Oktoberfest in Bermuda

And so we find ourselves in October... how did that happen?! I think my subconscious has been trying to keep me thinking it was still August, but having attended Bermuda's answer to the autumnal German beer festival, Oktoberfest, on Saturday, it was a fact that could escape me no more.


So how did Oktoberfest in Snorkel Park compare to the real thing? Well, as I've never experienced the authentic Bavarian deal, I can only imagine. But yes, there was plenty of Heineken (the bartender wouldn't accept that this isn't a German beer!), a few bratwursts, some sauerkraut and drinking games involving hammers and logs, however the event was set against the Atlantic horizon, so there was also beach volleyball, pedalos, palm trees and a few gallons of rum. The end result was a little more Club Tropicana than Bar Munich but hey Fun and Sunshine... there was enough for everyone!

So on a wider level, what is October in Bermuda like? Well, contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is not an all-year-round tropical destination so it means the end of summer :""""-( The evenings are drawing in, my after-work ocean swims came to an end a few weeks ago and my cardigan collection is getting an airing again. Although it never really drops below 60 degrees, it feels MUCH colder because of the constant humidity and there's no central heating in these parts.


It also means the start of running race season. Despite the island's high obesity rate, Bermuda has a incredibly active and popular road race calendar. Last weekend was the annual PartnerRe Women's 5K, one of the biggest races, with somewhere near 1,000 competitors this year across the day's events. I took part again this year and learnt that Autumn was not quite upon us. It was 78 degrees. This means you not only sweat buckets but the sweat is not evaporated because of the still very high humidity = face like a bubbling cauldron. It's a challenge. I'm hoping that my acclimatisation to these conditions will turn my tortoise pace into a hare's when I return to UK shores. Next in my sights is the Bacardi 8k (interesting sponsorship choice that one but then again maybe a quick pre-race Dark 'N' Stormy would act as rocket fuel for my performance!).


On a much more tragic note, October so far has also seen two fatal motorbike accidents in just 11 days and the tenth road fatality this year. Both 31 year-old, Earlston Kavon Bailey Smith, and 22 year old, Adam Goodwin died in the early hours of the morning. Back in July, the Road Safety Council called for more sophisticated data collection and analysis after traffic accidents. I'd be interested to know how seriously this point was taken. We are told there have been reductions in traffic accidents in recent months and I'm sure the recent ban of cell phone usage while driving will help but there is no escaping the fact that only last year, Bermuda's road death rate was the second highest in the Hemisphere, dwarfing every other Caribbean island. And that's with, what has to be, one of the lowest national speed limits in the world at 35 KPH. Something doesn't quite add up...