Kiwis and Fairy Bread

19 May 2026

When in Bermuda, go to the beach. Today we would go to our favorite beaches, right here in St. George’s. Packing a beach bag and lunch, we headed out, stopping first at Rugged Rental to reserve a Gem for tomorrow. With this little two seater electric car, we would be able to freely explore more of the island. The staff was really nice and the clerk, Kiera even had the same tiny figure on her desk that I had in my purse.

Got on the bus heading to the east side of St Georges. “Are you sure you want to go this way?” Is a question we heard each time we got on at this stop, from bus riders and drivers alike. Bermudians are very helpful and just want to make sure that we tourists don’t go the wrong way. A few minutes into the ride they realize we really do know the area and chat with us like neighbors.

Getting off at the bus stop near the primary school I smiled at three kindergartners on a slide. They were dressed in school uniforms and had identical royal blue sun hats. They were having a great time. A few blocks later we passed a cemetery where half a dozen 5th graders sat on the thick stone wall drawing pictures with their teacher. We said hello and asked if they would go swimming after school. “Nah. Too cold” one of the boys answered.

Now this is one of the traits of Bermudians: with few exceptions, swimming in the ocean is simply not done until Bermuda Day (this coming Friday).

Walking along the cliff side road we passed an important landmark: the rustic memorial to The Sea Venture. It is here, in 1609 that a ship, part of a convoy of three sailing to Jamestown to supposedly save it, got caught in a storm and wrecked on the reefs. The passengers and crew landed on this beach, recovered, rebuilt, realized the strategic and economic potential of these uninhabited islands, and claimed The Bermudas for England. ( and then, according the legend, inspired William Shakespeare to write The Tempest.)

Traveling along with us today’s were the long tails.

These beautiful birds with trailing tails positively dance in the sky. For some reason we have been unable to learn, they often fly in threes and rarely touch land or sea. They look to Mike and I as though they just love flying. Apparently they do actually catch fish and tend their nests, though we have never seen them any place but in the air.

When we first went to St Catherine’s Beach ten years ago, we felt it was the most beautiful beach in the world. Anchored by a centuries old fort on one end, a crumbling pier in the other and lined with palm trees and an overgrown hill, it was a popular spot for the locals. Now a luxury hotel dominates the beach rising up 4 stories. There is a fancy restaurant and bar, two pools, cabanas and staff who hand out towels.

One of those towel hander-outers looked at us suspiciously as we crossed, entered her sphere on our way to the more public side of the beach. “Are you hikers?” She asked. Humbly we pointed to the base of the fort and got out of her way.

At last we were back. Ahh, beach. But the water and beach were littered with garbage churned up from the recent storm and I didn’t want to swim in it. Still, it felt good to bake in the Bermuda sun at last.

Mike was after a perfect shot of the long tails and thought that maybe he could get it from the fort. But there is a fee to get in and we have never wanted to pay it. Still, couldn’t hurt to walk up to the parking lot. And then into the entrance. And around the corner to the western turret. There’s a great view of Tobacco Bay and beyond that, the cruise ships at the dock yard,. You can literally see the entire country end to end. And no one stopped us. So we went further and further until we explored almost the entire fort.

I found it creepy. Huge cannons. Gray sandstone and concrete. It was hot. Ugly. And apparently deathly too. Thousands stationed there died of yellow fever until in 1880 when someone realized that isolating the sick might protect the rest of the troops. But Mike got some great pics.

A short walk would take us to another favorite spot: Tobacco Bay. Along the way a gentleman called us over to see the blue parrot fish swimming in his pond. He had just inherited what had been a crumbling apartment building. We complimented him on the way he had fixed it up (we had often passed it in previous years). As we were enjoying our conversation I swatted at bite on my ankle and realized I was standing in a field of bees. BYE!

Arriving at Tobacco Bay where the place was under new management. Instead of the rustic deck, fading lounge chairs and cheap snack bar it was now crowded, loud and expensive, Rental for two chairs and an umbrella was a whopping $70.00! Vans filled with cruise tourists drove in and out. Loud music played. And sadly, the humorous signs pointing to A Beautiful dead end” (it is!) and “salt water foot wash” (the ocean) were gone. After finding a small patch of shade, we hydrated and headed back into town.

The walk is a familiar one to us. And we couldn’t resist passing by The Loft, which had been our rental on our previous three trips. A woman was coming out of it and we got to chatting. And then the things she had said sounded very familiar to me. I realized we have met before, when on our last trip she was staying in the cottage behind The Loft. Joan kindly invited us to a party she was having this Sunday. As we are flying out that day, we regretfully declined.

The town square was hopping. Vendors, music, locals complaining about tourists, tourists trying to find their way. And there were more bees. They were after my lunch. Bye!

Now there was one shop I really wanted to go to. Salt + Spray Soap Company makes this unique and wonderful Vanilla Lavender Body Butter and a soap the color of the Bermuda waters. Inside I did not see either. But I did see someone familiar.

“Are you Genelle’s daughter?” I asked “Yes.” “We have met before. You were in the haunted ghost tour playing a slave that was supposed to have been freed. ‘Where’s my letter?!’ You had moaned over and over again. What is your name again?”

“India”. She was surprised and a little embarrassed that I had remembered her performance so well. Mike showed her a photo of her as a ghost. It made her laugh. Her mother Genelle was in Canada. She ran the shop now. “Please tell your mom Ellen & Mike say hello! I’ll be back to shop another day”

Home for a shower and a nap during the heat of the day and back to Tobacco Bay for the sunset.

This is our favorite place for the sunset. The tourists and the staff were gone, the place locked up. Local mothers and their kids were there for a swim. A group of snorkelers with flashlights looked for tropical fish. It was quiet, relaxing, lovely.

We spoke to Laura from Venezuela, who lives in an apartment on this road and works at the St Regis cleaning the rooms. Her two children attend school here, She works so hard she has never seen the sunrise from St Catherine’s. I hope that one day she does.

A walk and a bus ride home. The crescent moon is a blinding white smile and still chasing Venus.

It’s been a Bermudaful day!