We started off the day with a tiny mishap. We misplaced four people, the Russos! After the Explorer of the Seas [that's our ship, by the way] docked at King's Wharf, Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda, we were supposed to meet just off the ship for the ferry to St. George. There's no way we could have beaten the Russos off the ship, we thought, and Diane did mention that she did not want to miss the last [10:15] ferry. So we shrugged our shoulders, purchased our all-day bus-and-boat passes and headed for the ferry. I told Jill to hold our place in line and I would work my way to the front of the line and look for the Russos. No luck. As we waited to board, the 10:00 ferry started to pull away from the dock. "They must be on that one," I sighed. "We'll have to hook up in St. George." As we were sitting aboard our ferry, waiting for the stroke of 10:15, Jill suddenly spotted the Russos ambling up the gangway! "We thought we were meeting just outside the ship," gently scolded Diane. "Well," I explained, "when we didn't see you at the ticket window, we thought we were late as per usual and headed straight for the ferry." "Fortunately," Diane chuckled, "you both wore bright orange today and were easy to spot!"
The ferry ride to St. George took about one and one-half hours. Our first stop on our self-guided walking tour was the Perfumerie, founded in 1928. They not only sell perfume; they make it here as well. Jill and I ultimately selected a bottle of "Fresh Water," a unisex scent, to share.
Our second stop was St. Peter's Anglican Church, founded circa 1612. We were impressed by all the cedar (of Lebanon?). The headstones on the graves encircling the church certainly looked as if they been there since the 1600's!
Our final stop was a bakery where we sampled rum cakes. Yum! We chuckled to ourselves, "Is that all there is to 'do' St. George?" We asked the locals where the bus stop was and were directed to the police station.
Our first stop on our bus tour was Crystal Cave. Zeko, our tour guide, led us down the 88 (!) steps to the cave. He explained that the cave was originally discovered in 1907 by two boys retrieving their cricket ball. He also told us that crystal-clear Cahow Lake at the bottom of the cave remained a constant 68 degrees, although it looked much colder to us. One the many calcite formations was a Drexel [University] dragon [where Stephanie is attending medical school]!
During a moment of temporary insanity we had followed the Russos' lead and signed on for a second cave, Fantasy Cave, but my knees and I protested, "Another 88 steps are too much work for a vacation!" At this point I was more interested in a cold "Dark 'n' Stormy" [national drink of Bermuda]! Undaunted, the robust Russos tackled the second cave while we waited outside on a shady bench. Shortly after we wimped out, another gentleman on what would have been our tour also followed suit, citing claustrophobia and 100% humidity inside the cave. Tour guide for the second cave was Uniquo, which caused me to doubt that that was his real name and also question Zeko's! When the Russos returned, I asked if they felt it were worth another 88 steps. "Well," Diane replied, "there were a lot more, neat formations." Nevertheless, I still think when you've seen one cave, you've seen 'em all!
For lunch/dinner [it was now 3:30] we chose the Swizzle Inn because it is the oldest pub in Bermuda [some 300 years old], because it is the home of the famous Bermuda rum swizzle drink and because, as Mallory said about Mount Everest, "it was there" [within walking distance of the caves]. There was some controversy between Diane and me about whether the rum swizzle or the "Dark 'n' Stormy" were the official drink of Bermuda. According to Frommer's Bermuda 2011, "the rum swizzle is the most famous cocktail in Bermuda. [However,] for decades, the true Bermudian has preferred a drink called 'Dark 'n' Stormy.' It has been called the national drink of Bermuda." Now having sampled both, Ken and I prefer the "Dark 'n' Stormy." Thanks to Laurie, our ponderously slow waitress, we designated the Swizzle Inn a "dive" and a "mistake." However, she turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the husbands. By the time we reached Hamilton to do some shopping, it was 6:05 and Hamilton had already rolled up its sidewalks at 6:00!
We originally had planned to take the last ferry of the day at 8:30 back to King’s Wharf but Diane quipped disgustedly, “It [the last ferry] might as well be at 6:30!” Ken and I snoozed on the way back. Then, to add further torture to the day’s death march, they led us the wrong way to the ship and we had to backtrack. After a quick shoe change we regrouped at Johnny Rockets for two-for-one milkshakes. Yum! (Poor Komang must have been longing for Lisa in the dining room. L) We were supposed to meet again in the Art Gallery but I suggested we rest our weary bones a bit and meet for the Newlywed Game instead. After a refreshing nap we headed down to the Palace Theater. Jill tried to volunteer us as one of the contestant couples but I refused to stand up. I had to chuckle when I overheard someone seated behind me ask, “Why is that woman standing up by herself?” The three couples selected were 60 years, 29 years and 3 days. It was a hoot! The 3-day couple prevailed. The 60-year couple was cute but the wife was at a loss on how to answer the inappropriate questions! It was a good thing Stephanie and Lisa are both over 21! We then missed our final connection at the midnight buffet. However, we did see the “Watermelon Man” sculpture and the palm trees made out of bread. Failing to find the Russos, we called it a night. However, I did leave a note in their keycard slot that we did make an effort to locate them.
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