Bottoms Up!

Many weeks ago it was suggested we do a "Girls Brunch," before those of us leaving the island left the island.  The new "thing" in Sunday brunches on the island is "all you can drink champagne."  This is Bermuda.  The craze won't last long, as none of the restaurants can afford that kind of offer in this kind of population!  In fact, our carefully booked reservation that we made in June for Tucker's Point Champagne Brunch on a mid-July day, was cancelled.  The hotel said they cancelled it due to people wanting to eat outdoor, but I think they were just were just overrun by champagne guzzling divas in the weeks before.  So we re booked at the Reefs!

The reefs is always a beautiful place to stop into anyway.  As a reminder, Sunday brunch generally serves as breakfast, lunch, dinner and deserts.  It's a bad idea to eat anything before, and you won't want to eat anything until the next day after.  It's a gourmet buffet, in this case with all the bubbles you want.  The waiter warned us it was actually Prosecco, and not very expensive bottles, but like any bargain hunters, we were tickled pink with the offer.  You tend to stay at brunch several hours, and end up on the patio afterward with some of those bubbles overlooking the ocean relaxing after your meal.

The beach for guests of The Reefs

The first part of the plan was getting out to Southampton.  We decided to take the bus out and cab back in later for the World Cup Final.  This was going to be my first bus ride in about 4 years.  I was almost a little excited about it!  Enough so that I took a bus station selfie.

I look a little "bus shelter kinda crazy" even

Lizzie and Adrie were had hopped on a few stops earlier each, and we tore down the road in the speedy style that only the buses and Bermuda can get away with apparently (yes, I am still bitter about the speeding ticket on my SCOOTER...it's a scooter).  A few stops later we stopped for Siobhan, and then rolled on down the road til we reached the Reefs.  It was kind of nice riding the bus -- everyone assumed we were tourists and were extra cheerful and nice in their hello and goodbyes as we got off the bus.  It's  good sign that many are trying to make individual and personal efforts to help tourism on the island.

my bus/brunchmates

Once inside we were greeted with an eye catching display of cupcakes and other desert delights, and another 3 rooms full of food.  My friend Margaret has an interesting philosophy of desert first -- if it is something you are craving and you know you are going to have, no sense in cramming all those other calories in first and then trying to squeeze desert into a full tummy.  Eat the desert, and when you fill up later on dinner, no problem, stop there.  It seemed like a good idea as i was obsessing about the cupcake, so this was my first course of the day.  Cheers Margaret!

why yes, that is fact a chocolate cupcake with chocolate icing and chocolate balls on top!

Good thing I went for the jog the night before!  We had a lovely lunch date, with our bottomless bubbles and our endless dinner and deserts.  When we were finally finished, they gave us another bottle and a half to enjoy on the patio.  I didn't think it was possible, but we may have been all bubbled out by the end!

Girls Day

Nice place to catch some afternoon sun

Hopefully not too much sun our Irish vampire-white friend

A cab ride later we were at Flanagan's for the World Cup Final.  We were reunited with the boys, who seemed a little surprised that we were late for the game, as if they expected the hotel to run out of Prosecco much earlier or something!  It wasn't that exciting of a game, or that surprising of a finish, but after seeing it on every TV screen on the island for the last few weeks, it had to be watched.  Turns out that the second last Sunday was a pretty fabulous day on the island.  Thanks for organizing Lizzie and Eileen!  I know I will miss days like these!

Cuckoo for Coconuts!



 

In another pop culture reference, kids may go cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs, but last Saturday night Eileen and I were cuckoo for Coconuts!  It was just such a gorgeous day that after leaving La Serena spa we decided we just couldn't pass up the view.  The obvious place to go is just down the stairs past the infinity pool to Coconuts.


There was just no reason to pull ourselves away from the view at the Reefs so we decided to stay

 

Coconuts is one of the few outdoor air restaurants right on the beach in Bermuda.  For guests of The Reefs, it is a convenient place to grab munchies and drinks when you need a break from suntanning, swimming, snorkeling, kayaking or paddleboarding.  It is also a nice place to dine in the evenings if you want to watch the sun set and listen to the waves slosh up onto the beach a few metres away.  The one downside, is that like many places in Bermuda, the kitchen is closed between lunch and dinner, so you cannot order until after 6 o'clock.  We were out of the spa before 5, so decided to grab a couple of selfies, a glass of wine, and wait it out. 

Post-spa selfie -- i think i look relaxed
 

Most of the tables are right along the edge of the balcony so that you have an unobstructed view of the beach.  We cozied into our spot with some complimentary peanuts from the bar and soon discovered that it was Coconuts Saturday happy hour and all drinks are buy one get one free.  For all that Bermuda has to offer, generally a bargain is not one of them.  And while I loathe the myth on the island that Canadians are cheap, I latched onto that second and free glass of chardonnay with an unabashed glimmer in my eye and the glow of having won a prize.  So take note Bermuda friends, there is a good deal to be had at Coconuts on Saturdays!  While we watched the sun go down and sipped our wine, we really did have to stop and take a moment to feel grateful for all that we have available at our fingertips here.

 

The view from the table

 



When I moved here Bermuda had called to me by haunting my thoughts with the sound of the ocean on solitary beaches and tree frogs chirping through the nights.  Even though now I feel the pull to return home, I cannot help but feel fortunate for having the chance to live out a dream here, and call these beaches and warm October nights mine....even if only for a few years.  Bermuda has many eccentricities and also many of the most important simplicities that give life here a unique flavour.  As my friend Steve (one several Bermuda Steve's -- you know who you are) said once, "Bermuda will always be one of your spiritual homes."  I completely agree.  Call it inspiration from a relaxing day and the beautiful sunset reflecting off the water and wet sand, but Eileen and I were able to count many Bermuda blessings, friendship among them.  After that we got on with the food.  I even took a picture of my salad with the express intent of including it in the blog.  Overall, I think we both left with a very good impression of Coconuts -- we both agreed that our mains could have been a bit more tender, but it was definitely an evening i would love to repeat again.  I would certainly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a lovely outdoor dining experience...and it is the perfect add on after a spa treat!  Couldn't have asked for a better day and evening out -- good thing too, work has been stressful enough this week to send me straight back next Saturday.

 

Caesar Salad Reef's style



Eileen taking pictures of me taking pictures



Last glimmer of light before nightfall

 

Serenity Now!!

Writing is a good tool for amping up your self awareness.  One of the things I have become more aware of in the first week of blogging is that as i reflect on events many bizarre pop culture references play out in my head and become disturbingly and inseparably tied into the memory.  I am going to be a nightmare of a patient if I ever get old and forgetful, because instead of telling the same old story to the nurses over and over about what my typical workday was like, I'll probably do a montage of random television moments that make sense to absolutely nobody except for me!

I realized this as I was getting ready to write about Saturday's trip to the spa with my friend Eileen.  Working in a hospital is always a stressful environment.  Now add in the pressures and challenges of working in a hospital under the remote settings of island life -- when replacement parts, replacement staff and random supplies have to make a huge journey and jump through a countless series of hoops before they make their way to your workplace.  You end up short staffed, short on supplies, and grasping the short end of the stick with no way of knowing when you will be rescued by a FedEx delivery (FedEx doesn't always realize that Bermuda is NOT in Bahrain which is where they sent our stuff last time...i told you, location, location, location!).  I would say Bermuda runs on island time, but it's different than that.  I call it sweeeeeet time, because it seems like taking one's sweet time is more socially acceptable in Bermuda than North American.  Just need to go into the video store, pick out a rental and check it out?  No problem.  Your husband can just stop the car in the street -- not the empty parking slot but the street -- and people can drive around the parked car in the road while you do this, no worries.  See you buddy driving down the street towards you?  No problem, you can both stop and block traffic in both directions while you have a little catchup.  Sweet time has a directly proportional mathematical correlation to expat sense of urgency.  And without fail, the more stressed out something makes me, the longer sweet time is extended.  Quite often, my work day can be quickly summed up by the short Seinfeld clip in the link below.  To be fair, this also applied to my work days in Canada, but the reason was not sweet time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP4TZjg3HF0

One of my favorite ways to destress is when one of us girls calls "Spa Day!"  I know I come across as a diva in these blogs, but it was not always so.  I had survived for many years before a coworker in Edmonton told convinced me that a pedicure was a must have as a simple and essential treat to self.  I decided to give it a try.  Eventually even got a french manicure and gel nail-claws, but let me tell you that didn't go so well with my lifestyle...lost 2 on the side of an airplane getting ready to do a skydive (no i wasn't trying to not jump, they got caught on exit) and another one in the spokes of a spinning bike tire inspecting my bike after a lap at a race (Pat maintains that I used one to give myself a flat tire to get out of a training ride once).  But the spa never really caught until I visited Jim and Regina Power in Newfoundland and got a cool oxygen facial in a converted monastery turned spa.  When I found myself in Bermuda with a little more money in my pocket, I confess to becoming a bit of a spa junkie.  Bermuda has many spas, I have tried most but the one I take all of my guests to is my favorite -- La Serena at the Reefs.  And because it's me, whenever I think La Serena, my head screams out "Serenity Now!!!" which relates the above link an awful lot.  It's not that I was a big Seinfeld fan...but somehow all of these references have made it into my brain.  It's surprising.  Like going to see "The Beatles -- Love" by Cirque du Soleil and realizing that you already know all of the words to 26 songs you couldn't have named 2 hours earlier.  For those of you not familiar with "Serenity Now" here's another little clip to catch you up to speed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ow_9MglZrhs

I know that Tonya, Tanya, Leanne, Barbara, Eileen, Siobhan, Gers, Cherie, and Meg have all enjoyed a great day or few at La Serena.  So what is it that makes La Serena so great?  To start with there is the view -- you can lounge in lovely chairs with a herbal tea or water with lemon, lime, cucumber, or orange slices.  There is fruit to munch on.  Coffee can be requested.  Wine and champagne and lunch ordered if you wish.  All while you gaze out over the pool area and out at the vast blue ocean that the lounge area overlooks.  You can watch the occasional kayaker or paddleboarder go by, see longtails fly by, and if you are really lucky you might spot a whale as they have been seen along the south shore in the spring.

Barbara at the peaceful herbal tea bar at La Serena
 



Tonya modelling the Reefs "spa wear spring collection"

The pedicure room is great -- room for 3 to sit together in massage chairs while your feet get the luxury treatment, and many fabulous other treatments to choose from in private treatment rooms.  The product line used at La Serena is Elemis, a British cosmetic line that specializes in a very famous and pricey "Marine Cream."  The first time I tried the Pro-Collagen facial I was astounded by how many compliments I got over work the next several days.  I now use several Elemis products that are just too good to save until spa day (it's not sold in Canada but if you are in Nordstrom's in the states treat yourself).  There are several other facials that are fabulous, and a variety of scrubs, wraps, and massages. 

Barbara enjoying the view

 

A normal person would probably enjoy a soothing massage with aromatherapy and gentle kneading.  I however, consistently go back to Greg.  I generally wonder about my sanity when I'm gripping the massage table with all 10 fingernails even before he says (with a distinct European accent) "oh no, i didn't want to do this but i must, it will be very painful."  He does know how to improve a sports injury tho!  I am sure that he could do wonders in a relaxing massage, but i require a little abuse to work out all that work induced tension!  The massage is also always filled with entertaining dialogue, sometimes in conversation, sometimes just in mutterings like "you're a nice person but your body is a mess, i need to call your boss."  One day he asked how often i went to the gym and at that time it was 5 days a week -- his response was to cheerfully encourage me to not cause myself stress about trying to fit an image, everyone is different and some people are meant to be shaped like little bears.  Fortunately my shoulder muscles were all knotted up and that stopped my head from spinning the full 180 degrees in a scene straight out of "The Exorcist."  I laugh whenever I think about it, but the bottom line is that he is a great therapist and a great person and I love every session...he is definitely recommended as one of my Bermuda Bests!  I can also say that absolutely every person that I have dealt with at La Serena excels at customer service -- we always feel at home, there have never been any issues in all of our visits, and Alette, Nathalie, and Fiona are also excellent therapists with years of experience and training with the Elemis products.  You cannot go wrong with time spent at La Serena.

So when life turns into a Seinfeld montage -- do La Serena now!