By:Marcia Abramson
Locked in my memory are the World Trade Center buildings standing tall in the New York skyline. It was only two weeks ago that I had been one of the passengers who went on deck of the Celebrity Zenith Cruise Ship to catch a final view of the Statue of Liberty. As we approached Lady Liberty we passed the stately trade center twin towers, built in 1973. They were described as New York's twin-limbed Colossus of Rhodes and an emblem to resolve to come out of the recession facing our country in the 70s. David Dunlap of the New York Times compared the 110-story World Trade Center as more than New York's anchor in the clouds and lamented that it only remained the tallest building in the world for one month, to be surpassed by the Sears Tower in Chicago. Unfortunately one day after my return from Bermuda, our skyline was devastated by an horrific act of terrorism resulting in the deaths of thousands of innocent victims and brave volunteers Not only has our skyline has changed but our national security has been threatened
I was sailing to Bermuda for the Annual Conference of the Society of American Travel Writers with a pre-conference cruise before registering at the Canadian Pacific Fairmont Southampton Princess Hotel. A few decades have passed since my first visit to Bermuda with my pre-teen aged daughter, Jill. We had cruised on the Princess Cruise Line's Love Boat. It was a delightful seven days with three spent sailing and four days in port at Hamilton with planned activities for mother and daughter.
After all these years, Bermuda has not changed much at all. The police man is still in his bird cage directing traffic on Front Street in Hamilton. The political parties may have changed, but it is still a Royal British colony with a governor appointed by Queen Elizabeth and with the Premier, the Honorable Jennifer Smith and the other Ministers are elected by popular The Honorable David Allen commands a wealth of knowledge about Bermuda' its discoverer, Juan de Bermudez, Columbus' Spanish navigator in 1503, and its relationship with the United States. "Bermuda has played a big role in the history of the United States and the United States a big role in Bermuda. We went on to shipbuilding and we went on to privateering, a sort of gentlemen's form of piracy, and we went on to blockade running. We shipped guns to George Washington We have a little note from him, hand-written by him, in our archives, thanking us for our help" according to Minister David Allen. He continued, "We went on, it has to be said running guns and cotton during the American Civil War".
Another interesting anecdote related to former First Lay Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy when she was refurbishing the White House with antiques. She learned many of the original furnishings were taken by the British to their headquarters in Bermuda during the War of 1812. (That was when the President's mansion was burned down. It was restored and painted white, thus, it became known as the White House). Her note requesting the return of these items is in the archives at the Bermuda Museum. Minister Allen also informed us that her request was denied. If you want to see her note and the items involved, a visit to the Museum should be on your itinerary when visiting this sunny island.
The weather was ideal until my visit to the Minister's House in the royal Naval Dockyard when the clouds rolled in and the winds blew up the tropical storm Erin. It quickly became a class 2 Hurricane with Bermuda in the eye of the storm. When we returned to the Southampton Princess, all the television stations featured Premier Jennifer Smith declaring a Tropical Storm Warning. She advised, " The Airports are closed, and no airlines were flying planes in for arrivals and departures. There is no public transportation and nobody should attempt to drive or plan to spend any time outdoors."It became apparent to me that my departure was to be delayed while I waited out the storm.
The Fairmont Southampton Princess slipped the following precautionary advice under my door:
..The major damage in a storm is from flying objects, thus, all balcony furniture will be secured.
. Please make sure that your sliding door is securely closed and that drapes are drawn shut.
. Please do not attempt to open your balcony door or drapes
. Please do not sit, stand or walk near the glass doors or entrances of the hotel.
. Please do not leave the building during the storm.
. There are candles in each room for use in case of power failure (your own flash light is a must)
The best bit of advice as the winds roared was, "please do not be unduly concerned-Bermuda has experienced hurricane alerts before and more often than not, the hurricane alters course. This is what happened to me in the "eye of the storm" as I spent an unplanned stormy day in Bermuda only to return to the horrors the next day, September 11th, a day never to be forgotten in American history. My next column will deal with the better things to do in Bermuda.
Copyright by Marcia Abramson
I can also be reached at e-mail: mascribe@aol.com
