Ulrich’s Bermuda Experience & First Flight – 1972

My First Flight✈️

As we get older we tend to reflect on certain places and moments back in time;

one of those places and moments was my time traveling to the Island of  Bermuda.

After completing of my chef apprenticeship in Switzerland and the mandatory Swiss army duties, I applied for a chef saucier position at the Holiday Inn in St.Georges, Bermuda.

Meeting with Interpol👮‍♂️

June 12th, 1972, was to be my first flight abroad. During the checking at the Zurich airport, I did cause a bit of turmoil because security freaked out after opening my luggage which contained my chef’s knife case that my parents had bought me after the successful completion of my apprenticeship as a chef. The case contained a complete set of chef tools that consisted of several knives and utensils.

They confiscated the case and gave it to the pilot before takeoff until we reached Bermuda where I was told, I would be able to retrieve them.   On arrival at London Heathrow Airport, right after leaving customs, Interpol was waiting for me to escort me into a back office to question me about the knives. I was sitting in an interrogation room for several hours, while they called Switzerland to check on my background and to verify my story about having a job in Bermuda. Due to that incident, I missed my connecting flight to Bermuda that day and had to stay overnight in a hotel, compliments of Interpol, to continue to Bermuda the following morning.

Bad timing!🔪

Upon arrival in Bermuda I was greeted at the airport by the Executive Chef of the Hotel, Rene Schiegg, he told me that the day before my arrival, the governor, his aid, and his dogs were assassinated at the governor’s mansion! Now I know why they were panicking at the airport finding my knives!  ( Sir Richard Christopher Sharples, Governor of Bermuda 1972-1973)

After arriving in St. Georges about 20 minutes later I was amazed by the sight of the hotel, sitting on top of a hill overlooking the Atlantic it looked like a structure out of the far east!   Bermuda is located 300 miles off the coast of New York, at the time of my arrival, there were approximately 50,000 inhabitants on the island which is about 20 miles in length and 1 mile wide at the widest point. It is a sub-tropical climate with wonderful fauna, perfectly white sandy beaches, and kind, friendly folks.

After settling into my staff quarters and getting used to my job environment I met one of my co-workers by the name of Thomas, a native of Antigua, a few days after my arrival it was Thanksgiving, the American Holiday, and Thomas asked me to go with him and visit some of his friends on the island, I think I never ate so much food in one day! everyone we visited was feeding us turkey and its trimmings! That was all new to me since we don’t celebrate that holiday in Europe.

I shall never forget the hospitality and kindness of the Bermudian people, taking me in as if they knew me for a long time, I didn’t even speak a word of English yet.

2 1/2 year vacation🏖

Working in Bermuda was almost like being on vacation daily, I spent most of my free time on the sandy beaches or cruising around the island on my Yamaha crossroad bike, sometimes stopping over in Hamilton, the capital city, to stroll around or do some shopping. My work schedule was from 2 pm to 11 pm, 6 days a week at the Gourmet Supper Club of the hotel.

However, after getting into an accident with my bike, hitting a beverage truck head-on! I landed in the US Army hospital on the island with a bruised back for about three weeks. Shortly after that, I joined two co-workers to take on a job at the El Casino in Freeport, Bahamas. it was the stepping stone to the USA. Which is worth another blog altogether; to be continued!

The Island of Bermuda 

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