Guernsey, Channel Islands

Michael gets to play bridge tonight – wearing his tux! Can you picture this?! There is a small bridge group from New York on board and they invited him to play. I’m glad he can play with someone who is at his level. He had a really nice game and came back happy. He is having bridge withdrawal since he hasn’t really played since before we left home.

As I write this, I am sitting on the bed, the computer on my lap, with my notes and maps spread all around me. After I am done with the blog, I have a DVD to watch. The ship’s entertainment is the same as the week before, and the week before that, and the week before that week. At least the ship has a very nice DVD collection and library. In addition to watching a movie, I am going to ice my left foot again as the pain is back and walking hurts. Actually, I think I should ice my whole body as everything hurts, especially after that hike yesterday in Dover; it didn’t help when I sort of tripped going down to the tender to get to shore (the sole of my shoe caught on the rug and I kinda fell out of my shoe, so this wasn’t my fault). Ooh-la-la (that’s what everyone calls her -- I am not kidding!) caught me before I hit the deck. Enough about my aches and pains -- let’s get to the good stuff.

Guernsey is located 17 miles off the French coast, but is aligned with England. It is neither French nor English but is stubbornly independent from both and is self-governed. Guernsey people are known as donkeys because of this stubbornness. It is a small island, only seven miles long by four miles wide at its widest, has a population of 63,000 and 40,000 cars. They have their own currency (which is not accepted in England). The principal industry in Guernsey is finance/banking, followed by tourism and tomatoes. Sadly, there are only about 1,800 Guernsey cows left in Guernsey.

My tour took us on a drive around the island. Outside of the main city of St. Peter Port, I found the countryside to be very tidy and green with cute bungalows, old manor mansions, and beachside hotels. It seemed like every house had a greenhouse, and the gardens were well tended with lots of colorful flowers (lots of clematis grown here). The roads were ridiculously narrow with tall hedges and stone walls right to the edge of the road. There are very few street signs so navigation for the uninitiated is an adventure.

There is no national health insurance for doctor visits, lab work, etc. However, if you get referred to a hospital, you get sent to England and the hospitalization is free. You cannot just move here either; residency is very restrictive. If a candidate for a job cannot be found on the island, then an outside person can apply for a license for that job or skill and must then give a five-year commitment to stay. Gas costs $10/gallon and Guernsey milk costs the same, too.

We stopped at the Pavilion Brassiere, housed in a building that was erected in 1502, which also had beautifully landscaped gardens. We had scones, Guernsey cream tea, and clotted cream. We were supposed to see a goldsmithing demonstration, but the electricity to the building was out, so we had to scrub that. Our final stop took us to the Little Chapel, a miniature model of the Grotto at Lourdes that was built in 1920 from scraps of china, pottery and seashells. There are over 2,750,000 individual pieces on it, and is reputed to be the smallest consecrated church in the world. This was amazing and I think it moved up on my list of wonderful and interesting things to see. I just loved it!

Michael:

I had a most interesting and memorable tour in Guernsey today. My tour was devoted entirely to the German occupation, and the pivotal role that Guernsey played in the war; it was the only part of England that was occupied during WWII. We saw German spotting towers, gun emplacements, airfields, bunkers, trenches, tank walls, and so forth. Because of its strategic location, Guernsey was incredibly protected by the Germans and all of their military materials were left after their surrender, and much of it is still here. To rule those 40,000 Guernseymen (as they are called), the Germans brought in 17,000 soldiers along with 7,000 slaves (Poles, Russians, Moroccans, etc.) to do their heavy lifting. This lifting included building over 500 bunkers around the island with guns that could reach 30 miles, 28 tunnels, a 1 ½ mile long underground hospital, and other fortifications.

We also had the chance to visit the Guernsey German Occupation Museum. As we entered, our guide apologized for its small size. In reality it was huge, and housed some of the most incredible and well preserved military items I have ever seen. It was truly amazing. We also visited La Grande Mare Golf & Country Club for Guernsey Cream Tea and scones with clotted cream. Yum!