A Travellerspoint blog

Sunday


View 2018-Christmas and New Years Cruise on greatgrandmaR's travel map.

Because we had a tour in the red train which was to meet on the dock at 9:15 and they said it would not take the scooter on it, we had to figure out a place to leave the scooter. (Actually if we folded the scooter up, it would have gone on the train just fine.) On a previous trip when we had a horse and carriage tour of the Dockyard area, Bob just folded up the scooter and left it on the grass. But I wanted to avoid having Barbara stress her wrist by folding it and the scooter does not have a key, so I can't lock it. It is quite light (weighing only 58 lbs) so it would be easy for someone to pick up and take.

So, since the main dining room (MDR) was not open until 8 and I don't like the Lido, we decided on room service. If you want a hot breakfast it is $7.95 extra plus a 15% tip, but if you don't get a hot breakfast, it is free. So we ordered oatmeal and tea and English muffins for 6:30 to 7 and a wake-up call for 6:30. At 6:20 I got a call that breakfast was coming. He needed two trips because the hot water for the tea would not fit on the tray. The tea was hot but the English muffins were barely warm and ditto the oatmeal. I ate mine, but Barbara didn't want just barely warm oatmeal. She did drink the tea and I didn't have much of mine. The wake-up call came as requested at 6:30. We ate and then I told her we needed to put the tray outside but she did not believe me- until she went out in the corridor and saw other trays had been put out.

I decided not to even take my camera today - I just used my cell phone. We got ourselves dressed and together and I decided that I would leave the scooter on the ship on deck 1. They offered me a wheelchair so I took it to the end of the ship where there was a little tent with seats and we sat there. We were WAY early. Had a nice conversation with some people in a travel group.

The meeting time for the train was to be 9:15 and it was to be a hour tour. And 9:15 came and went and we did not see the little red train. (The Scenic West End Trolley) The lady that said she would come and get us when the time came, did not come and get us and when I finally saw the train out about 400 yards from me she had already gone past.
Getting to the Red Train

Getting to the Red Train


So with great difficulty, I walked, stopping at each bollard to rest, and finally got to the street where the train was. It came around the corner to us so I could get on. By now it was 9:40.
Getting on the little Red Train

Getting on the little Red Train


The driver (Sidney who was 92 years old) explained a lot of Bermuda history including how they built their houses and how the roofs are configured to collect water. He said when modern houses are build, they dig a big hole as big as the largest room, and then line it to make it waterproof. That acts as a cistern and they build the house on top of it.
Roof architecture

Roof architecture

Old stonework

Old stonework


Bermuda Architecture

Bermuda Architecture

New jail

New jail


He went out of the dockyard and all the way to Somerset Parish.
Pink beach

Pink beach


We had thought that we could get to church after the train ride, but we did not get back to the dockyard area until about 11:30 and then he let us off at the Clocktower Mall - I could not walk all the way back to the ship. They said that I could get the little free train that runs around the dockyard, but I just could not stand and wait for it.

Barbara used the bathroom at the clocktower mall and bought some juice. Then we tried to get a taxi back to the ship. Eventually we cornered one letting people off, and I negotiated a three hour tour for $50/hour instead of doing the taxi rate. He drove us around the marina to the ship and Barbara got off and went in to get the scooter. [The driver, Conrad Albouy (441-334-8796), went to the bathroom] He said he would not charge us for the section from the Clocktower Mall to getting the scooter.
Taxi Driver Conrad

Taxi Driver Conrad


I thought I would really like to take Barbara to the BAMZ, and so we started off for Flatts Village. There is a place to eat there but we were getting hungry, so after some discussion we went to The Swizzle which is like a branch location of the original Swizzle Inn.
The Swizzle sign

The Swizzle sign


Swizzle (inside)

Swizzle (inside)


We did not get a Dark and Stormy (ginger beer and rum) or a Rum Swizzle!!
Rum Swizzle on the menu

Rum Swizzle on the menu


We did both get a
Root Beer Float

Root Beer Float


I told Barbara that the Bermuda fish chowder was different from most fish chowders, so we got that, and she didn't like it because it was very spicy there - like chili. The cab driver had a hamburger.
Bermuda fish chowder

Bermuda fish chowder

Then we went off for the BAMZ. We paid the $5 admission for old people (I asked her if she needed proof and she said no), and we started with the aquarium. They had a Sargasso sea tank
Sargasso tank

Sargasso tank


as well as lobsters, file fish, red light parrot fish, anemones, sea worms, coral (sea fans, brain coral) and other denizens of the reef.
Dockside

Dockside

Reef coral

Reef coral

Trigger fish

Trigger fish

Schooling fish

Schooling fish

Sea Fan

Sea Fan

North Reef tank

North Reef tank


North Reef Tank

North Reef Tank

Selfies

Selfies


We went into the zoo section without really finishing the aquarium
Loppers left in the enclosure

Loppers left in the enclosure


Endangered Hispanola Slider

Endangered Hispanola Slider


There was a white peacock running around loose,
White Peacock

White Peacock


and there were the Galapagos tortoises which Barbara took a movie of one climbing off a rock.
Galapagos tortoise

Galapagos tortoise

Harrington Sound from the zoo

Harrington Sound from the zoo


Also beautiful pink flamingos.
large_9fc9fc20-e527-11e8-9b30-8deb64b065d1.JPGFlamingos

Flamingos


We went to the Museum part and it was not as good as I remembered although there was a nice 4 minute movie about the history of the islands.
Bermuda cedar story

Bermuda cedar story


In the mid 1940's the cedars became infested with a scale insect and within a decade 99% of the cedars had died
Top of an old cedar tree

Top of an old cedar tree

Invasive species threat

Invasive species threat

Sea serpent

Sea serpent


Sea serpent explanation - found in Bermuda in 1860

Sea serpent explanation - found in Bermuda in 1860


Then we got back in the taxi and went back to the ship. I was processing photos etc so we didn't go to dinner until about 5:30. The others were almost finished their main course. But we ordered (Barbara had the fruit and the vegetables of one of the entrees, and I had the shrimp cocktail and swordfish)
Swordfish

Swordfish


and we almost caught up with them. The lady next to me said she was the bookkeeper for the Teamsters Union in
Detroit so Barbara asked her if she knew Hoffa and she said no but that her boss did.
Cheesecake

Cheesecake

Barbara's Dessert

Barbara's Dessert


Intricate toad towel animal

Intricate toad towel animal


We went to the library to see if they had a backgammon board, but they did not
Ship library

Ship library


I took some photos in the atrium
Photographer on his hands and knees

Photographer on his hands and knees

Dance floor

Dance floor

Child on the dance floor

Child on the dance floor

Band in the atrium

Band in the atrium

Atrium

Atrium

Centrum elevator

Centrum elevator

Centrum elevators

Centrum elevators

Reflections

Reflections

Posted by greatgrandmaR 13:13 Archived in Bermuda

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