Thu 22 Jul 2010
So glad my home Internet is back up. Our land line (which has a US number) is hooked up to the Internet, so when it’s down, no talkie with the family. 
Took a walk on Bermuda’s Railway Trail the other day. In an effort to break out of my laziness, I decided to take a stroll to my girlfriend’s house instead of driving. It took me a half hour to get there, but the sights along the way made the journey feel quicker. Here are some shots of the trail, which used to be an actual railway until Bermuda got rid of their train system in the 1940s. Can’t you just picture an iron horse blasting through the below path?
What’s left today is a trail that runners, cyclists, dog walkers and plain ole walkers like me use without worrying about the dangers of the island’s narrow roads.
Speaking of dangers, once when I was on the trail alone, a man walked out of the bushes. Uh-oh, I thought. This could go either way. Fast forward five minutes later and he and I were both walking side by side, stretching our arms over our heads in sync, practicing deep breathing. He instructed me to be mindful of taking deeper breaths by inhaling deeply for three steps and then exhaling slowly for three steps. I wondered, would this chance encounter end up this way had I been at some park back home?
Above, the ubiquitous oleander and hibiscus flowers in some of their colorful variations. Below, an authentic moongate at the entrance of a cottage off the trail. Legend has it, it’s lucky for a newlywed couple to kiss under a moongate.
I enjoyed the walk, but was especially grateful for the ride home later that afternoon. 
Happy trails!