Letter: Bermuda's friendliness has inspired us

FRIDAY, AUGUST 26: Dear Sir,

When my wife and I planned to take our honeymoon in Bermuda, we anticipated beautiful beaches, sunny skies, outstanding snorkeling, and a wide range of amazing restaurants.  What we didn’t anticipate was how friendly and kind so many Bermudians would be to us.

Upon our arrival, we felt as though we were royalty as our driver, Bobby, waited at the arrivals area with a card listing our name.  He took interest in our arrival in Bermuda and gave us some wonderful history about the island.  He shared stories about the time he spent in the states, as well as his life in Bermuda.

When we arrived at our first accommodation we quickly unpacked our things and made our way to the bus stop towards Hamilton for dinner.

Simple pleasures

A gentleman riding his bike at a slow pace stopped to talk. He said his name was Reilly, and that he loved his life in Bermuda. He spoke of fishing and other simple pleasures that only a person raised in Bermuda could know. We told Reilly of our marriage several days earlier to which he exclaimed “It’s a happy day!”  Little did we know how many happy days were to come on our idyllic honeymoon.

Throughout our stay, friendly faces greeted us at grocery stores, the laundromat, and along many roadsides where I stopped our scooter so my wife Lindsay and I could ask directions to our next destination.  One day, we walked through a beckoning moon gate which we hoped would bring good luck in our wedded life to come.  We felt the warmth and kindness that only Bermuda could offer as we walked through the structure of limestone built with loving precision by some unknown mason.

While snorkeling at Church Bay, we realized how even the fish of Bermuda are friendly and inviting to visitors. Colourful parrotfish, blue tangs, butterfly fish, and even a large snapper swam playfully around us to allow us to inspect them and be awestruck of their beauty.

After our wonderful stay on the island, Lindsay and I waited in line to board our connecting flight in Atlanta, Georgia to our home in Columbus, Ohio. A man worked to push his way in front of us. While my instinct was to block his path to maintain our place in the cue, I was reminded of the many kind people I had met in Bermuda and decided to “be a little more Bermudian.” I let the man go ahead of us with a smile and a nod.

Lindsay and my memories of the friendly faces we encountered in Bermuda will last a lifetime, and we hope to soon be reunited with the many Bermudians we met whom we now consider friends.

Rob Ryder

Worthington, Ohio, US