Almost Over

Thursday  8th of July...   9AM, We are all off on  a five hour tour of the island.  It covered the entire length of the island and included a view of Bermuda's famous pink sand beaches.  The sand isn't really pink, but has some pink flakes in it, giving off a pinkish hue.  We stopped at the Gibbs lighthouse, Botanical Gardens and the Dockyard.  The dockyard was a military outpost in 1812, and was closed in 1951 when the US established a military presence 9on the island through its creation of two bases.  Since then, the 7 acre site has been renovated to accommodate museums, movie theatre, restaurants and shops.  We also saw the worlds smallest drawbridge.  It open just about 2 feet, just enough room for the mast of sail boats to get through.   We ended our day at the 50's Roick & Roll Sox Hop, just up our alley.   Friday....We are all so sad that this  our last day in Bermuda.  We must be back on the ship by 11:30AM.  Everyone scatters a different way, to the beach, shopping, or a horse-drawn carriage ride through the quaint streets.   It's our final hour to gather facts about  Bermuda and store away these memories forever.  We learn that there are only 5 or 6 wooden houses on the island, that there are strict rules haveing cement white roofs for water collection, that each family can only have one car, doctors can have two, there are only two gas stations here, Esso and Shell, both getting $5 a gallon.   The one thing that brightens our departure day is that tonight at the midnight hour there will be a "Chocoholic Buffet".   Saturday   10th...   The Chocolate buffet was attended by everyone on board.   It was held in one of the restaurants, so it moved along quickly.   Over 800 pounds of chocolate were eaten or in some cases inhaled!  They had made all kinds of  things of chocolate, whipped cream, sugar, cakes, fruit, candy.  It was a sugar high.    Saturday, reality began to sink in that we would be home when we woke up.  Boo hoo.   It was an awesome week with good friends and the staff on the Norwegian Cruise Line could not have been any better.  We received wonderful service in every area and could not think of one thing that they could improve on.     Our friends Steven and Sue and their children have rebooked their trip for Sept. and Carol and Mike who went with us, and are Steven's parents,  are going back with them.  Good for them.