One Race Down; Two to Go......

.....made the connection in Newark and the short flight to Bermuda was east, however we arrived to high winds, overcast skies and rain. There is a pretty large group of us with this tour company and I didn't know anybody from Iceland last summer. We had a reception at the hotel--more or less a "get to know each other" meeting and it seems like a good group.

I'm sharing a room to save expenses and my roommate didn't arrive until almost 11:00 last night. We're both saving about $600 by sharing. I had been up since 3:00 am that morning so I slept well. The hotel is over 100 years old so it is built in the old colonial style but is very nice.

Friday morning I got up, ate a light breakfast at the bakery in the hotel, and bought a two-day transit ticket and took a bus ride across Bermuda to the historical area known as St. George's--on the eastern tip. Bermuda is actually six large islands and a bunch of smaller ones, many of which are uninhabited. From end to end, the islands are only 22 miles and the roads are single-lane and very narrow. They use the British system of driving on the left and the speed limit is 20 mph everywhere--actually you can't drive much faster than that on these curvy roads. It's also very hilly here which will make for tough running. The bus service is excellent and very efficient.

From Hamilton, I took the bus to St. George's--about a one-hour ride. I walked about three miles out to the coast and the old Fort St. Catherine which had been built by the British and reinforced after our Civil War. Seems Britain and Bermuda sided with the Confederacy during the Civil War and, afterwards, the British were afraid of reprisal raids by the Union navy. Although the fort was never actually used in combat, it is a really interesting museum and part of the Bermuda National Trust

After walking back into St. George's, I spent a couple of hours wandering around the old historic district. This is the oldest section of Bermuda and was the British headquarters during the height of the colonial period and the British Empire. The buildings have been restored to their colonial styles and the harbor has a rebuilt sailing ship. I ate lunch at a British-style pub and just spent lazy time just wandering around. The weather was absolutely gorgeous--clear skies and warm with a light wind.


The water along the coast and in the harbor looks almost artificial--deep blue in some places and emerald green in others.

Bermuda was instrumental in the colonization of America--the shipwrecked survivors of the Sea Venture built the small ship here, named the Deliverance, to carry them to Virginia. The similarities of New England and Bermuda culture are everywhere--they have the public stocks for prisoners in the square and a "dunking" seat for drowning witches.

After catching a bus back to Hamilton, I walked around the central city and along the harbor side back to the hotel. The Hamilton Princess is an imposing building--painted pink as is the custom here to paint buildings in pastel colors.


At 3:30 I picked up my race packet here since the hotel is the official race headquarters. It was kind of chaotic but this isn't a large race so it didn't take too long. Got four running shirts as part of my registration.

The race took place in early evening and it was pouring rain. I was in the first wave of runners (obviously not based on my time) and we had to stand at the starting line in the pouring rain for 17 minutes before the race started. I finished and was pleased with my time; tomorrow comes the 10K (6.2 mile) in the morning.

So far, so good......