I was wandering the harbor front of the quaint town of St. George when I stumbled upon a screaming lady being dragged through the streets by two guys. She had a crazy look in her eyes and her captors where screaming out angry accusations, “gossiper, nag etc”. I wondered if I had the guts to intervene on behalf of this poor lady. But looking around I realized I would have to resort to violence to put an end to their crazy actions and seeing hundreds of big biker dudes surrounding I quickly put that crazy thought out of my head and started jeering, yelling and vigorously clapping along with all the bystanders. “Take her to the water, duck her”, I chanted. I yelled some more – very loudly now, “gossipers need to be punished!”
I soon found out that this was not a real public shaming but rather a re-enactment of the “ducking of the wives” – a humiliation and an actual forced ducking into the nearby bay for those “bad” wives needing a lesson during days gone by. Needing a break from the claustrophobia of crowds in a rather confined place I headed up through town to reach the highest spot on this part of the island.
Bucolic views greeted me in all directions. I was high, not from the swizzle drinks but from the beauty and geographic isolation of this beautiful island.
I was quickly brought down to earth by the sounds of the crowds yelling far below. Apparently the dunking had begun.
St. George on a warm sunny day is the ideal town to spend time leisurely walking along its narrow streets with the dazzling white and colorful buildings creating an ideal set for photography enthusiasts. The entire town is a UNESCO World Heritage site full of old churches, out of the way shops, and picturesque buildings. St. George was the original capital of the island and boasts the island’s first building, a church that dates back over 400 years.
Heading back through town I soaked up as much sunshine as I could basking in the reflecting rays of the white washed buildings. I then popped into the Bermuda Perfumery and watched the ladies test out sweet smelling samples. I was quickly engulfed by the these scents and soon ducked back out again. Heading back to the water I enjoyed a box lunch on the green and listened to a local sculptor liberally use swear words and chat about the general dismal “state” of the world. I don’t let pessimists get me down – but nonetheless it was entertaining to hear his ramblings and rogue comments.
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