Saturday 18 May

 Today is our last day of touring. We got to sleep in after a long day yesterday, and didn’t leave the hotel until 10 a.m. We visited the Durrell Wildlife Park (Jersey Zoo). It was established here in 1859 by Gerald Durrell as a wildlife conservation trust. It is set in a nice location on 32 acres of land. We saw a lot of different birds from around the world. The animals we enjoyed the most were the orangutans, and a gorilla who had sadly lost his partner recently and looked very sad. There were also meerkats and lemurs.

We had the afternoon off to get some lunch and do some shopping before meeting the group at 6 pm for our farewell dinner in the Italian restaurant at the hotel. We have to be up very early tomorrow as we leave the hotel at 5 a.m. for our 7 a.m. flight to Heathrow. We then have a five hour layover before our return flight to Toronto. It will be a long day.

Friday 17 May

 We had an early start today due to the ferry crossing to St Malo in Normandy, France. St Malo is an historic port that is a walled city. Our journey was about 1 hr 15 min and upon arrival we had a walking tour of the town. We walked around part of the top of the city walls and had some terrific views. The streets were cobbled and narrow here with lots of little shops and crepe restaurants. Our guide mentioned the book ‘All the light you cannot see’ which was set in St Malo. We saw a statue of Jacques Cartier who was born here. Also St Vincent Cathedral. After the tour we had free time before catching the ferry back at 6 pm.

Thursday 16 May

 We had another day visiting more spots around the island. First up this morning was St Matthew’s church famous for its Lalique glass. The glass was made by an artist in France, for two churches - one in Jersey and one in France (which I think was bombed). 

Our second stop was at Faulkner Fisheries, in an old German bunker at Quen’s Bay, where we sampled oysters (when I say ‘we’ I don’t mean me). Quite a few people declined but drinks were provided so that may have helped others! It was 11 am so we thought it was ok to sample a local brew from Stinky Bay Brewing (stinky because of lots of seaweed). Ian didn’t like the oysters, but at least he tried them. 

From there we went to St Brelade Bay and had fish and chips for lunch, it was gorgeous there, the sand and sea were just lovely. After that we walked to St Brelade’s churchyard where there was a Fisherman’s Chapel, and St Brelade church, both ancient buildings. Then we walked back along the bay and found a seat to enjoy the view for a while.

Next was La Mare Wine Estates where we had a tour and then tastings of Apple Cider, White wine, Rose wine, Red wine, Apple Brandy Cream. They kicked us out at 5:30 and everyone was in good spirits as we headed back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.

Wednesday 15 May

 Today was another sunny day. We visited the Botanic Gardens at Samares Manor, which were created in the 1920’s by a millionaire philanthropist. The gardens were divided into different sections, such as herbs, orchard, walled, Japanese, wild flowers etc. After our visit we went to a garden centre for lunch, which has a large restaurant and easy parking for the bus. We travelled on many small roads where it was impossible for anything more than single traffic. In the afternoon we went to the Eric Young Orchid Foundation, where we saw hundreds of orchid varieties, they were very colourful. We also went to a spot on the coast for a quick visit and a group photo. Our last stop was at St Saviours church were Lillie Langtry was buried in 1929 - someone had asked about her. I had to be reminded who she was! Both an actress and a vaudeville performer, the lady on Pears soap pictures and probably most famous as a mistress of Bertie (the future King Edward VII). She was born in Jersey and her father was the dean of the church.

Tuesday May 14 - St Helier

 Today was a free day and everyone did their own thing. The weather was sunny with some cloud and sea breezes. We decided to walk to St Aubyns, which involved walking along the promenade at the side of the beach. There were lovely views of the water as we strolled along. There were plenty of benches and washrooms along the way. We stopped for coffee about halfway there. We arrived about 12 noon and had a walk around town - it is a small place but had several restaurants and some shops. We went into a pub for fish and chips and a sit down. There was a little mini train that runs between the two towns but we decided to walk again. Lots of walking today (14 km) but that was our choice. Some people went shopping or looked around a castle out to sea a little ways. It was a good day and hopefully I walked off the lunch 🤣

Monday 13 May - Guernsey

 We had an early start this morning, a day trip to the island of Guernsey. We left the hotel at 7:30 in order to catch the 8:55 ferry, as we had to be there an hour before sailing in order to check id’s and go through security. It was a simple process and we spent a lot of time sitting and waiting. The actual journey was about 1 hour 15 minutes as we were on the fast ferry. The island is a little smaller than Jersey and the population is less (60,000 I think). It is similar to Jersey in the port city of St Peter Port, but the Harbour is bigger. We toured around the island, which has a similar rocky coastline to Jersey, a lot of houses were built using the local granite which was different in colour than Jersey. The island villages and houses are spread out and there are signs of the German occupation with bunkers etc. scattered around. Unfortunately it was a rainy day and in some coastal areas it was quite blustery.

 

 

Sunday 12 May - Jersey War Tunnels

 Today we went out to visit the war tunnels. The site encompasses some of the tunnels, but many more were built. They are 50 metres below ground level, and were built by 5,000 slave labourers between 1941 and 1943. They were built to protect the Germans from air raids, to secure guns and small tanks and trucks, and later (in 1943) as an emergency hospital. It was a very interesting place.

After that the group went for a pub lunch, at a 16th century inn overlooking Portelet Beach. We had pre-ordered our meals so things went smoothly. I had the breaded Brie, followed by Salmon and Ian opted for the Thai curry, washed down with a pint, it was very nice.

We then went to see the Corbiere Lighthouse, located on the south west coast, and only accessible during low tide. We walked up to the top (outside stairs) for the views, unfortunately a sea fog had rolled in, apparently it does this all the time, but it was good exercise and we needed it after all the food. The coast is scattered with remains of German bunkers/naval towers/gun battery.

A bit more sightseeing from the bus before being dropped back at the hotel for a rest before our next meal . . . I think it will be my (first) visit to the salad bar tonight . . and skip everything else? Mmm, we will see.

Saturday 11 May - St Helier

 Today we did the walking tour through St Helier, and it was another lovely sunny day. We covered some areas we’d been to before but this time it was with the local guide so lots of information along the way. We walked through Royal Square where some of the government offices are. Jersey only has a population of 100,000 so is quite small (50,000 born here, 50,000 come here from mostly the UK). We walked near the harbour and ended at the museum where we watched a movie on Jersey and its history. Afterwards, we went to the indoor market for coffee and a light lunch. Then, Marks and Spencer and a few other shops in the area before heading back to the hotel to put our feet up for a while before dinner.

Friday 10 May - Mont Orgueil / La Hogue Bie

 Today we travelled up the east coast to Gorey, where Mont Orgueil is located. It wasn’t far away as Jersey is only 5 miles by 8 miles wide. The castle has stood for over 800 years, overlooking the fishing port. It was built to defend them from the Normans, whose coastline is only 12 miles away. The castle is one of the world’s most well-preserved medieval fortresses. We climbed to the top and back down into the town - lots of steps to access the many rooms. It was another beautiful sunny day, perfect for sea views and breezes. After that we went to a garden centre for a light lunch.

We then moved on to La Hougue Bie Museum, one of Europe’s finest prehistoric monuments. At the site there is a medieval church, and underneath it lies a 6,000 year old Neolithic passage grave. We had to stoop for about eight meters to gain access to it, after which it opened into a small chamber where fragmented bones from about six people had been found. We also saw a cache of about 73,000 Celtic coins found in a nearby farmers field. There was also a German bunker here, used in an emergency, for the top officers, which has been preserved as a memorial to the slave workers the nazis brought here, from Europe, who were literally worked to death. It was an interesting place to visit.

We then went to Chateau La Chaire, a country house, for a cream tea before returning to the hotel.

We had dinner a little later tonight and managed to eat again - there was a good selection of Asian food on the buffet tonight and it was amazing 🧑‍🍳. I thought we might get fed up with a buffet every night but so far it has been terrific, lots of variety.

Thursday 9 May - St. Helier

 Today was a free day. It was also Liberation Day, a national holiday to celebrate liberation after five years of German occupation (1940-1945) during the Second World War. It was marked by a parade, ending at Liberation Square, where there was a gathering, thanksgiving service and a re-enactment. Lots of flag waving (both Jersey and Union Jack), food and drink, and 40’s music. It was both moving and fun, lots of people were there, and we were lucky to get there early as the seats quickly filled and it became standing room only. Afterwards the music and celebrations continued throughout the day. We took a walk around the harbour and a slow stroll back to the hotel for a rest before dinner.