#outhere Pt. 2 – Bermuda beaches and facts

Sorry peeps, after part 1 I was somehow trying to limit the number of photos for this post but I simply CAN’T – this island is just too beautiful! As a result this is probably my photo-heaviest post so far (44 pics – whoops) but I promise I did my best to not even spam you more 😛 Caution – if you’re suffering severe wanderlust and beach cravings already, continue on your own risk 😉 I also added a few Bermuda facts at the end of this post!

Anyways, most photos were taken on the day where we rented a scooter and explored some of Bermuda’s most charming and stunning attractions: First we hit the roads towards East until the very end, where the historic town of St. George’s is located…

Churches (including St. Peter’s, Bermuda’s oldest church dating back to 1612) and white houses are typical for that little town, and for a moment I felt like being on a Greek island instead on British territory… St. George’s also is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Probably the best meal of all Bermuda we had at Wahoo’s: Poké and a platter of Bermuda fish with coleslaw and fried rice – mmm…

Fort St. Catherine, a big fort where we also found nice beaches and amazing ocean views with the most beautiful shades of blue I’ve ever seen…

The water was still friggin’ cold (maybe 20 °C or less) but I managed to get in somehow… You can’t go on a beach vacation without getting wet right? We found the most swimming-friendly place at Tobacco Bay, which is well protected from the open waters and feels like a giant pool. This little spot in the water is me, but there were others swimmers too (which I cropped out successfully 😉 )

Bermuda is even pretty underground: A visit to the Crystal & Fantasy Caves shows some impressive limestone formations and an underground lake!

Our last stop that day was Bermuda’s signature beach: Horseshoe Bay (being voted among the most beautiful beaches in the world by several travel magazines)! The sun was almost setting, so all the vivid colours of the sea came out nicely. There are little coves at the edges of the beach – so pretty!

Due to a wide climatic range from temperate to tropical, you’ll find gorgeous flowers and plants anywhere. Basically the whole island is a huge garden!

Almost at our doorsteps we had another postcard-perfect beach and it was totally empty! Aside from ourselves we only found a few washed up Portuguese man-of-war – interesting but dangerous creatures! I guess that’s why we didn’t see anyone swimming (and due to undercurrents…) >_<

Did you notice that the sand has a very unique colour? Bermuda is famous for its pink sand beaches and although it’s not very visible on my photos, you can clearly see it when you take a closer look (like on the photo with the mini-Portuguese man-of-war). The sand is some of the softest and purest I’ve ever seen – no seashells, no corals but most amazingly not a single piece of trash. I haven’t seen any trash on the whole island btw…

Before we left back to NY we had a last great meal at Swizzle Inn, another Bermuda institution: Shrimp and Escargot and a massive fish sandwich 🙂

At last I collected a few interesting and useful facts about Bermuda:

-Bermuda is actually not one but many islands, but the main islands are connected through bridges and dams. It’s British overseas territory but has its own parliament and is mostly self-governed.
-On some photos you might have noticed that every house has the same white roof: This is used to collect rain water which is the only water supply on Bermuda. Read here how this system works!
-Tourists can not rent cars on Bermuda due to the little capacity of the roads. Instead taxis, bicycles and scooters are the only way to get around independently. However there is a pretty straightforward bus system which covers all relevant places.
-The coral reefs around Bermuda are one of the northernmost in the world. You could also say Bermuda is the northernmost “tropical island”. But that also means it gets quite chilly during winter…
-The number of churches per capita is among the highest in the world. And it’s true, there are LOTS of churches!
-The majority of Bermuda’s population is black but there’s a diverse mix of different ancestries (British, Portuguese etc).
-Bermuda is a tax haven and enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
-In reverse, Bermuda is also known of being one of the most expensive places: Recently Numbeo has declared Bermuda as the country with the highest cost of living (2016). Yes I can confirm that – it’s very expensive!

What do you think? What were the places you were blown away by its beauty?