Bermuda Paradise - St . George's
(July 31, 2003)
At the northeastern tip of the island is St George's, Bermuda's original capital until 1815. As my ship the M/S Seven Seas Navigator sailed through Town Cut, the only navigable entrance into St . George's Harbor, we were greeted at Gates Fort by a town crier and cannon blast.
This is the one 'can't miss' spot on the island. The town traces its beginnings to 1610, when the crew of the Deliverance was shipwrecked off Bermuda en route to bringing supplies to the settlers of Jamestown, Virginia. Recently, St . George's became one of the 'wonders of the world' after taking its place among the elite as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The town has the distinction of being the oldest continuously inhabited town of English origin in the Western Hemisphere.
The heart of the town is King's Square where there is a replica of the Deliverance. For fun, there are "ducking stools" that were used in the early days to punish "nags and gossips." Entertaining reenactments complete with a fake town crier resplendent in royal blue and red uniform are held daily at noon.
With restored historic properties, narrow alleyways, and walled gardens, St . George's is like taking a walk back in time. The State House, built between 1620 and 1621, is the oldest building in Bermuda, and was home to the original parliament. In Somers Garden there is a memorial to Sir George Somers who claimed the island for the British. When he died he wanted his heart to stay here, and so it has. His body (sans heart) was sent back to England, preserved in a barrel of alcohol.
Also worth a visit in St George's, is the Bermuda National Trust Museum, along with Tucker House, an 18th-century merchants' house on Water Street, St . Peter's Church, one of the oldest Anglican churches in the Western hemisphere, dating back to 1612 has an amazing interior and is still lit by candle chandeliers.
A few minutes from the town center is Fort St . Catherine, built in 1612 and restored in the 1820s. Bermuda is a military historian's dream destination because of its location it had significant strategic military importance. There are more cannon, ramparts, gun positions and forts here per square mile than anywhere in the world.
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