Hello from Guernsey!! Leslie and I are on our much anticipated 2 day getaway to Guernsey in the English Channel. This morning we left our apartment in Vannes at 7:20am and walked to the train station (about half a mile). We found the right platform and boarded our train. When the ticket inspector came to check our tickets, however, we learned that we did not validate them in the yellow machines in the station like we should have. Thankfully the ticket inspector lady was merciful to our inexperience and didn't charge us the 20 euro penalty per ticket. Also thankfully she could speak a little English to help my utter confusion at her fast French. That was our main fumble of the day. The rest of our travels went quite smoothly, thankfully--I was a bit nervous about the trip before we left.
We changed trains in Rennes. As we sat on a bench on our platform waiting for our train in Rennes, a rail worker came over and asked us (in accented English) if we were going to St. Malo, then directed us to the train which had pulled to the far side of the platform--we didn't see it arrive because we were sitting so far down the platform! We thanked him and power walked back down the line to board the train in time. Everything after that just went smoother and smoother--lots of tiny nudges and fortuitous assistance to help us along.
We were glad that we ended up taking a train 40 minutes earlier than the train we originally thought we'd take (that one was sold out when I went to purchase our tickets), because it took longer than anticipated to walk to the ferry station from the gare (train station) in St. Malo, and even longer than we expected to get through the long security and customs lines at the ferry terminal. At last we were on the ferry, chugging out into the channel! It was happening-- so exciting!
The ferry ride was 2 hours long, and I enjoyed standing out on the deck outside in the wild wind for part of it--my tummy felt much better outside than inside. Eventually I sat with Leslie and dozed off a bit, but woke up in time to see Jersey sliding past, then Sark, then GUERNSEY! It was surreal to finally set foot on the island that has become so beloved to me via a favorite book. St. Peter Port is so cute and beautiful! Charm explodes everywhere I look. There are flowers all over the place, and festive banners hung across the narrow shop-lined pedestrian streets. It seems like stores are required to hang pots of flowers all over the exteriors of their buildings because they all have them, and the effect is gorgeous.
Leslie and I stopped at a pub with rumbling tummies for a late lunch, baggage and all, on the way to our hotel. I had a hot hearty chicken leek pie with delicious mashed potatoes--classic warm filling English food. After checking into the Yacht Hotel, which is conveniently right on the waterfront behind the bus terminal, I ventured forth and got us bus day passes while Leslie rested in our room. While I was at it, I also strolled down the long pier out toward Castle Cornet to admire its crusty sea-washed walls. When I returned to the hotel with our bus passes, we went for two bus rides on the local transit buses, to see what we could see. The streets are NARROW and there are lots of stone walls. We were surprised at how developed the inner island is--we didn't see the rustic open countryside that we expected. Maybe it's in areas our buses didn't go. Maybe Guernsey was much more rural and rustic back in the 1940s, which is the setting of the book. Who knows. I plan to check it out more on a nice long run tomorrow morning.
We got off our second bus at Jerbourg Point this evening, and I climbed over a hundred stairs down down down the cliff to the ocean and put my hand in the English Channel. It was awesome! Leslie didn't climb down the stairs due to her bad hip--she waited up top in the strong cleansing wind, admiring the view. The ocean was beautiful, the sun was shining, and the wind was blowing. We caught another bus back into St. Peter Port and went on a quest for dinner. We ate at a popular-looking waterfront place called The Boathouse and tried our first Guernsey butter. It was very rich and orange-ish, just like our guidebook said.
After dinner, we walked up one of the cool staircases between buildings to go up a level and see Victor Hugo's house. It was not impressive from the outside--surprisingly plain. We didn't go inside because it was closed. Everything but restaurants close at 5pm here! Business hours are 10am-5pm! So short. Leslie and I have agreed that so far Guernsey is not what we expected. There seem to be more houses and tidy yards than wild open countryside. But I love St. Peter Port. It is darling. I can't wait to explore more!
I brought the wrong charger for my phone so it is down at the front desk of our hotel, charging in their charger. Arg, and my little phone's battery is none too strong to begin with--a moderate day of photos and google maps drains it. Let the battery-rationing begin!
[to make the pictures larger, click on the image--the internet is being weird and these small sized pictures was the best it would allow me to do.]
At the gare/train station, ready to leave Vannes. I coerced Leslie into progressive adventure-selfies throughout our journey across France and the English Channel.
At the ferry terminal in Saint-Malo--such a relief that we got that far!
St. Malo's reconstructed old town, which was bombed during WWII, like mos of Normandy.
An actual wooden sailboat with sails and rigging and no motor or fiberglass anywhere.
Goodbye, Saint Malo!
THE WIND nearly took my glasses off. It was a rush to stand that close to the massive wake--I am secretly slightly afraid of the open ocean, so I gripped that railing for dear life.
Feeling giddy on the ferry with our first glimpse of Guernsey in the background. Literary tourism is exhilarating!
St. Peter Port, getting closer and closer! It was SO EXCITING!! I keep saying it, but I really was giddy with anticipation. We only had 28 hours on Guernsey, and I was raring to make the most of it!
St. Peter Port, Guernsey. We arrived sometime after 2pm local time, after seven hours of traveling by foot, train, and boat. It was totally worth the effort.
The lighthouse on the end of the pier, with Castle Cornet behind.
Low tide was dramatic--the Channel Islands have one of the largest tidal zones in the world--they shrink and grow by 33 feet every six hours as the tide ebbs and flows.
Seriously, nobody could reach those boats from the pier at low tide.
My hearty lunch: chicken leek pie.
Our first stop right after lunch (again, on our way to the hotel) was The Guernsey Shop, where we each picked out a ridiculously expensive authentic Guernsey sweater and shamelessly bought them. It is officially the most valuable shirt I own, and I should probably never buy another sweater in my life as penance, but IT'S A GUERNSEY. (also, those flowers behind us are arranged in the shape/color pattern of the Guernsey flag)
The St. Peter Port harbor was practically carpeted in overflowing flowers.
Castle Cornet was quite foreboding. I didn't have the courage to walk all the way down the pier to the lighthouse--there was a warning sign that waves can suddenly wash over the unprotected (no railing) narrow pier and my courage perished. Even though it was highly unlikely to happen at low tide, the ocean is just so alive and powerful and I left it alone. I had a perfectly good view without walking that extra distance.
A seaside fortress castle: crusty.
I am always on the lookout for unique dog control signs. Dog fouling-- of all types-- should be an offence everywhere.
Jerbourg Point--the clouds had blown away by the time we arrived here in the early evening and this was the clearest, sunniest hour we had on the island.
Wind and views for miles!
Descending the stairs
Hello, ocean--or should I say English Channel?
Life goals. It was too chilly to enjoy a beach while we were on Guernsey, so this was a worthwhile pilgrimage to touch the water.
Being right down among the rocks with the crashing waves was a rush.
The stairs going up from my perch on the rocks
Beautiful wildflowers
up, up, up
Back in St. Peter Port, the town church was bursting with flowers.
High Street after closing time.
The town rose in layers from the harbor, each level connected by steep streets and alluring staircases.
Just taking it all in--I liked this shopping district best when all of the stores were closed and we practically had the quiet place to ourselves.
Pastel colored houses
Hauteville House--Victor Hugo's house, where he finished writing Les Miserables. I was expecting it to look much fancier from the outside, haha. It was quite the hike to get up to it--haute meaning high after all.
Guernsey day one was over.
Guernsey day one was over.
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