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Four Souvenirs of Bermuda That Aren't Bermuda Shorts

Bermuda's Clocktower Mall

The island of Bermuda may be a British protectorate, but trust that it has a culture all its own. You could be obvious and come back from your trip to the island with a pair of Bermuda shorts and a massive rum cake, but you’re better off investing in one of these goodies:

Gosling's Rum
Bermuda’s most famous non-shorts export is Gosling's Rum, which has been on the island – and in the family – for eight generations. If you take a tour of the brand’s distillery/store in downtown Hamilton, you can taste some of the different blends. Our favorite is the Bermuda Gold Liqueur, made from a local fruit called loquats that have a plummy taste. They also sell pre-mixed rum swizzles, the drink of choice for Bermudians. Choose wisely, though: the duty-free limit is one bottle of booze per person. Many Gosling's products are not sold off-island, so be sure to ask if you're having trouble deciding.

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The Five Things You've Just Gotta See in Bermuda

During the height of summer, all we want to think about are islands. All this week, Jaunted's transatlantic attaché Kai MacMahon will fill us in on what's up with Bermuda lately.

We've covered two of the athletic activities common to Bermuda—golfing and scuba diving—but what if you're not feeling so sporty? There's a whole host of other stuff to do and see, of course. So here's the rundown of some of our favorites:

· Royal Bermuda Yacht Club (above)
The Royal Bermuda is one of the oldest yacht clubs in the world. Founded in 1844, it's located in Albuoy's Point, Hamilton and has approximately 850 resident and non-resident members. For those folks it may be all about the socializing, but we're much more interested in their yachts.

Although it is a members-only club, they do allow visitors to walk in and admire the boats. We were there at the end of the yearly Newport-to-Bermuda race, so the docks were chockablock with world class, ocean-going hulls. It’s worth mentioning that races like this are a boon to the island’s economy; every boat brings with it many friends and relatives, all of whom pay for hotels and dine out. Contrast that with the high volume but quick hit cruise traffic, and it’s not hard to see why these races are popular with local businesses.

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Diving Bermuda: From Vintage Wrecks to Rocky Lighthouses

During the height of summer, all we want to think about are islands. All this week, Jaunted's transatlantic attaché Kai MacMahon will fill us in on what's up with Bermuda lately.

The Bermuda Triangle remains one of the world's most enduring and intriguing legends. For those who haven't caught a History Channel documentary on it, the triangle is an area around Bermuda where hundreds of ships and planes have disappeared over the years, all under darkly mysterious circumstances. These disappearances have been chalked up to everything from aliens to paranormal activity, and even blamed on leftover technology from the lost island of Atlantis!

To quote Wednesday Addams, “nobody gets out of the Bermuda Triangle, not even for a vacation. Everyone knows that.”

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Golfing Bermuda: More Than Just the PGA Grand Slam

The west edge of the Port Royal course

During the height of summer, all we want to think about are islands. All this week, Jaunted's transatlantic attaché Kai MacMahon will fill us in on what's up with Bermuda lately.

Pound for pound, Bermuda is one of the best golfing destinations on the planet. It's just the truth. With eight courses spread over 21 square miles, the island has the highest concentration of golf courses anywhere in the world; there's approximately one for every two and half square miles. For such a tiny place, that is quite remarkable and, for a little perspective, imagine nine golf courses on the island of Manhattan, which at 23 square miles is roughly the same size as the whole of Bermuda.

We’re talking serious, PGA-level golf too. The PGA Grand Slam will again be played here later this year (October 23rd and 24th 2012), just as it has been since 2007. For those that aren’t familiar, the Grand Slam is the tournament with the toughest qualification requirement of all: to get in, you need to win one of the year’s four majors. Over the years the event has been won by the likes of Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Ben Crenshaw, Greg Norman and Nick Price.

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'Double Fantasy': The Link Between Bermuda and John Lennon

Bermuda's new art tribute to John Lennon

During the height of summer, all we want to think about are islands. All this week, Jaunted's transatlantic attaché Kai MacMahon will fill us in on what's up with Bermuda lately.

The 21-square-mile island of Bermuda lies a little over six hundred miles off the coast of the continental US, and it sits roughly level with the Carolinas. First discovered by the Spanish explorer Juan de Bermudez way back in 1505, you can see how the island got its name. The official language is English, as it was settled by the British a century or so after Bermudez peaced out.

The island is rich in history and lore, particularly when it comes to the famed Bermuda Triangle, an area that extends roughly from Bermuda in the north east, down to Puerto Rico in the south and Florida in the west. But we're not going to talk about the things that have mysteriously disappeared; instead, let's talk about someone who appeared on Bermuda decades ago: John Lennon.

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The Atlantic Ocean's First Hurricane of the Season Heads for Bermuda

Somewhere off the coast of Bermuda right now, the winds are ripping and the waves are threatening. Hurricane Danielle is churning out in the Atlantic Ocean, and as the first hurricane of the Atlantic storm season and the fourth named storm overall, she won't be the last hurricane to hit the news.

The real question is if Danielle's 130mph winds will hurt tourism to Bermuda. Luckily, it looks the island famous for its pink sands will remain just out of Danielle's reach as the hurricane bypasses it on the east. There will be some weather consequences however, and flights to Bermuda this weekend could encounter some turbulence.

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Uighur Travel: Bermuda Raises Its Profile by Taking In Four Ex-Gitmo Prisoners

First Palau, now Bermuda? Bermuda tourism has been on the decline for several quarters, with visitors passing over the sophisticated Atlantic island in favor of cheaper and glitzier destinations in Florida and the Caribbean, but a surprise deal with the U.S. has given it four new visitors that locals weren't expecting. In a move that has annoyed British authorities to no end, Bermuda agreed to admit four ethnic Uighurs from the U.S.-run Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba. The former inmates were cleared of any wrongdoing years ago, but their status created a political hot potato because officials believed they'd face repression if returned to China, and no U.S. state would agree to accept them.

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Back of the Envelope Guide: Bermuda Music Festival

If the end of summer has you a little depressed, then planning an outing to Bermuda might keep you going through the months ahead: The first weekend in October offers up the 13th Annual Bermuda Music Festival.

Beyoncé, UB40 and Aaron Neville each take a turn at the center stage with Alicia Keys winding things down the evening of October 4.

Three-day ticket packages start at $200 and will guarantee you the same seat for all three evening performances at the National Sports Centre. Great weather, outdoor music and easy access to the beach? Sounds like summer to us.

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Rosie O'Donnell Leaving The View, Won't Be Going To Bermuda

No, no, Barbara Walters and Rosie O'Donnell won't be going on a cruise together anytime soon. After months of rumors, and plenty of taunting from Donald Trump, Rosie O'Donnell is reportedly leaving The View. TMZ says she will make the announcement on air this morning.

While we are sure most of Rosie's new found spare time will be spent blogging about her real reasons for leaving the daytime talkshow, one place she won't be heading to decompress from live television stress is Bermuda. Rosie and her partner Kelli O'Donnell, who run R Family Vacations, organize an annual summer cruise for gay and lesbian families.

Back in 2004 it was reported that 100 protesters greeted the S.S. Rosie, and chanted anti-gay slogans at the 1150 passengers, when they arrived in Nassau, Bahamas. Thus, Rosie and the gang, fearing a reapeat of the Nassau protest, have replaced Bermuda with two Florida ports of call for this summers cruise.

From the R Vacations website:

The Prime Minister of Bermuda personally contacted me to let me know that he and his government welcome all tourists regardless of sexual orientation or religious affiliation. We also received hundreds of emails from Bermuda residents welcoming us to their country.

However, Kelli and I are not 100% confident that some protestors would not meet us upon our arrival. While those groups may be the minority voice, we feel that our cruise would be more enjoyable with an alternate itinerary to ports where we know we are welcome by everyone.

Related Stories:
·R Family Vacations[Official Site]
·Rosie O'Donnell Ruins Summer Cruises [Jaunted]
·Cruises [Jaunted]

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JetBlue's Bound for Bermuda

After five years of coaxing by the government of Bermuda, JetBlue will begin twice-daily flights from JFK to the island beginning on May 4. Fares start at $129 each way. One-way flights starting in Boston, Richmond,  and Buffalo (and connecting through JFK) are an even better deal -- they start at $139.

Related Stories:
·   JetBlue in bid to come to Bermuda [Royal Gazette]
·   JetBlue's Going to Bermuda [press release]