I visited the British isle of Bermuda last weekend. It really helped cure my case of winter doldrums! From a winter snow storm and 8-15 degree F weather, I found myself in 72 deg F and mostly sunny conditions with water warm enough to swim in (unlike ANYTIME in Maine the sea is frigid cold).
I got to swim laps in the ocean, go running along an old railroad bed (the crazy drivers will run you over on the streets), I explored some caves, went swimming in a cave with some friendly Canadians (eh?), got a professional massage and didn't even realize how much pent up stress was stored in my back and neck muscles.
The dinner at historic Tom Moore's Tavern was heavenly: a trio of scallops each prepared a different way, and rock-fish caught fresh in the ocean that day served over israeli couscous and sprinkled with baby three-leaf clovers. Two bottles of wine shared with three of us, and 4 glasses of beer each, those same Canadians got me nicely relaxed and I slept about 12 hours (my usual is 4-6).
The second day there I read books on the beach, sun-bathed, went for a run in a historic nature preserve, and napped with the BLUEST water I've ever seen just feet away from me.
Did I mention tea-time at 3:30pm every day? From 3:30 to 4:30 the resort served tea and cakes. What a lovely idea those Brits have! Tea and cakes. I think we should have tea and cakes. A nice break to the mid-afternoon and a nice way to curb one's hunger until dinner, the tea was a nice pick-me-up.
I came back to Maine and temp was in the 20's. Snow still over the ground and we were running an hour behind all day which usually stresses me out....today I didn't let it bother me. Why?
Well two days before I swam in a cave, had a massage, and got to have tea and cakes! Man, how cool is that?
I learned an important lesson at the tender age of 38 years old. Go on vacation every year, maybe twice a year!
and another thing I learned, the Brits have a nice way of life in Bermuda. God save the Queen! Oh really now? Okay I'm proud to be an American but maybe our forefathers pushed the Boston Tea Party thing a little too far...just sayin...if they had taken a moment to chill out and have tea and cakes, maybe they would not have destroyed all that fine Indian tea in Boston Harbor. And maybe today we'd be saying "Hallow mate!" instead of "hi buddy."
