A few days off island.....

I find myself in Bermuda this week - attending a wedding (one to be definitely remembered!) and memories of our life here have flooded back. It is wonderful to see the white roofs, beautiful beaches and stunning views, but gosh! it is SO much busier than the beautiful Turks and Caicos Islands.

Living here as young teachers, in the late 70s and early 80s, we enjoyed a time when traffic lights were initially installed and we were footloose and fancy free. Elbow Beach offered sumptious brunches, Front Street enjoyed billions of tourists pouring from the cruise ships and Forty Thieves was hot hot hot.

There are strong links with Turks and Caicos, as in earlier times Bermudians developed the Salt Trade in TCI and many families invested in land and properties over the years. These strong links continue and as we chat to friends and associates, who follow events in TCI closely.

Sitting here in Southampton Parish, overlooking the Great Sound, I see in the distance two huge floating blocks of apartments, (known as Cruise Ships!) that are moored in the beautifully restored Naval Dockyard, where these super ships now are obliged to moor due to size restrictions to Hamilton Harbour. Front Street in Hamilton no longer has Trimminghams nor the Bermuda Railway Company (you those that know, you can tell its some time since I visited last!). This link is worth a look - it show the real railway in action...

We dropped off our children (no longer children now) at the airport this morning, as they depart for their homes in New York and the UK and we return to our idyllic life in TCI at the end of the week.
The heavens opened ensuring that cisterns tanks are topped up with fresh rainwater, a stable diet here still for many households. A brief drive round beautiful St Georges rekindled our time as film "extras" when the streets were turned into a Hollywood set for "Chapter Two," starring Marsha Mason and James Caan - one of many films shot here over the years. (Spot us walking across the road!).........

The excellent Royal Gazette newspaper continues to be essential reading and a must at the breakfast table. Unfortunately we were unable to enjoy breakfast overlooking the harbour. at Pinks, which is no longer in business. Hopefully our papers can continue to grow and evolve to such a high standard and we can get a daily read across the islands.

Talking to chums here who are in Real Estate, there is no Multiple Lisitng System (MLS), usually found in the US and in TCI and a bit of mystery to the average Brit. This means that most Real Estate Agents here in Bermuda, are inclinded to promote their own listings (in the main) and the seller does not have the advantage of many other agents in TCREA promoting their properties as a matter of course. Our Turks and Caicos Real Estate Association (TCREA) actively enables ALL agents the opportunity to sell a listing, so we are able to offer our clients the widest possible marketing opportunity.

Another interesting point is that there are two specific markets here in Bermuda, one local and one for overseas clients. There is very little inventory available to non-Bermudians. and what is available, is very much at the top end of the price range. Happily this is not the case in TCI, where investors are welcomed and there has been recent legislation promoting a residency qualitification (without the right to work) for those investors who purchase property over $500k. This is great news for all.

All in all it has been a great week, and really interesting to experience another British Overseas Territory in action. Tonight there is "Beating the Retreat" in St Georges, a monthly celebration of Bermuda's Heritage - which Bermuda activly promotes for tourism purposes - switching between Hamilton and St Georges.