Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Departure from Bermuda aboard Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
Sailaway from Bermuda from the helipad of Celebrity Summit
On the day we left Bermuda, we along with “several hundred of our closest friends” were invited to experience Sail Away from the helipad. It is the second time we got to do this, the previous time was on a cruise sailing from Barbados.
On most cruise ships, the helipad is off-limits to everyone but crew. A few of the larger ships do allow passengers on the helipad when conditions are safe. Someone always has to do the “Titanic” thing on the bow.
Generally though, sail away is by invitation only. I asked the Captain’s Club hostess how people were chosen, and she kinda answered that there was no magic formula and that the number was determined by the captain. But I do know that our past-passenger status with Celebrity – high but nowhere near the highest! – had to have helped. It was a fun time, I got a few photos and we had some free champagne-like wine. It is always a treat, and we enjoyed the experience!
National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Flag Pole. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Flag Pole. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Verandah of The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The Commissioners House. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Underwater archeology exhibit. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Exhibit of historical boats and nautica at The Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Clock mechanism at the Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Clock mechanism at the Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
Clock mechanism at the Boat Loft. National Museum of Bermuda, at the Royal Naval Dockyard
The National Museum of Bermuda explores the maritime and island history of Bermuda. The maritime museum is located within the grounds of the fortress keep of the former Royal Naval Dockyard.
The Commissioner’s House is used to display a number of exhibitions. The basement shows Bermuda’s Defence Heritage, a display about Bermuda’s defenses and fortifications since 1612, and the role of local forces in World War I and World War II (this is devoted only to the British aspect of Bermuda’s naval and military history, although there is a separate exhibit devoted to the United States bases). The pillared hall is site of a two-story History of Bermuda mural by the Bermudian artist Graham Foster. The main floor has a number of themes related to Bermuda’s history including slavery, immigration, and tourism. One room is dedicated to the history of the Bermuda Race. The upper floor contains collections of maps, books, coins, maritime art, and exhibits concerning activities of the Royal Navy and the US Forces, specifically during World War II. Other buildings show shipwreck artifacts, local watercraft, or are under renovation.
Other outbuildings house various exhibits. The Queen’s Exhibition Hall/1850 Ordnance House contained a display pertaining to underwater archeology. The building known as the Boat Loft contains historic local watercraft, a collection of vintage outboard motors, and a fascinating two-story clock mechanism.
Buildings surrounding the ‘Victualling Yard” at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Buildings surrounding the ‘Victualling Yard” at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Buildings surrounding the ‘Victualling Yard” at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Frog and Onion Pub and Restaurant. At Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Frog and Onion Pub and Restaurant. At Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Entrance to the Bermuda National Museum. Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Marina at Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Marina at Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda. The twin clock towers tell different times. One is the actual time, the other shows the time of the next high tide.
Lamp shadow. Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Can’t have a cruise ship port without a Diamonds International. Clock Tower Shopping Mall. Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Clock Tower Shopping Mall. Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
The twin clock towers tell different times. One is the actual time, the other shows the time of the next high tide.
The twin clock towers tell different times. One is the actual time, the other shows the time of the next high tide.
Team USA Americas Cup sailboat at the Bermuda Transportation Museum. Royal Naval Dockyard
Marina at Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Most cruise ships that visit Bermuda dock or tender at Royal Naval Dockyard, which sits at the very northwestern tip of the island. Originally established as a base for Britain’s Royal Navy, the Dockyard occupies a strategic location in the Atlantic and has played a role in many naval operations, including a key role in the War of 1812, when the British blockade of American ports was orchestrated from Bermuda.
Today the Dockyard is primarily a marina and shipping port, complete with a requisite shopping areas and restaurants, including the ubiquitous Diamonds International. The “shopping mall” was a disappointing collection of t-shirt shops and souvenir stands, a far cry from the high end shops on Front Street in Hamilton. We wasted too much time there, missing out on visiting the Bermuda Transport Museum as well as a potential lunch at a restaurant that one of our guides recommended. Next time!
Adjacent to the Dockyard is the National Museum of Bermuda, including the former Commissioner’s House which sits atop a hill overlooking the bay. I’ll detail that in another post as it is a destination unto itself.
Tazarri EV rental car at Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda
Ferry in St. Georges, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard in Bermuda
Ferry arriving in Hamilton, Bermuda
Marina at the Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Sailboat in Hamilton Harbor, Bermuda
Waterfront in downtown St. Georges, Bermuda
Waterfront in downtown St. Georges, Bermuda
Catamaran returning to Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Overserved? Royal Naval Dockyard, Bermuda
Here is a brief look at a few of the forms of transportation on the island of Bermuda.
Small cars are big in Bermuda. Buses only hold a dozen or so people. Even the garbage trucks are small. Much more practical cars than we have here in the states. Electric vehicles are also very popular – the island is so small that you don’t need to worry about range, and with the tiny cars they are easy to park. Just don’t bring a lot of luggage!
The guy in the wheelbarrow? No idea! He might have been injured, but more likely had overindulged on Dark & Stormys. 😉
Fairmont Hamilton Princess and Beach Club in Hamilton, Bermuda
Bermi EV rental car in Hamilton, Bermuda
Gosling Brothers liquor store in Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton, Bermuda
Downtown Hamilton, Bermuda
Picture of Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton on an advertisement in a shop window in Hamilton, Bermuda
Sign at a book store in Hamilton, Bermuda
Hallway between buildings along Front Street. Hamilton, Bermuda
Hallway between buildings along Front Street. Hamilton, Bermuda
Lots of scooters. Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton, Bermuda
City Hall and Arts Center in Hamilton, Bermuda
Hamilton, Bermuda
Sailboat in Hamilton Harbor, Bermuda
Ferry arriving in Hamilton Harbour, Bermuda
Our cruise ship docked in Bermuda at the Royal Naval Dockyard, which is located on the northwest side of the island. We were there for essentially three days – from 8am on Wednesday until 4pm on Friday. The ship acted as our hotel – we could come and go as we pleased. No having to be back on board at a given time at night. As long as we made it back to the ship on Friday afternoon we were good! In fact, if we had friends there or otherwise wanted to stay at a hotel or a resort on the island we could have done that. Of course Kathy & I returned to the ship each night. Why, when we already had a place to sleep? 😉
We booked a tour on the first day that took us around the west side of the island and included the capital of Hamilton. Hamilton is a busy little town, with a Front Street full of shops and restaurants, and the side and back streets occupied by the offices of multinational insurance and banking companies that take advantage of favorable legal and tax regulations. We spent a short time walking around the town, mostly ducking into shops to take advantage of the air conditioning – it was hot!
Our tour took us back to the ship in the early afternoon. We had a dinner reservation back in town that evening, so returned via ferry from the Dockyard to downtown Hamilton.
These photos are specifically from Hamilton, and I’ll do a series of posts from some of the other locations we visited. We did another tour on our second day, and spent the third day exploring the Dockyard. I’ve got photos from those days, too! Should provide plenty of material for a while. 🙂
I’ve been feeling incredibly lazy and uninspired lately. Must be the heat. I thought I would break the posting drought with a few more photos from our last outing. We’ve got a couple more things planned over the next few weeks, hopefully to cooler and photogenic places.
Working harder than me – construction crew in CharlotteThe Atrium at Two Wells Fargo CenterFin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteFin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteThe bar at Fin and Fino Restaurant in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteDuke Energy Center building in CharlotteBuildings in CharlotteSometimes you just need it.NOT the oblisk from 2001: A Space Odyssey
Cloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in Charlotte
More from our walking around town a few weekends ago. Perhaps channeling Kirk Tuck here with the pointy-uppy building shots. The clouds were pretty nice that morning.
Cloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in CharlotteCloud reflections in the Lendingtree Building in Charlotte
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
One of the items on our agenda for our time in Charlotte was a photography show titled ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. (link)
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
Schwarzenbach was a Swiss writer, journalist and photographer with an interesting history. Her lifestyle would probably fit in pretty well today, but between that and her anti-Fascist campaigning made her an outcast forced her into exile. As a result she spent much of her time traveling the world, writing and photographing. Her work as a journalist, coupled with her upper-class background and her status as the wife of French diplomat Claude Clarac granted her extraordinary freedom of travel for the period.
Photography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlottePhotography exhibition ‘Annemarie Schwarzenbach: Departure without Destination’ at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
The Bechtler exhibit represents work from her travels throughout the world, including the southeastern US in 1936-1938 and features archival material, film, and 200 photographs drawn from the approximately 7,000 photographs in the Schwarzenbach’s estate, which is held in the Swiss Literary Archives in Bern, Switzerland.
“I only ask myself – and every day it becomes more urgent – if people actually realize the significance of what is taking place – namely, that not only a hateful tendency is gaining the upper hand here but also that an entire people, and in spite of it all a highly telented one that cannot be erased from the history of Eurorpean culture – is committed to this path […] for years to come. […] Oppositiion would not take the form of escape or renunciation […], but rather the cultivation of the intellectual and spiritual values in which one believes, until a better hour.” Letter from Annemarie Schwarzenbach to Klaus Mann, April 8, 1933
I had never heard of Schwarzenbach before learning about this show, and found it to a fascinating look at the world of her time. The show runs through 7/31/22.
Bechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in CharlotteBechtler Museum of Modern Art in Charlotte
