.). While I had not visited with this purpose in mind, I decided to stay as he went though some of the pieces he’d worked on over the past years.
How to go on safari in Hamilton…
Next, we head to the Crisson and Hind African art gallery located on Front street in Hamilton. If you arrive on the ferry from dockyards, it will be to your right about 200 yards away. The owner is a man named Dusty who if you have a chance to speak to you should. He’s interesting and will tell you about the history of the gallery, information on the artists, and the area of Zimbabwe that they come from.
One fascinating story involves the below 5 sculptures. They’re known as the big 5 in African game hunting. They include the African lion, Cape Buffalo, African Elephant, African Leopard and Rhinoceros. He told us the tale of a man that came into his gallery and mentioned that he’d just recently shot the ‘big 5’ while on Safari. Dusty immediately told him to get out. Concerned that people wanted to hang the heads of these magnificent creatures on their wall his wife suggested that he find an option for them. So Dusty commissioned these 5 pieces, carved from one large stone. The result is the beautiful 5 pieces seen below. I’d encourage you to visit Crisson and Hind to get a photo in front of them. Certainly a much better idea than killing off one of these majestic animals.
The next time you head to Bermuda, visit one or both of these establishments and learn more about art on the island.
All photos and written material copyright TravelXena.com © 2014
Bermuda National Gallery
Crisson and Hind Gallery of African Art
All photos and written material copyright TravelXena.com © 2014
