Tuesday, May 8, 2012
We were up and out of the Princess Hotel by 9:30 to catch the early ferry to the village of St. George’s, on the northern tip of the island chain known as Bermuda. We walked to the ferry landing and purchased our 3-Day transportation passes which gave us unlimited travel on all the ferries and busses in Bermuda.
We picked up a couple of cups of Illy cappuccinos at the breakfast bar near the ferry terminal and waited for our 10:00AM boat. While we waited, we watched a large cruise ship, the Norwegian Line’s, Veendam, make its way into Hamilton Harbor and tie up at the main dock in town.
It was a bright sunny and warm day; perfect for a ferry ride! We boarded the boat and sat on the exposed top level. The ferry slowly drove out of the harbor. Then when it was out beyond the buoys, it drove full speed! What fun!!
The ferry’s first stop was at the Dockyards, where two more huge cruise ships were docked. We planned to visit this tourist attraction later in the week.
Then the ferry continued on to historical St. George’s. The village was discovered in 1612 by English settlers who were on their way to the British Colony of Virginia and became shipwrecked on the reef surrounding Bermuda.
According to the historic accounts, all the people on board survived and set up camp in the village which is now called St. George’s.
Several old buildings in the town have been restored and maintained to show what the town looked like in the 17th Century. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The ferry left us near the main village square. Then we climbed a long flight of stone stairs and entered St. Peter’s Church which is the oldest Anglican Church outside the British Isles. It was built by colonists who arrived from Plymouth, England.
The first thatch church was replaced by one section of the existing wooden structure in 1619. The church was later expanded several times during its history. St. Peter’s Church had an impressive interior, which was shaded and cool.
We soon found a post office where I purchased stamps for some postcards. Down a small curving street, we found the perfect place for lunch right along the harbor: The Tavern-by-the-Sea.
We sat at a table three feet from the edge of the aqua-green water and ordered a couple of cold drinks to have with our fish & chips and shepherd’s pie.
After lunch, we walked along the dock toward a huge three-masted training ship. It was visiting from Sweden with a crew of youngsters. As we were looking at the rigging in the sailing vessel, a man approached us and informed us that his ship further down the dock was the ship that had located The Titanic five years earlier.
At first, I thought he was joking, but then he explained the journey of The Knorr and how they had finally located the sunken ocean liner. The man and his ship were from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute currently on another research project with some Harvard professors who are examining rocks near the continental shelf.
We walked down to get a closer look at the famous Knorr and all the electronic and scientific research equipment on the deck. He explained that the two shipping containers on deck were scientist’s laboratories which could be lifted on and off the ship easily when necessary.
He told us he was eager to go on vacation to Toulouse, France with his girlfriend after he finishes another month at sea “catching rocks” for the scientists. We bid him good luck and continued back to the Main Square of St. George’s village.
We sat on a bench in the shade, near the village square, listening to live Calypso music for a while, then caught the 3:45 ferry back to Hamilton.
After a short rest in our room, we walked back to town for an Italian dinner at a restaurant named, Portofino. It was another beautiful evening: 66 degrees and calm with lots of twinkling stars in the dark sky.
