Category: Island
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 7 (Architectural Details)
I thought I would take the discussion in a more lighthearted direction by focusing on a few architectural details I noticed. Examples reflecting local culture, customs and tastes could be found on contemporary buildings all across Bermuda. Pastels Pastels appeared everywhere. Seemingly every building featured those characteristic soft pale hues. Walk down any street and…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 6 (Forts )
Longtime readers of Twelve Mile Circle know that I love my forts, fortresses and fortifications. So I really loved Bermuda, a place practically custom-designed by Great Britain to be one giant fort. Its strategic placement and and heavy militarization led to its nickname the “Gibraltar of the West.” Maybe I should have included it in…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 5 (St. George )
We spent our first three days in and around the Town of St. George and the surrounding parish of the same name. Bermuda didn’t have many actual towns per se. Hamilton seemed more like a small city. On the other hand, St. George actually felt like a town. Everywhere else just sort of sprawled across…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 4 (Bermuda Railway Trail )
The Bermuda Railway Trail surprised me in a pleasing way. I saw it on a map before I arrived and I thought it sounded interesting. Actually, it far exceeded my expectations, becoming one of the most memorable parts of my visit. A Little Context Residents and tourists alike used horsepower or their own feet to…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 3 (The Outsider )
As a complete outsider, I didn’t know exactly what to expect when we landed at L. F. Wade Airport on the far eastern end of the archipelago. Sure, I’d thumbed through the guides and scoured the Intertubes although that never truly compares to being there on the ground. I tried to avoid being overly touristy.…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 2 (Shoreline Scenery )
Shorelines defined Bermuda, with no single spot on the archipelago more than a half-mile away from water. Throw in a bunch of hills and it seemed almost impossible to find a place without a spectacular view. This amazing scenery seemed like a fitting topic for the second article in this series now that I’ve gotten…
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Bermuda Shorts, Part 1 (Follow the Leader)
I’d never seen Bermuda. It simply never rose to the top of my travel list. I never thought much about it actually. I wanted to see so many other places. Nonetheless, the opportunity dropped into my lap so I took it. My wife the runner who worked for a race company went there on business.…
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Atlantic Puffins in Maine
Muscongus Bay, Knox Co., Maine (August 2009) We left out of Port Clyde on an afternoon excursion to see an Atlantic Puffin colony. They live on nearby Eastern Egg Rock, a 7-acre island on the outer edge of Muscongus Bay (map). Puffins disappeared from the Eastern Coast of the United States for a long time.…
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McIlhenny Co.’s Tabasco® Factory
Iberia Parish, Louisiana, USA (March 2007) Tabasco peppers grow commercially in several places including Louisiana, Central America and South America, but the bottling of the famous Tabasco® Sauce traces to only one location: Avery Island, deep in the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun country (map) Making the Sauce This sign welcomes visitors to the McIlhenny Company’s…
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The Jungle Gardens of Avery Island
Iberia Parish, Louisiana, USA (March 2007) The Jungle Gardens cover more than 250 lushly landscaped acres on Louisiana’s Avery Island (map). It is part of the McIlhenny property where the world-famous Tabasco® Sauce originates, and is open to the public for a modest fee. The gardens arose from the visionary efforts of Edward Avery McIlhenny…