Introduction
In future, a reader may question “what kind of bondage?” But in 2021, everyone worldwide understands that the bondage in our day means all the constrictions, losses, and controversies and the new reality that Covid-19 has brought upon us all.
The pandemic, now exacerbated by the development of a new variant of the virus, has kept us divided from our friends, relations, jobs and careers, usual forms of entertainment such as movies, concerts, bars and restaurants, schools, and colleges, and traveling the world. Many countries have raised barriers to entering their borders for fear of further spread of disease.
This pandemic has robbed us primarily of the lives of loved ones but also of more than a year of what we used to call “normality.” For Kay and I, “normality” was defined as our ability to explore the world as often as possible. For years, we traveled from Antarctica to the North Pole, all over Asia, Europe, South America, and Africa. In addition to the other deprivations we experienced, our inability to travel at will was a bitter loss.
Probably prematurely, the travel/tourist world is attempting to resurrect itself by accommodating to the pandemic through safety measures and health requirements. These economic drivers in many parts of the world have been severely damaged as have the millions of people who relied on jobs in these industries. Hence, it is understandable that everyone wants to return to the former normality as quickly as possible. Another reality playing into this determination is the belief that the world may just have to learn to “live” with the constant presence of this disease as part of everyday life.
When we received an offer to travel to Bermuda on Viking Cruise Lines in July, we were so excited partly because we were aching to travel ANYWHERE and because we had always wanted to visit that country. We recognized the risks as well as the rewards, so we started researching what safety steps Viking is making, how rampant the disease is on this remote tourist island, what governmental restrictions may apply, and how safe flights would be. We had previously travelled with Viking on three separate occasions and knew that it is a quality company with many amenities that we appreciated.
Guess what?! Deciding to go to Bermuda with Viking did not turn out to be so easy. We thought that we would just check out Bermuda’s Covid status and then sign up and pay for the cruise. Bermuda’s Covid stats were totally reassuring. Among the 63,920 inhabitants, there had been only 2535 cases and only 33 deaths. Even better, when we checked with the Johns Hopkins site, there were NO current cases!
So, we signed up, paid the fee and waited for further information from Viking. We were so blindly enthusiastic that we had no idea how many seemingly insurmountable hurdles
remained between our payment and our boarding the Viking Orion and exploring Bermuda.
COVID Safety Trip Requirements and Obstacles
We were introduced to the fact that the airline, the Ship and the Bermuda government had their fingers in the pie when it came to documentation of our health status. We were required to show we had complied with the Bermuda government’s regulations on COVID at each step of the way.
Required by Bermuda
A Negative Covid test within 4 days before departure
This was required by all three agencies. Any test earlier than 4 days would be considered invalid. This caused another huge barrier because our departure was right after the Fourth of July holiday weekend. We misread the date requirement and almost scheduled the test too early to avoid holiday problems. The first date we scheduled would have cost us $75.00 each and would have been worthless. By the time we had the test on July 3rd, the price at the lab had reached $150.00 a piece! And then we had to negotiate all those portals to get it reported on time. We did hear of one couple who were turned away from the JetBlue flight to Bermuda because their negative test was invalid.
Health Questionnaire
The health histories we were required to complete for Bermuda online were exceedingly difficult to navigate. Just when you thought you had answered all the questions in a section and tried to move on, a notice would pop-up saying you had skipped a question. When you went back to find which question you had missed, there was no indication which one it was, and it was not easy to find.
You had to attest to your willingness and ability to self-quarantine if you became positive while in Bermuda. If you tested positive on arrival in the airport, you were required to stay in country in hotel quarantine at your own expense before being allowed to board a plane home. Bye-bye cruise.
Passports had to be valid for 6 months after departure from Bermuda.
Cooperation with another Covid test as soon as we arrived in the Hamilton airport.
last name: Gilmour
DOB: 29/July/1942
Arrival: Tuesday 6 Jul 2021
GOVERNMENT OF B E R M:U:D::A:_ -:------------ 1
GREEN TRAVEL A
First name: Kay
RISATION#: 7358103
Flight/Vessel: B61731
Passport#: 525917234
Address in Bermuda: Viking Orion (Cruise Ship)
Countries visited in last 14 days: United States
Have you had contact with someone with COVID-19 in the last 14 days? N
Middle name: Ellen
Gender. Female
Expiry: 20 March 2025
Departure: Tuesday 13Jul 2021
Will you be living alone in Bermuda? N Are you able to self-quaratine? Y
I understand that I will be responsible for the all health andaccommodation costs should I require treatment and/or quarantine, whetherrelated to COVID-19 or otherwise confirm that I willingly provided information and data contained in this form for public health reasons in accordance with r bl I and I consent to its use and I declare that the information or data given onthisfonn is accurate and complete. appica e ocallaws I acknowledge that if I have not declared information ordataon this formaccurately and completely, I may have committed
A d may be subject to a fine of $25,000 and/or 1mpnsonment an offence under the Quarantine ct an (OVID1
h I 1 IIfollow all traveller requirements set out in the Qua, • I d ,ng wearing a quarantine monitoring race et
2017 I at sna b I \ declare t Of d expens,e,nc or remove
h t f t n point during my stay In Bermuda I become - 9 posIt1ve or a close contact ofa declaret a , Ilada y d at anypoint Iwill isolate at place of my accommodation for at least 14 da pos111ve person, symptomatic, or if become clinica Y ,agnose d h II d ·1y h ys. a result of providing such infonnat1on or ata, s a ,n emn, • old harmlessand defend th G Iconfirmthat as t t'ves from and against all actions clairns.demands lossor expense (i I d e overnment ,ts public office employees, or other represena nc u ing legal expenses). rs,
tine(COVID-19) (No3) Order 2020 ahd stru e is required). By wearing the Bracelet, 1'"h ctlons related to public health matters, ,nc u th ut prior written consent. I shall beliable for all co the BraceIet, wI o d because of my fault ininterfering w.th the Bracelet: Charges mcurre 1 declare that I will quarantine at my place ofresidence until I have
1 declare ta th t' , 7358103
• h t I will have a COVID-19 test on Day 4, 8 and 14 after
If you are "• .ve 1I n g with a minor or if this Travel Au onsa 10n Is,o Unimmunised Chddren Under18
Signed:
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Safety Measures on flights
You had to show the green travel approval document issued by the government of Bermuda to board the plane. Ours did not arrive until the morning we were scheduled to begin the trip. Talk about last minute jitters—we were totally spazzed.
Jet Blue required mask wearing at all times on all flights (except while eating or drinking). Also, a federal requirement.
Safety procedures onboard
Viking held the ship’s guest numbers to half (instead of 900 passengers only 450).
Crew members were never allowed to leave the ship during the entire voyage thereby eliminating any importation of the virus by them. They were so thrilled to be working again, they promised us they had no problem with this requirement.
Viking required all passengers to wear masks anywhere aboard ship except in personal staterooms or while eating or drinking or when on open decks.
Each passenger and crew member had to submit a morning saliva sample (in a provided vial) every day before eating or drinking anything. The specimen was picked up and taken to the onboard laboratory for quick analysis. Viking had hired three lab techs to process the 900+ tests every day.
You had your temperature taken every day when appearing for the first meal of the day. A facial recognition stand greeted you by name, took your temperature off its screen and logged the results in your personal health file in the doctor’s office. Crew members also had temperatures taken daily.
Each passenger was issued a tracking device which was carried on the body wherever he or she went: on the ship or off the ship. The tracking devices helped the medical staff determine contacts a newly positive passenger had been near so that adequate quarantining could be required for everyone exposed.
Cabin stewards could not enter a cabin when the occupants were inside.
All public seating in the auditorium and restaurants and public areas were arranged to provide appropriate social distancing between passengers.
Air on the ship was recirculated continuously using hospital grade filters.
Three specially built Roomba-type machines patrolled every floor of the ship daily at 3 AM spraying anti-viral mists in all the public areas.
Safety measures on excursions
Viking required all Bermudian guides and drivers serving Viking passengers to be vaccinated and to wear masks where appropriate (inside vehicles or buildings).
Bermuda strongly encouraged mask wearing when exploring the country except when outside
Transportation vehicles on shore were also held to no more than 6 passengers
And finally - Viking provided us with the necessary negative Covid test documentation so we could fly JetBlue back to the USA
Last but not least of our problems was Hurricane Elsa who was threatening South Florida where we had chosen to fly from to Bermuda. When the threat to our originating flight ended, it them appeared that this capricious storm might works its way up the coast of the USA and then go out to Bermuda. But the naughty girl lost steam as she chugged up the coast and dissipated before attacking our island destination.
With all these precautions, I think anyone can understand why we felt safer on this trip to Bermuda than we do at home in Jacksonville!
Pertinent History
Finally in Bermuda, what were our activities and impressions of this remote island, a selfgoverning Crown Colony of Great Britain?
Our first realizations were how friendly everyone on shore and on the ship were to all of us. An island and a cruise ship so dependent on tourism demonstrated their appreciation for our courage in traveling in these troubled times.
But before I go any further, I need to provide some pertinent history of this mid-Atlantic Island. After all, this small spot in the ocean is directly and importantly involved with our own USA. Probably more significantly than most of us realize. So, bear with me a little and I will give a condensed version of this complicated history.
Most of us know about the Jamestown colony in Virginia which was the first attempt by the British to establish a foothold on the North American continent in 1607. They wanted to counter the Spanish who were already becoming prominent in South America and the Caribbean as well as Florida (1565, St. Augustine). The first Spanish settlement in the New World was Isabela, founded by Christopher Columbus on the island of Hispaniola in 1493.
The competitive British wanted their own country to benefit from the riches of the New World. To start their own campaign, they decided to found a colony in what is now Jamestown, Virginia. The first year of that attempt was disastrous. Most of the original
inhabitants died of starvation, disease and Indian attacks. And here is where Bermuda enters the story.
In 1609, the British formed a fleet of 9 ships with 600 passengers, livestock and foodstuffs enough for year to help Jamestown survive. The best marine captain in the British fleet, Christopher Newport, was captain of the fleet. On his flagship, the Sea Venture, were 150 seafarers and potential colonists for Jamestown, the Admiral of the Fleet, George Somers and the new governor for Jamestown, Sir Thomas Gates. Close to their destination, the fleet was assailed by a hurricane and the 9 ships became separated.
The ship we are most concerned with here, the Sea Venture, ran aground on the Bermuda reef and began to break up. According to the story, all 150 persons were able to escape onto the shore of what is now called Gates Bay. Not only that, the vessel sank slowly enough that the men were able to bring ashore many of their supplies. They were also able to salvage much of the wood, rigging and sails that formed their lost ship. A bit ironic was the ship’s Motto “ Que Fata Ferunt” meaning when translated from Latin “Wherever Fate Takes Us.”
These marooned people survived easily because they found lots of food: plentiful fruits and vegetables, fish, and the meat from wild hogs which it is supposed must have arrived from another ship disaster. They were in an amazing paradise for survival since there were also no other human beings on the island. Because Bermuda has no rivers and no springs, there is no fresh water available except for the abundant rains. They quickly learned to catch and conserve the plentiful rainfall.
So, for 10 months, they thrived in Bermuda. They had no way of communicating with either the presumed lost 8 ships in the fleet or Jamestown which they knew had been in a crisis when they started out on their relief mission. Captain Somers decided that they had to build at least two ships from the wreckage of the Sea Venture by using the strong Bermuda Cedar trees all around them. Then they would load the two with all the food and supplies available and try to sail to Jamestown. The two ships were named Deliverance and Patience. We saw replicas of the Deliverance in St. George. These early ships are so small and vulnerable that it is wonderful they could cross the Atlantic safely.
Replica of Deliverance
The connection between Bermuda and the USA should now be clear. If the British who washed up on Bermuda’s shore had not been skilled and concerned enough to build ships and bring supplies to Jamestown, the last colonists would have perished, and the British might have abandoned their efforts to establish a colony on the mainland of what is now the USA. Meanwhile, the Bermudians honor these castaway Brits who found the Bermuda chain of islands and were the first to successfully live there. Some even trace their ancestry back to these men
A literary aside about the discovery of Bermuda involves William Shakespeare. It seems that people who had come anywhere near the archipelago were too frightened by the
sounds coming from the islands which sounded to sailors like horrible ghost cries and animal screeching, and the Devil himself cursing mankind. Thus no one wanted to explore the area any closer. It was just called Devil’s Island. After the word got back to England about the wreckage of the Sea Venture and the success of the castaways living on the island, attitudes changed and people were more curious about the previously unknown island. Most literary scholars believe that Shakespeare’s last play (“The Tempest”) was based on stories about the Sea Venture and its unlucky but not cursed crew.
Modern people believe that the terrifying sounds were produced by a petrel species with a terrible raucous screech called the Cahow by the Bermudians. Cahows breed and nest only in Bermuda.
Geology
Another topic that should be covered briefly is the GEOLOGY of Bermuda. No fresh water or other natural resources together with such poor soil that the country cannot grow enough to feed its small population can be explained by its origins as a volcanic land mass. Curiously, though the island chain was formed by volcanic activity, its current base is formed of limestone. The 350 some islands comprising the archipelago are now in the process of becoming an atoll.
Bermuda was formed as a group of volcanoes (four?) on the Mid Atlantic Ridge about 110 million years ago. As sea floor spreading occurred Bermuda was welded onto the American plate and carried along with it westwards away from the Mid Atlantic Ridge. Bermuda 's islands are called ridge islands because the volcanic eruption that formed the islands developed out of the Mid Atlantic Ridge at the junction of two tectonic plates. The islands of Bermuda are located on the southeastern margin of the Bermuda Pedestal.
Scientists have long considered the Bermuda Pedestal to be the remains of a large extinct shield volcano that formed between 45 and 35 million years ago. Several theories have been proposed to explain the origin of the Bermuda Pedestal. According to one of these theories, it was formed by the volcanic activity of the Bermuda hotspot.
In contrast, other geologists propose instead that the Bermuda Pedestal possibly formed because of a worldwide reorganization of the Earth's tectonic plates. At present, archipelago is moving west about an inch a year as it rides along with the North Atlantic Plate. The size of the Bermuda Pedestal combined with knowledge of other mid-ocean volcanoes tells us that the Bermuda volcano originally reached 1,000 m (3,300 ft (about the height of the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world)) above sea level and that it took three to ten million years to reduce it to sea level.
Geography
Though there are 350 islands comprising the country, only a few are large enough to be inhabited. The two largest islands are St. George’s where the first capital of country sits and Hamilton where the present capital is located. There are some smaller and close-in islands, such as St. David’s, which are also densely populated. All of these are also connected by bridges. Some larger out-islands have been purchased by individuals to be developed as tourist attractions or private residences. One of our excursions off-ship was a visit to Hawkins Island by speedboat. It is not connected by any bridges.
Colors
The next things we noticed were how colorful the houses and buildings are, how surprisingly clean all the streets are, how blue the sky, and how multicolored and crystalclear the waters of the Atlantic appear all around the island. The tropical beauty of Bermuda cannot be denied. The plants are lush and plentiful and there are myriad vibrant flowers everywhere! An interesting little fact we learned about private home colors was endearing. If one person chooses pink for his house, the house owners on either side of him cannot use that same color for their homes UNLESS those owners are his relatives.
Whether that holds true for public government buildings we were not told. Hotels near one another certainly did not select colors that matched their competition. The rule ensures that Bermuda is always multicolored.
Architecture
Historic architecture in Hamilton (the current capital city) and St. George’s (the original capital) clearly demonstrates British influence. For instance, the Church of St. Peter’s in St. George’s is constructed in a typical English religious style.
The church dates from 1612 and is the oldest Anglican church outside the British Isles and is also the oldest continuously operating protestant church in the New World. In 2000 UNESCO designated the town of St. Georges along with its church and related fortifications
as a World Heritage Site. In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II visited Bermuda during her Diamond Jubilee year and honored the 400-year-old St. Peter’s Church with the additional title of “Their Majesties Chappell,” an honor first bestowed on Anglican houses of worship during the reign of King William and Queen Mary.
Defenses
There are several forts and related defensive structures all over the country. We visited a few of them, especially Fort St. Catherine (dubbed the Jewel of the East). It was started on a hill in the extreme northeast tip of the Island by Sir George Somers as soon as the Sea Venture mariners came ashore to protect themselves from the Spanish. Of course, many alterations and additions have changed the fort from that earliest beginning. There are 12 other forts and batteries around the islands. We visited quite a few of them during our excursions. Forts are forts and of limited interest to us, but we were impressed with how carefully the Bermudians are protecting this part of their history. Scaur Hill Fort was built in the 19th century when the British in Bermuda were still worried about attacks from the Americans.
The US Navy Airbase occupied a substantial portion of St. David’s Island from 1945 to 1995. During those years, Bermudians were not allowed on the base unless they had official ties to the functioning of the base. There is one facility left at the base, now belonging to NASA, because of its part in tracking space launches. Today the particularly lovely beach there is now open to all Bermudians and many of the buildings have been adapted to the country’s needs. For instance, most of the barracks and other housing has been converted into private affordable residences for local citizens.
Lighthouses
There are two old lighthouses in Bermuda (neither of which is operational today): Biggs Hill Lighthouse dates from 1844. Queen Elizabeth II proclaimed that it offered the best view in Bermuda available. The other Light is on St. David’s Island (connected to the main island by a bridge). St. David’s Light dates from 1879.The oldest government building in Bermuda is in St. George’s: The Sessions House built in 1620.The Bermuda Parliament holds its meetings there to this day. The oldest private home is said to be the Carter House from 1640. It is built of Bermuda Limestone and is still in use today.
Native Americans
Another interesting bit about St. David’s Island concerns Native Americans (mostly Mohegans and Pequods). As was soon learned, American Indians often refused to cooperate as slaves and preferred to die rather than lose their freedom to live as they pleased. Rather than kill their Indian slaves, the Bermudians banished them to St. David’s Island. There, the former slaves learned to thrive in their new home. Nowadays, many Bermudians are proud to claim Pequod or Mohegan ancestors, much as many Australians now are proud of their former convict ancestry. One of our young guides told us that his great grandfather was a Mohegan. Today he lives on property that his long ago relative cultivated and passed on to his progeny. Incidentally, he was a very handsome young man who was clearly an example of how well the inhabitants of this remote island finally began to get along.
Excursions
We took 4 excursions off the ship to explore the famous areas of the country: the Crystal Cave, the much praised “pink” sand beaches, and the historical and cultural sites. Most of the excursions involved riding around different sections with brief stops at designated spots. We also walked around by ourselves in Hamilton and in St. George’s. It was in
Hamilton where we saw the most people wearing masks even on the streets. But we went into no shops, restaurants or bars. The only purchase we made was 6 postcards at Biggs Hill Lighthouse.
Crystal Cave
The closest we came to being inside anything was when we visited Crystal Cave but even then, our group was small and all of us were wearing masks. The cave is a deep sinkhole that was discovered in 1907 by two 12-year-old boys seeking a lost cricket ball. The Wilkerson Family which owned the property quickly recognized the tourist attraction possibilities of the cave and developed it. Today, the entrance area is a lovely tropical garden exhibiting many native plants and trees. There is also the inevitable gift shop which we did not enter.
There is some controversy about whether this formation is a sinkhole or a true cave. During our visit we were told that it is a sinkhole into the limestone pedestal which formed millions of years ago. Wikipedia states that it is a cave. Whatever, it is 1640 feet (about twice the height of the Empire State Building) long and 203 feet down. The water pool at the bottom which rises and falls with the Atlantic tides is 62 feet down. There are 83 steps to climb down and up when exploring the cave. There are stalactites formed of limestone in many different shapes. Artificial lighting makes for easy exploring but there is no wandering off the wooden and Trex single pathway. A guide accompanies all the groups
which was reassuring to me since I have been known to become claustrophobic in caves. The outstanding feature to us was the deep pool which has no life in it no plants, alga or sea life. The water is crystal clear as we would expect.
Churches
There are too many churches in Bermuda to have explored them all, but a fascinating one is called “The Unfinished Church.”
The story of this ill-starred Neo-Gothic stone building confirms what we already know about the inability of different religions to cooperate for long. The building was started in 1870 to replace an older church which was in dangerous condition. Work proceeded very slowly and fitfully and finally came to complete halt when the High Church (Anglo-Catholics) and the Low Church (Protestants) could not agree on the designs for the altar and pulpit and other architectural details for the interior. Both these factions are Anglican Churches, by the way. Anyway, work stopped for good in 1899. As the final blow to the project, a freak tornado blew the roof off the edifice in 1925.
The grand ruin stands looking down into the center of St. George’s and has now become a popular venue for weddings and other celebrations. It is indeed quite picturesque. Some of our walks around Hamilton and St. George’s on our own introduced us to an ironic fact. Following Covid precautions, most churches were closed to the public; however, restaurants and bars and shops were open for business. We did enter the “kitchen portion” of The Wesley Methodist Church in St. George’s where we met two industrious people busily creating vegan meals for hungry people. They reported that the fed about 75 people 3 times a week. Good people live in Bermuda.
Beaches
Most people of have heard of the famous “pink sand” beaches of Bermuda so it was a foregone conclusion that we would be taken to see a few of them. Most famous of these is Horseshoe Beach on Hamilton. Though it was certainly picturesque and amazingly clean, it was difficult to discern any pinkish tone in the sand. There were several amenities at the beach that attested to its popularity among Bermudians and tourists: changing rooms with showers and toilet facilities and a fully stocked snack shop. Shade trees formed a backdrop to the sunny beach which provided relief from the blazing sunshine. South Shore Beach was another supposed “pink sand” spot we were happy to visit. The pink was rather muted or nonexistent on most of the beaches we visited. A little disappointing for us. On arriving home, I looked up pink sands to learn what creates that pink color when you do get to see it. A tiny one-celled sea creature called a “FORAMINIFERA" is the artist. When it dies and its
shell is washed ashore and crushed, the pink color is created. I also learned that there are places in the world where pink beaches can be found: the Caribbean islands of Barbuda and Barbados, the Philippines, Indonesia and Greece.
A bit of a pink tinge
Private Island
The best part of our visit to the private Hawkins Island was the speedboat ride From Hamilton Harbor to the remote resort. The waters of the Atlantic were so amazingly clear and multicolored and filled with little fish called breams. That boat ride was really exhilarating. However, the island itself was not. It is a resort in the making and will probably be very popular with exceedingly rich guests. Our experience centered around an introduction to the Herculean efforts the Gardner in Charge (Graham) was making to restore the island vegetation to include only indigenous plants (with some rare exceptions) He was particularly interested in creating a small Bermuda Cedar forest. That tree had suffered a devastating blight which nearly caused its extinction. Now many efforts are going on around Bermuda to recultivate the tree. Graham is determined to make a significant contribution to this salvage operation.
He was doing his best to integrate the ruins of a Boer community that had been created by some Boers exiled from South Africa during the Boer War. He has an excellent eye for plants and is sure that he will be honoring the Boers by utilizing their constructions. Some of the Boers decided to stay on in Bermuda after the war and have melted into the general population of Bermuda.
Graham told us that that there are no snakes in Bermuda (never have been) and no indigenous mammals. There are some lizards but many of them are stowaways from Caribbean islands. There is a native butterfly, the Bermudan Monarch, and there are two
birds that breed only on the island: the aforementioned Cahow and the White-Tailed Tropic bird which looks like the Galapagos tropic bird except that it has a white tail rather the red one of the more Southern species.
We did enjoy a very good meal on the breezy veranda of the clubhouse building with just the 6 of us as guests. A chef had been brought over from another island and a bartender as well. We were served two rum-based drinks that were said to be the drinks most typical of Bermuda. One was called “Dark ‘n Stormy” and was created by combining ginger beer, black seal rum, and lime juice. When properly served, the dark rum floats on top of the other ingredients creating a stormy looking “sky.” The second drink was a “Bermuda Rum Swizzle” it contained pineapple juice, orange juice, black seal rum and light rum. Since we are not rum fans, the second drink tasted best to us because the juices drowned out the rum flavor.
While we were dining, we learned how we had happened to get the little room we had on the 4th deck: Room 4123 which was labeled “the odd room”. It was the very last room at the back of the ship but it had a wonderful balcony. One of the couples sharing this meal with us was relating how they almost did not join this cruise because they wanted a larger room. They apparently had turned down the “little odd “one while they waited for a cancellation. The cancellation came through for them and they were somewhere else on the ship. Meanwhile, when I called to book us on the cruise, I was told that we were getting the last
cabin available. The room was longer than it was wide, but it was very comfortable for us. We liked being in the odd room just fine.
Our one real chance to go swimming in the beautiful Atlantic waters was supposed to occur while we were on Hawkins Island. Mother Nature had another idea and when it was time to go swimming, she rained down heavily with much needed water for the island. We decided that since we live only 14 miles from the Atlantic, we were not disappointed. Some folks who did go were disappointed because the beach was littered with broken glass and sharp stones. Though the water was lovely, the toll on the feet was not!
Seadays
Even on as short a trip as this one was (8 days with two of them travel days), we still enjoyed the fun of seadays: days when the ship just sailed around and stopped nowhere. The captain must have had to slow the forward progress of the ship almost to a standstill. Circumnavigating the two main islands of Bermuda (Hamilton and St. Georges requires covering only 230 miles. Nonetheless, however he kept us at sea was immaterial to us we just enjoy the free days to do whatever we want to do aboard ship. Reading, writing, attending lectures, dining at different restaurants, relaxing on our balcony: what a wonderful time to totally relax with no obligations of any kind. We attended lectures on Bermudian history, geology and geography, flora and fauna. All were presented by experts in these fields with very impressive credentials.
Conclusion
What a wonderful way to begin “exploring the world in comfort” as the Viking ads boast. It’s true and in this case, it was also in safety which was the most element of all in these days of pandemic. We relaxed, learned new things, saw beautiful scenery and towns, satisfied our curiosity about this fabled Island Country and came back home safe and without any contact with Covid! Who could ask for anything more? We are so happy that we overcame all at the obstacles in our way and persevered so we could enjoy this special cruise experience!
