Bermuda: The city of splendour

In 1968, the island was granted internal self-government – formally a British Dependent Territory while Britain retained control of defense and foreign policy. Bermudan political life revolves around two main political parties – the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), which has close links with the influential trade union movement, and the United Bermuda Party (UBP), dominated […]

In 1968, the island was granted internal self-government – formally a British Dependent Territory while Britain retained control of defense and foreign policy. Bermudan political life revolves around two main political parties – the Progressive Labor Party (PLP), which has close links with the influential trade union movement, and the United Bermuda Party (UBP), dominated by professional and business interests.

Bermuda is a British Dependent Territory. Bermuda’s economy is dominated by two industries – tourism and international business.

Hamilton, the Bermuda’s capital city, situated at the end of Hamilton Harbour on the inner curve of the ‘fish hook’ is an interesting place to explore. Here, between Parliament Street and Court Street, is The Cabinet Building where the Senate – the Upper House of Bermuda’s Parliament – meets. The Lower Chamber of Parliament is housed in the Sessions House (House of Assembly), also located between Parliament and Court Streets, is open to the public. Front Street is Hamilton’s main street which runs west to east along the water’s edge from Albuoy’s Point, site of the Ferry terminal and the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club, to King Street in the east. Located on Queen Street in Hamilton is Perot’s Post Office. The Perot stamp, Bermuda’s first postage stamp, issued in 1848, was printed by Bermuda’s first Postmaster, WB Perot. During the months of April through October, there are usually two cruise ships moored at the city’s piers. Ferry trips are available round Hamilton Harbour, and also longer cruises through the Great Sound to the west stopping at Somerset Bridge, the rural village of Somerset, and the Royal Naval Dockyard.

In Somerset, on the western end of the island, you will find the smallest drawbridge in the world, Somerset Bridge. Fort Scaur is a good place to picnic, swim and enjoy the panoramic view of the picturesque Great Sound.

At the far eastern end of the chain of islands is the 17th-century Town of St George, Bermuda’s first capital, founded in 1612. It has been the focus of considerable recent restoration; today, the town’s narrow winding lanes and historic landmarks appear much as they did more than three centuries ago. At the corner of Duke of Kent Street and Featherbed Alley is a working model of a 17th-century printing press in the St George’s Historical Society Museum. Also to be seen is the Bermuda National Trust Museum in the Globe Hotel, once an office for

Nearby is Fort St Catherine, built in 1614, the largest and one of the most fascinating of the island’s fortifications. At the very opposite tip of Bermuda, on the western side, is the Royal Naval Dockyard on Ireland Island North. Here you’ll find the six-acre Keep, the island’s largest fort and home of the Bermuda Maritime Museum. Back in the east end in Hamilton Parish is the Bermuda Aquarium, Museum and Zoo, which is located in Flatts Village, and the Crystal Caves of Bermuda, featuring two of the best-known caves, Crystal and Fantasy, made up of sprawling underground systems and crystalline tidal pools.

Bermuda’s most famous beaches lie along the island’s southern edge. Some of the most beautiful are at Chaplin, Horseshoe Bay, Stonehole and Warwick Long Bay. Snorkeling and scuba-diving are popular. Visibility underwater is often as much as 61m (200ft).

The Newport to Bermuda Ocean Yacht Race is also held bi-annually, in even-numbered years; this world-famous June Blue Water Classic (fondly referred to as the ‘Thrash to the Onion Patch’) attracts scores of the finest racing craft afloat. The week-long festivities, which follow the arrival of the boats, are held at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.

In August, the Non-Mariners Race is held. Sailboats and skippers are available for hire from ‘Sail Yourself’ charter agencies. Bermuda is one of the world’s finest fishing centres, especially for light-tackle fishing. The best fishing is from May to November, when trophies are awarded.

There are eight golf courses on the island, seven 18-hole courses, including the Mid-Ocean Club, which is world-renowned for its challenge and beauty, and Port Royal, 100 courts on the island, with a variety of surfaces. Most of the larger Bermuda hotels have their own courts, many of them floodlit for night play. Tournaments are held all year round and several are open to visitors.

Take a trip to Bermuda and enjoy the cozy nature of the environment and keep off stress. You will never regret venturing to this Caribbean nation of splendour.

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