This milestone is an opportunity to honor and showcase the people, the culture, and the events that have helped to build Bermuda over the past 400 years and make it what it is today.

“This year of celebration has been like none other,” said Dr. the Hon. Ewart F. Brown, JP, MP, Bermuda’s Premier and Minister of Tourism and Transport. “We invite locals and visitors alike to come Feel the Love and join in celebrating this monumental occasion.”

Upcoming events and celebrations

– Tall Ships Atlantic Challenge 2009: June 11-15, 2009. The Tall Ships Fleet will race from Vigo, Spain to Halifax, Northern Ireland with a stop in Bermuda on June 11-15. It will be a historic moment for all to witness the Tall Ships arrival in Hamilton Harbour to celebrate Bermuda’s 400th anniversary.

– Cup Match Cricket Festival: July 30-31, 2009. This two-day cricket match between East and West End cricket clubs is an annual favorite.

The concurrent and equally important commemoration of both Emancipation Day, the 1834 freeing of Bermuda’s slaves, and Somers’ Day, which observe the discovery of Bermuda by Sir George Somers in 1609, make this festival a not-to-be-missed event.

– PGA Grand Slam of Golf: October 19-21, 2009. Visitors to Bermuda will once again have the chance to see some of the world’s top golfers compete in the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, the season-ending showcase featuring golf’s premier foursome. Returning to Bermuda for its third time, the high-stakes tournament will be held for the first time at the newly renovated Port Royal Golf Course.

Saint George Harbour, Bermuda

Bermuda Exposed:

• In honor of Bermuda’s 400th anniversary, the Bermuda Department of Tourism thought it was time to set the record straight and let travelers know the truth behind the triangle…
• Bermuda is not located in the Caribbean. Contrary to popular belief, Bermuda is actually located 650 miles off the coast of Cape Hatteras, NC, and less than a two hour plane ride from New York City!
• Bermuda goes one to one with the US dollar. Bermuda does not have its own currency nor does it rely on the pound.
• Visitors cannot rent cars in Bermuda. Due to a strong environmental commitment visitors may not rent a car when visiting Bermuda and residents may only have one car per household.
• Bermuda is the oldest British Colony and has the second oldest Parliamentary Democracy in the world (after England).
• Travel easy. Travelers clear customs at the airport in Bermuda before the flight back to the United States. This makes the arrival home pleasant, easy and custom free.
• Franchise free. Bermuda does not allow chain stores or franchise restaurants on the island. However, Bermuda offers a wide range of restaurants with the finest chefs featuring French, Italian, Japanese, to all American cuisine.
• A golfer’s haven. Bermuda is home to more golf courses per square mile than anywhere in the world, truly making it a golfer’s haven. This year, the PGA Grand Slam of Golf will return to Bermuda for the third time and will be held at Bermuda’s newly renovated Port Royal Golf Club, Oct, 20-21, 2009.
• Tennis was introduced to America by Bermuda. In 1874, Miss Mary Ewing Outerbridge, an American Sports woman, purchased tennis equipment from British army officers in Bermuda and set up the first US tennis court in the grounds of the Staten Island Cricket Club, New York.
• Fashion friendly in Bermuda shorts. Made from Irish Linen, Bermuda shorts are considered an acceptable part of everyday wardrobe in Bermuda and can be found on most businessmen. Bermuda shorts originated with the British army when they came to Bermuda from India.
• Pristine pink sand beaches. Bermuda’s signature pink sand comes from a combination of crushed coral, calcium carbonate, and foraminifera.
• Bermuda has a rich literary heritage. Bermuda’s rich literary heritage has attracted and inspired the likes of Mark Twain, Noel Coward, James Thurber, Eugene O’Neill, and John Lennon.
• Before publishing The Secret Garden in 1911, Frances Hodgson Burnett, the English-born writer, stayed at The Princess Hotel, giving rise to the rumor that the secret garden was located somewhere in Bermuda.
• William Shakespeare’s The Tempest was inspired by a shipwreck that occurred near St. George in 1609, the year before he wrote the play. Bermuda has also been the destination of choice for Eleanor Roosevelt and Prince Albert of Monaco.
• Finally…The Bermuda Triangle - The Bermuda Triangle is not recognized by the U.S. Board of Geographic Names. However…Bermuda remains the world’s number one wreck diving destination.

About Bermuda:

Bermuda, just under two hours from East Coast gateway cities, stretches for 21 miles along turquoise waters and is surrounded by a 200-square-mile coral reef plateau. Bermuda’s diverse activities offer an array of vacation options, including more wreck dives than anywhere else in the world, championship golf, horseback riding, world-renowned deep sea fishing and smooth pink beaches to rest on by day’s end. For more information, visit www.bermudatourism.com.

Getting there

Book your cheap flights to Bermuda today. Visit http://www.farestore.com.

“So many have journeyed so far to this remote place inspired by the actions of the heroes of Flight 93. It is the purity of this pilgrimage that testifies so eloquently to the strength of these peaceful fields. The full emotional and educational journey will be completed with the dedication of the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial on September 11, 2011,” said Joanne Hanley, NPS superintendent, Flight 93 National Memorial.

The NPS began counting visitors on Memorial Day weekend of 2003. The NPS estimates the one-millionth visitor arrived in late February 2009 and that the total stood at 1,006,585 visitors as of March 31. In 2008 alone, more than 235 buses with schoolchildren made educational visits.

The temporary memorial, open from dawn to dusk, is on a hilltop overlooking the crash site. It is located in Somerset County, approximately 80 miles outside of Pittsburgh. Visitors can visually follow the plane’s flight path to the crash site, now solemnly enclosed by a fence and carpeted with wildflowers. At another fence, visitors have left over 30,000 mementoes and artwork including religious symbols, notes, flowers, flags and other forms of respect. Visitors also record their thoughts in journals maintained by volunteers and staff. The NPS catalogs and preserves these tributes to understand the visitors’ thoughts and emotions. Some of these will be part of the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial.

To learn more about the temporary memorial, including its National Park Week activities, visit www.nps.gov/flni. For information on how to help fund the permanent Flight 93 National Memorial, visit www.honorflight93.org.

Source: National Park Service

“They’re at it again,” said Brandon M. Macsata, Executive Director of AAPR, of the airline industry. “United is now the latest airline to shelve customer service standards in search for higher profits, while claiming that the new policy is to ‘protect’ other passengers. At issue should not be the size of any passenger, but rather why the airlines continue to pack coach passengers like sardines into the cabin.”

Most coach airline seats are smaller than seats on buses or trains, even movie theaters - yet unlike in those environments, customers cannot simply get up and move around but are rather forced to sit uncomfortably until the flight’s destination is reached.

Macsata further argued, “Where does this madness end? So now a customer who purchases an advanced ticket online can show up at the airport and arbitrarily denied boarding because a ticket agent deems him or her to be overweight? He or she would be at the mercy of the airlines - an unthinkable scenario especially if the passenger is traveling for a family emergency or death in the family. I wonder just how much will be the price of that second ticket?”

AAPR also questioned the legality of the discriminatory policy and whether it violates the Air Carrier Access Act governing the treatment of passengers with disabilities. It is documented that certain health conditions, and sometimes medications, can cause weight gain and therefore should be protected by law. The Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) addressed this issue earlier this year, when it issued its “one-person, one-fare” ruling covering passengers with disabilities - including “clinically obese” passengers who cannot fit into a single seat.

To learn more about airline passenger rights visit http://www.friendlyskies.com or to book your cheap flights today visit http://www.farestore.com

Source: Association for Airline Passenger Rights