Market Friday: Bermuda's Hidden Charms

over 2 years ago

Hidden charms. Every place has them, and sometimes it is up to you to discover them, there are times you must uncover them. There are times you don't even know what you are looking for, but, the moment you see it, you will know its name. The ordinary reveals the charms of old. Take your time to explore, slow down and breathe deep. We've only just begun. Welcome to #MarketFriday, where we take a few moments and give it to Bermuda. We have time, there are no agendas and we will be late for nothing. We are currently at Horeshoe beach, one of my favorite stretches of sea and sand. Slow down, you are moving too fast.

First a little sun and shine. Always. Vitamin D, if you must be specific. See the man on top of the rocks? Yes. The charm of the view from there. I have to admit, you can see forever from up there. Perhaps a little bit further. Three days was all I could spare, but, enough for me to be grateful for the time and a place with such beauty. Always be grateful, no matter how big or how small. The beaches of Bermuda are free, all of them. They are all public nd so they pass that on to the tourists. The most you get charged is for the taxi to get there, unless you take the bus. I love taking public transportation, either the water taxi or bus. It is always more colorful with different people. It's a cultural thing. I like to jump right in and make it my country.

Today is #MarketFriday initiated by @dswigle (Denise, that's me!!) Join me as we share our markets across the globe. I always look forward to seeing what you send me! It is amazing to see the different markets and cultures of our friends here on Hive.

Above is the Royal Navy Dockyards. If you come to Bermuda by cruise ship, you will most likely tender here. It is a perfect place to park all the ships. I came by plane, so I flew into the capital, Hamilton. It is the commercial hub for the island and the center of the shipping trade. If I want a parade, street fair or any kind of excitemnt, I jump the water taxi from the Shipyard and it takes me right downtown Bermuda. It is 23.5 km or 37 minutes by water taxi/ferry. Above is Oracle USA! Those were fun days!

Downtown Hamilton is where all the street fairs, parties and events happen. I went into crystal cave to check out their stalagtites and stalagmites. Have you ever been in a cave like this? The cave is approximately 500 meters long, and 62 meters deep. The lower 19–20 m of the cave are below water level. Giant pools of water.

Crystal and Fantasy Cave, 8 Crystal Caves Road, Hamilton Parish CR 04, Bermuda

This is at the bottom of the cave and you can clearly see the large pools of water at the bottom.I was surprised at the number of stalagtites and stalagmites that were broken off. I thought it was a lot of money for the small cave, however there are so many free things in Bermuda, I was fine with paying it.

This is Victoria Park, a public park in the capital of Hamilton. It is frequently used as an entertainment venue, holding free concerts and other events here. It is a beautiful park and no matter what time of the year I go, it is planted with seasonal beauty.

Queen Street, Hamilton! I went in search of the post office, just so I could mail off my postcards. Don't judge. Anyone who knows me understands my need to send postcard to those that never get away. They still love to travel through postcards, enjoying the differnt ones I send. It's cheap fun and always appreciated, so, yes, I am probably the only one in the world who sends postcards. I am good with that. The cost is $0.70 cents to send a postcard to the US. As a note, if I want to send one to Bermuda from the US, it is $1.20.

This was such a fun bookstore, it had bood from all over the world and chairs in corners with table to put your cuppa. Such a perfect world. Now this is a hidden treasure to me. Bookstores like this are disappearing, little by little. I still have a few favorites, this being one of them. :)) The owners are so amazing. If you sit there for two hours or ten, they never make you feel like you are overstaying your welcome. Le sigh. I love this place.

I can never get enough of the gentle calm that washes over my body while I am here. It may be a country away from my own, but, it feels like home. All is calm, all is right.

The street art is fun and all of the public restrooms are covered in murals. Happy, yes? Nothing that will set off the art world, but, it is pleasant to look at. Great job, Bermuda! Way to pretty up the place.

Bermuda is a pleasant place to spend some time. The people are nice, the crime is moderate to low, with the rise coming in the last three years, which was affected by no tourism and covid. I am pretty sure it is much the same with the rest of the world, but, this surprised me as it was so insulated with no crime. I guess it isn't bulletproof after all. Her is hoping that our world will get back on track soon. We all need it to happen.

Once part of a British Royal Navy outpost, Bermuda's Clocktower Mall is now one of the island's retail destinations. It still has so much of its old world charm and even has cobblestoned floors throughout the mall.

Please leave the link to your post here so it can easily be found by others. It helps you and me to have them in one place. Where else can you take such a quick trip around the globe? Thank you so much for joining us!! ❤

Above: This is how the pink sand on the beaches gets made. A hidden charm for sure!! Pink sand beaches get their color from thousands of broken coral pieces, shells, and calcium carbonate materials left behind by foraminifera (tiny sea creatures with red and pink shells) that live in nearby coral reefs.source

And just like that, this post is done. I hope you had a good time and learned a little something new. As always, I want to thank you for taking the time to visit, and just remember, #MarketFriday loves you! Thank you for supporting the challenge! Have a most fabulous day! Cheers!!

As always, there must be flowers to color my world. #alwaysaflower

Hidden charms. They are there. Probably right in your own back yard too. I have some in mine back home. I wouldn't object if you shared some of your hidden charms with us.Only if you wish. :) Thank you for taking the time to read today. ❤️

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Fridays are all about the #MarketFriday Challenge! Looking to take part in it? Here is how:

Rules of the Road to Join #MarketFriday!

Go to the market, or anywhere that you pay money for a service.
Take pictures! Be creative!
Tell us a little bit about the market or the event. What brought you there? What did you buy? How much did it cost? Was it expensive? Did it go up or down? I need something other than 50 pictures of the market.
Post the pictures. Of course, you should tell a little bit about the ones you post, it is too difficult to guess on some
Use the MarketFriday Community Platform to post (#hive-196308) This is not required but appreciated.
PLEASE Drop the link into the MarketFriday comment section so I can find it!!
Following me and reblogging the post would be appreciated, but not a rule, more vision for more views on the #MarketFriday posts!
You must put #MarketFriday by @dswigle somewhere on your post.