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| Seyiz les beinv'nus a Jerri! |
On Thursday we boarded the Condor fast ferry to Jersey, the largest of the four Channel Islands, situated only 14 miles off the coast of France at the nearest point. As we were there for a day trip we only had time to explore the capital St. Hilaire and to catch a bus to the east coast to visit Mont Ourgeil, the medieval castle overlooking the harbour at Gorey. The Channel Islands have always fascinated me as a kid and I never imagined I would have the opportunity to finally visit them. The Islands include two Crown colonies, the Bailiwick of Jersey and the Bailiwick of Guernsey. They are considered the remnants of the Duchy of Normandy and although not part of the United Kingdom it is responsible for their defence and international relations. They have been administered separately since the late 13th century and each has it's own independent laws and elections. The Nazis occupied Jersey from 1940 to 1945, the only British soil occupied during the war. This period saw about 8000 islanders evacuated, 1200 deported to camps in Germany and over 300 sentenced to the prison and concentration camps of mainland Europe. It was liberated by the British troops on May 9th, now a public holiday. The trip from Saint Malo was only two hours and the sun was shining when we arrived. After tying up in St. Hilaire the first thing I saw was an old London bus waiting at the jetty to drive us the very short distance into the town center. That undoubtedly was the highlight of my day so far!
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| St. Hilaire |
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| bus arriving in Gorey |
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| Mont Orgueil castle from the beach |
The bus drive to Gorey took half an hour or so, through residential areas of well cared for homes with mostly French names prominently displayed at each entrance. We picked up some limpet shells on the beach before heading up hill to the castle, the sun trying to come out again. Fog was starting to roll in off the sea as we entered the site, seeing structures from the early thirteenth century right up to the German occupation of 1940-45. The castle was begun following the division of the Duchy of Normandy in 1204 and primarily used for the defence of Jersey. It was updated for platforms for artillery in 1548, showing how the castle was adapted to the new technology of gunpowder warfare in the Tudor period. After it was superseded by another castle in St. Hellier (Elizabeth Castle) at the end of the 16th century, Walter Raleigh, who was Governor then, rejected a plan to demolish Mont Orgueil and use the stone to build the new fortifications. It was used as a prison until the end of the 17th century for troublesome agitators and regicides who are to numerous to name here. The Germans in 1940 garrisoned the castle and, in typical Teutonic fashion, added modern fortifications camouflaged to blend in with the existing structures. There was an awful lot of stairs to climb but the views of the town and sea were worth the effort though at times the narrow staircases and low roofed corridors were dark and slippery. We had lunch at the café on site then returned by bus back into town to wander about for the next two hours before catching the ferry back to France. The ferry was on time and the weather much improved as I stood on the deck and watched Jersey recede quickly into the distance, one more place to cross off my list I suppose. I would have liked to have explored the coastline and countryside more and take walks along the sweep of St Ouen and hike the North Coast but that will have to be for another time...gws
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| Royal Arms of Charles II, 15th century |
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| cooling off my sore feet in the bay, St. Hilaire, Jersey |
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| arriving back in Saint Malo |
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| Emmanuel Macron ou Marine Le Pen |
