YOU BERMUDIANS ARE SO FRIENDLY!

The wonderful weather wasn’t enough. The naturally occurring beauty of Bermuda wasn’t enough. The captivating man-made pastel houses in Bermuda weren’t enough. The aqua water, fragrance wafting in the air and sounds of squeaking longtails and bleeping frogs of Bermuda– all of these were not enough to enchant and captivate, keeping me returning year after year.

You people had to be so incredibly friendly!

Ever since I first said, “Land Ho!” with the first sighting from our ship out at sea and set foot like an explorer on the island, we found the people we met here to be so hospitable, so much so, throughout the years. There’s no end to the way they over extend themselves to make certain that you see their country from their eyes. Let me tell you, the people themselves are some sightings! One can see how proud they are to be Bermudians.

The taxi cab driver who took us back from Horseshoe Bay to the dockyard offered to stop at Heydon Trust, a turn off from the road so we could go into the original slave church. It’s a one-room, cozy structure that endears you and brings new meaning to the words, “country church.” You can feel the spirit vibrant and alive there.

In my previous story, “The Fallen: We Hit the Curb and Went Flying off our Moped!” See here , I mentioned that a nice young gentleman with a gorgeous tan and black hair who owned the former Club 21 disco in the Royal Navy Dockyard, stopped to help my husband, Fred and myself, when we sat on the grassy curb nurturing my cut on the side of my knee and called an ambulance to take me to the hospital where I received only one stitch and was up and running again for the rest of our vacation! I am hoping someone knows him. If one of you dear readers remembers or knows him now, please get in touch with him and direct him to Keeon Minors. (Much appreciated so I can thank him again!)

Then, of course, I can’t neglect mention of the iconic, venerable Johnny Barnes who makes it his mission to greet everyone on the traffic circle every morning and has done so for years. He’s so popular that Bermuda honored him with a bronze statue at his corner. He’s one of a kind, as iconic as the long tails of Bermuda.

Speaking of statues, author Mark Twain is bronzed and sitting on a bench at the Princess in Hamilton. I could “channel” him and he practically lived on Bermuda and loved it so much. I bet he secretly wished he was native to the island!

Then there was the perfect elderly gentleman at the bus stop who told us about a Gombey Parade in St. George’s and asked if we could stop by that evening because attendance was sparse the year before and who was involved in some capacity with a group in coordinating it.

Another nice gentleman, whom we met at the Frog & Onion in the Royal Navy Dockyard, and whose photo taken with me is here, struck up a conversation with us at the bar. Turns out he was headed out for the ferry to St. George’s and accompanied us on the 45 minute trip, acting like a personal tour guide, pointing out various sites not to miss, including remnants of the once-charming Bermuda railroad line along the shore.

So, on top of everything else, my dear Bermudians, you didn’t have to be so nice. Like the ‘60s Turtle’s song, I would have loved you anyway. It just makes it all the harder to leave when vacation’s over. ☹