David and Penny in Guernsey and France

August and September 2008

We travelled to Guernsey and France in August and September 2008 to spend time with Liz and Bernadette who live in Guernsey; to have some experience of barging so that we could try out this different way of travelling by water; and to spend time in France. David had visited briefly while he was working but Penny had never been there.

We had an excellent trip from Sydney to Guernsey, free from fuss. We were staying overnight in Singapore and had a bonus when we dropped our bags in Sydney and found that they could be checked through to London. As we had packed enough in our carry-ons for an overnight stay, this was great as it meant we could go straight through at the airport in Singapore and travel easily on the train (MRT) to our hotel. We had a good night there, sampling the busy night shopping scene and then the next morning strolled around the waterfront area before we went to the airport, again on the MRT.

Singapore Harbour

I haven't mentioned the best part of the trip. I (Penny) had the window seat right through, and the skies were clear two thirds of the way on each leg, so I had the most magnificent view . I displayed the flight path when I wasn't watching a movie so I could find out what I could see below. Probably Australia and Afghanistan were the highlights, except for a mountain which poked up through the clouds in Indonesia.

Liz and Abby's Home, Elandra, Vale

On Saturday we went to Liz and Abby's home, Elandra, saw their home and met their dogs. I haven't yet spied the cats. Their home is great, very comfortable, with lots of light especially in the bedrooms upstairs. They have a lot of outdoor space and it is very well set up, with a glasshouse and two sheds, as well as a well- protected barbeque area in the back. Over their back fence there are several acres of fields so their outlook is very rural. Abby has already made good use of the glasshouse and has planted a vegetable garden so we could enjoy their own tomatoes and take home a zucchini.

We have been on several walks and seen two museums which we missed last time, the shipwreck Museum, Fort Grey: and the Underground Military Museum, built in one of the tunnels dug out by the Germans during World War 11. One of the most interesting places we visited was Hauteville, the house occupied by Victor Hugo during his exile from France from 1855 to 1870. After his departure it was occupied by members of his family until they gave it to the City of Paris who have preserved the house and grounds. This was one visit where a guide was invaluable. because everything in the house had a deeper meaning. There were beautiful tapestries (including some on the ceilings) and works of art, as well as a collection of rare books. Much of the woodwork was from recycled timber. One of the rooms was set up as an extravagant bedroom but never intended to be used, while Hugo slept in a small room almost like a monastic cell. It seemed that his wife had little to do with the decorations.

Hauteville

On Sunday we attended Mass in St Peter Port, a comfortable walk from Bernadette and Stephen's home. This Mass was quite formal. The bells in the steeple rang before Mass and again at the Consecration, so we felt as if we were going back in time.

One of our walks with Liz took us to Lihou Island, which is accessible by foot only at the lowest of low tides. It actually counts as a separate “Channel Island”. It is easy to walk around the Island- it is only 18 acres to see the remains of dolmens and of an old Priory established in 1114 and lasted until about 1560.

The ancient Priory on Lifou Island

Herm

On Bank Holiday Monday Liz and Abby, Bernadette and Steve, David and myself caught the ferry to Herm, a small Island just off- shore from St Peter Port, reached by a 15 minute ferry ride. It seems to be a favourite holiday destination from Guernsey. It has a variety of accommodation available including camping facilities, and a good beach, Shelly Beach, which was very popular the day we went and full of picnickers. We had an enjoyable pub meal near the jetty and sampled the local cider. We walked off our lunch with a walk around the Island, most enjoyable on this sunny mild day.

The ferry departed from a different “Low- tide” jetty. The tides in the Channel Islands are very extreme, around 9 metres, so no landing place is available which would serve in both low and high tides.

Jersey

We spent the last day of our stay at Bernadette's doing some work in the garden, which we very much enjoyed. The garden is well planned out and well kept though there are rather a lot of hedges. After re- locating to Liz and Abby's home we enjoyed several walks in Guernsey, mainly along the cliffs or beaches and along nature trails. The weather has been fairly poor- all these stats of least sun ever in August, most rain for 80 years etc, but we have been lucky that the good days have come around when we had made firm plans. On the next weekend we went for a great walk with Bern and Steve along the cliffs towards St Peter Port, before they shouted us to lunch at Fermain Bay. Liz and Abby took time off work too and took us for lunch at L'Auberge, overlooking the cliffs, again on a beautiful day. We can speak highly of Guernsey's cuisine and particularly of their seafood. They also have some excellent cafes for pleasant lunches.

On Wednesday we flew to Jersey. We had intended to go by ferry but the timetable would not allow us enough chance to see much so we flew, giving us two full days. The flight took 10 minutes so we were hardly up before we were down, and even though it was quite cloudy we were so low that we had a great view of Guernsey, Sark, Herm and Jersey. The weather cleared in Jersey so we enjoyed a good afternoon sightseeing and walking. By the end of the day we did not want to take an extra step. We stayed at an old fashioned but comfortable hotel along the waterfront near St Helier, Jersey's main centre. The main problem was in finding our room, hidden away down an unlabelled corridor.During the first day in Jersey we visited Elizabeth Castle, dating back to the 16th century and reached by an amphibious vehicle, as it is cut off at low tide from the mainland. We also saw the Occupation Tapestry, sewn to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Liberation. There is a similar one in Guernsey. We have been brushing up on the history of the occupation of both Guernsey and Jersey during WW11, and of the lives of the islands' residents and the prisoners of war stationed here. It was a hard time for all, terrible for the forced labourers brought in by the Germans and housed in Prisoner of War camps there. We later visited the Occupation Museum in Guernsey, which continued our education with a good display of artefacts from this period.

Perhaps the worst time for the Islanders in both Guernsey and Jersey was between D-Day, June 6th 1944 and Liberation Day May 9th 1945 . Since the Islands were still in German hands, but with the Germans cut off by the success of the Allied invasion from D-Day on, no supplies could reach the Islands. Finally on December 27th 1944 a Red Cross ship, the Vega, was able to land some supplies for the residents. A couple of other visits were made early in 1945 to ward off starvation.

Next day we bought an all-day bus pass and, equipped with the timetable and maps, spent a great day exploring the rest of the island. We took in one more castle (Mont Orgueil), this one dating from the 13th century, explored the picturesque Harbour and pier at Gorey, then the best of all Hougue Bie Museum, a site which has evidence of building going back to 6000 BC and artefacts on display dating back even further. It was quite amazing to crawl along a 9 metre passage built 8,000 years ago to see the final chamber of a 'passage tomb', a place of worship for the people of that time. It was constructed so that the sun shines deep into the chamber and lights up the rear wall on the day of the equinox- if the sun shines that day which in the present weather pattern seems unlikely. A mediaeval church was then built on the mound of earth which covered this construction, and a miniature castle on that in the 18th century, then German WW11 bunkers as well were built into the mound, so a lot of history was encapsulated in a very small area.

Hougue Bie, Passage Tomb and Medieval Chapel, Jersey

In the afternoon, we caught the bus around the Southern past of the Coast to the Corbiere lighthouse on the South West of the island. By then it was time for our final bus trip to the airport for the 10 minute ride back to Guernsey. We enjoyed Jersey. The roads are generally a bit wider than in Guernsey and it is a bit more spread out, but the two are quite similar in most ways. The bus system is definitely better. The bus company won the “Business of the Year” award there in 2007.

Back to Guernsey

We really appreciated having the use of Bern and Steve's car and also it was handy being able to park at her work to access the airport to get to Jersey. We gradually learned our way around the narrow streets and lanes, and how to 'filter in turn' and drive up on the footpath when necessary. There are very few signs with street names. The maps are not available on the normal mapping programmes, so David's electronic navigational assistant, Patricia was no use to us.

The last week we spent in Guernsey went quickly, with the weather quite mixed but fine and sunny at the weekend. We have had several great walks with Liz and Abby, around the St Saviour Reservoir (where Bern and Steve joined us) and to the Fairy rings at the south of the Island, as well as a couple of really impressive cliff walks around the Southern Cliffs with Bernadette in her lunch times. We also visited Saumerez Park on Sunday, previously a large manor but now a nursing home. The grounds are open to the public and it has a good playground and bike paths.

Guernsey's Southern Cliffs

 

On Sunday we went to Mass for the second time at St Sampson's, and were quite interested that a Polish Priest had just come to the Parish (the whole of Guernsey as well as Sark is one Catholic parish)and was saying his first Mass. Not long after we get home, we too will have a Polish Priest, Fr George, as Parish Priest, though his English will be much better as he has been in Australia for quite some time. This week I have taken to the buses, quite a challenge in Guernsey where the bus service is generally infrequent and the bus routes hard to follow. The roads are so narrow that to wait for it I had to wait in someone's driveway.

Battle of Britain Display

Yesterday we saw a most impressive air display to commemorate the Battle of Britain. The RAF team, the Red Arrows, put on a magnificent display of aerobatics, and we even had a Chinook helicopter showing off. It actually looks more like a grub than a bird but performed some interesting manoeuvres. There was also a Typhoon- very fast- and an old lumbering plane from WW11 that looked like a DC3 but Dave said didn't sound quite like one. Certainly it was of the same era. It just flew around, no showing off. The Spitfires are still impressive, so many years later. We watched from the pier at St Peter Port which was a good spot as the Harbour was the focus. Afterwards I visited the Guernsey Museum but found it quite disappointing. Maybe I was just worn out!

The Red Arrows

We celebrated David's 21st birthday at a great dinner on Wednesday night at “La Nautique” (great seafood).Why David's 21st you ask? As you know, we always planned to celebrate the third instalment of his 60th while we were here, but now it is only two weeks until his 61st, so we thought "21st" best described the event.

We caught the ferry to France. There was some concern about whether the barge wouldl be ready in time for us- it was out of the water for painting and other repairs- but in fact it was ready to go in time. We stayed in a B&B for the first night, and hired a car to make our trips easier. Also, I had an infected foot so my walking was restricted for several days. I went to a doctor in Guernsey as it was going rapidly downhill. I decided that waiting until France was not a good idea. Liz looked after this really well, thanks Liz.


Leaving Guernsey
We have been very well looked after by Liz and Bern as well as Abby and Steve while we were in Guernsey. They too have given us some great meals, with Bernadette in particular showing her talents as a cook. We have met several members of Abby's family and have enjoyed their hospitality. We were able to see the flat at Vauvert on Sunday. It is a very handy place, with the bedrooms and living area quite large, though the kitchen and bathroom Liz says are a bit poky. It is right in town and has lots of light. Sadly Milo is not back yet, though there are several reports of black cats around some old stables in the fields at the back of the house, so there is certainly hope that he is around. Matilda has been quite sociable and very well behaved. She especially likes to talk to David. Harvey and Bailey too are very friendly though their current interest in digging up the back lawn is proving a bit of a problem. They too have very much enjoyed our walks.

Leaving Guernsey
We all met for the Condor Ferry to St Malo, France. We had booked on a ferry after work so that Steve, particularly, would not have to miss too much work time which he would have to make up. That company, HD Ferries, announced after we had booked that they were no longer running the ferry route to St Malo. Steve, Abby and Bernadette had to take extra time off, and the organisation of who goes where and when, on the day, was very like my old flow charts for children's transport. We had to leave their older car at Bern's work near the airport so Steve could get quickly to work when they flew in on Monday; the “special” car safe at Bern and Steve's, and one car at Liz and Abby's work near St Peter Port so they could get back when they arrived on the ferry in a week's time. It all worked beautifully and we set off on a flat sea on a sunny day for the 2 hour crossing to France.

After picking up a hired car in St Malo, we travelled about 50kms to St Sampson sur Rance where our first night's accommodation was in a B & B (Chambre d'Hote) located in in a huge old farm building, probably 17th century, built of stone with magnificent beams- and a couple of low doorways which David found the hard way. It was perfect for our group with very comfortable accommodation for each couple separately and a large comfortable sitting room where we could have breakfast in the morning. We walked through the fields to the nearest village for a good meal in a local pub. It was a good chance for Abby to use her French and David to practice too.

Brittany by Barge
Next day we went to Lyvet, only a few minutes' drive away, to be introduced to the barge "Corbieres", owned by Peter and Jeanne Langord. Peter is the co-founder of the company where Bernadette works. Their daughter Gen is a good friend of Liz and Abby. The barge is on the Ille et Rance Canal in Brittany, separate from the main Canal system, very well maintained but not very busy. Peter and Jeanne kindly came across from Guernsey to help us to learn the ropes, and we very much enjoyed the time we spent with them. Peter and Dave have a lot in common. The barge itself was large and comfortable and very colourful. Bernadette and Stephen spent the weekend with us, Liz and Abby the entire week. We quickly learned how to cope with the locks and eventually went through 34 of them. Liz and Abby did all the
leaping, David the driving, while I stuck to throwing ropes. The lock- keepers were cheerful and chatty, some responsible for two or three locks. They rode bikes along the tow path to be there before our barge arrived. We often had spectators as we went through the locks and one day a couple rode along the tow path to see us pass though three or four.

The days were very relaxed as the locks did not open until 9.30, closed for lunch from about 12.30 until 1.30, then for the night at about 6.30, so there were no long days on the water. Once we pulled into the bank or tied up to a pontoon the others set out for their exercise, with long runs along the tow paths, or the chance to go cycling or play Boule. I was still was a bit inconvenienced by the infected foot for which I had sought medical advice in Guernsey as I had been told to keep it elevated and not to do too much walking.

We really enjoyed Brittany, especially the old towns of Dinan, Lehon and Evrain. These towns are 1000 years old with some of the buildings still in use dating back to the 12th century. We travelled as far as La Mouchiere near Tinteniac where we turned to head for home, stopping short of a series of 11 locks very close together. They are clean and well- kept with many window boxed and hanging baskets, decorating bridges and lamp posts as well as private dwellings.
The weather in France treated us very well. Our first day there was quite rainy but after that the days were sunny and clear, usually about 20 degrees. We had one night with a bit of drizzle which cleared early.

France by Car
After our relaxing week on the water, we farewelled Liz and Abby at St Malo and set off in our hired car for a week travelling through the Loire Valley and then on to Burgundy to catch up with Jo and Peter Johnson who have a home there. Already we had been to Mont St Michel, a spectacular abbey built on an island, rached by a causeway,and then on to St Malo to visit the old walled town. During our time in France our GPS Navigator Patricia was in charge and did very well in getting us to our final destinations, though we had some interesting diversions on the way. She had two main problems: her count of exits on roundabouts did not always reflect our reading of the situation (and there are more roundabouts in France than anywhere else we have driven) and she did not always recognise that a road she suggested was just too small for us. We once ended up in the yard of a farmhouse, and another time at an underpass though which the car could not fit. Still, she was very calm when we ignored her directions or made a mistake, and was able to find another way. She certainly did better than I could have done, and Jo and Peter say that we are the first people to reach their place without calling for help.

Loire Valley
Our first destination was the Loire Valley. We decided to choose a central spot and stay there a few days, so booked a Chambre d'Hote in Amboise, in the middle of a dense forest. It was comfortable though fairly basic. The original building had been burnt down in the 1980s so had been rebuilt, in the style of the original.
The Loire Valley is a major tourist area, with Amboise one if its central towns, so we had to be quite discriminating about what we saw so we didn't get sightseeing indigestion.

We visited the château and gardens at Villandry, the magnificent Château of Chenonceau built in the 16th Century, with decorations which included several Rubens and many silk tapestries; the Château Close du Luce where Leonardo Da Vinci spent his last years, and where working models of his many inventions are on display; an incredible Pagoda 44 metres high built by the Duke of Choiseul in 1775, just for
fun and because someone had built one in Kew Gardens; and a medieval chapel and fortress, with a most informative museum, in Montrichard. Perhaps the highlight was having time to wander though the various towns we visited, including Montrichard, set on the River Cher; Amboise on the Loire, which we explored quite extensively on foot, and where we also saw remains of the Gallic and Roman Settlements dating back to 400BC; and Limeray, where we went to Mass in an 11th century parish church. We also enjoyed seeing a doe and three fawn which came to the cleared area out of the forest where we were staying.

Central France
Leaving Amboise, we travelled along the Loire until we reached Orleans then on to lunch at Montargis. We just happened on this town by accident- it's not in our Rough Guide - but it was delightful, with a pretty town centre, large parks along the banks of the River Loing, and a major canal (Briare) with minor offshoots in between the houses. To beautify them small row boats filled with flowers had been moored in strategic places. We visited the Museum Girondet, actually an Art Gallery full of the works of Girondet and associates. We enjoyed watching an enormous barge negotiating the lock at Montargis. We could not see how it could fit under the bridge there- and the driver too seemed rather concerned, judging by his care in approaching it. This barge even had a car on board, with a crane to unload it. These locks were very busy and there were many German registered boats, so it must be part of the main canal system.

Next stop was a really great Chambre d'Hote, a good place to spend David's birthday night. This was in the middle of nowhere, a very old farm building lovingly decorated. It was also an artist's studio where our hostess's husband paints Icons, (a form of religious art popular particularly in Orthodox churches). We were very well looked after and enjoyed a beautifully cooked and presented meal, suitable for a birthday. Breakfast was equally well presented and delicious, with ten types of jam to choose from, five of them made by our hostess. We had rhubarb, grape, elderberry, as well as the more normal range like strawberry and apricot- as well as creamed honey. One would need to be there for days to sample them all! Our navigator Patricia had already been challenged to reach this Chambre d'Hote, especially since we had been detoured off the main road and, as usual with detours, then abandoned. The route to Johnson's was similarly demanding, as we found ourselves driving on narrow roads in the middle of fields, along a road which becomes one way (the other way) on Sundays, through a town with a maze of the tiniest cobbled streets- we had to go through it four times to find our way out- finally rewarded by arriving in good time at our destination. Jo and Peter bought their house in Burgundy (at La Bussiere sur Ousse) while Peter was working in Basel, Switzerland, about three hours drive away. It is mainly a summer house as it is very difficult to keep it warm enough in winter. It is probably 17th century, very large, made of stone with huge wooden beams, done up some 20 years ago and in very good condition. It is set in two acres of land and they have their own spring (which supplies all their water needs) which forms a stream, inhabited by a trout, and another stream also running though their property. There is a large out- building, probably a stable, which has now been converted to include a studio, and three barns across the road which they own, in a bad state of repair at the moment. They are in a small hamlet and surrounded by fields. It is very beautiful and peaceful. At the moment Peter has finished his contract with Novartis and is having interviews for a new job, but content to have spent the summer relaxing. They don't know where the next job will be. All three children are living and working in London. During the afternoon we toured the local area, the famous grape growing region of the "Cote d'Or" which produces famous wines including Montrachet . Because of a very poor summer the harvest was delayed so we were able to observe the grapes being picked, all done by hand in this area. We also visited the town of Beaune, again a pretty cobbled town, and visited or first dedicated cheese shop.

Normandy
The next day we set off on the last leg of our French tour, skirting Paris on our way to Le Havre to get the ferry. We ended up in the vicinity of Le Havre by the end of the day but as we had another 24 hours up our sleeve we diverted to take in the coastal area to its north east. We spent the night at an unremarkable town called "Bolbec" where our first French Hotel stay confirmed the wisdom of our earlier decisions to use B & Bs. In the morning we drove to the coastal towns of Fecamp and Etretat in Normandy. In Fecamp there is a very accessible harbour, as well as an extremely pebbly beach and most remarkable white cliffs. Etretat seemed to have large numbers of visitors, most of them French, a good beach front where one could stroll (no sand, just pebbles) and here we could climb to the top of the white cliffs. We enjoyed our last French meal at a waterfront cafe, then on to Le Havre for the ferry back to Portsmouth, a 5 hour trip. Again the crossing was very calm. There were only about 20 foot passengers, and we were driven on to the Ferry on a bus, which also took us off at the end. Most of the passengers were in trucks or cars. Clearing Customs was quick and easy with so few of us to process.We very much enjoyed the two weeks we spent in France. People were very friendly and helpful. We tried to speak French as much as we could and became quite adept at ordering our meals or conveying messages at the locks, but often people preferred to speak to us in English. Local cheeses and cider were a real highlight and we normally had a picnic lunch of baguette and cheese.

England
We reached our hotel in Portsmouth quite late to stay in the extremely expensive Holiday Inn Express ($A250 per night just for a motel room) and set out in the morning to explore the City. We wandered through the Historic Dockyards, where the Mary Rose is being restored and also saw the replica of Nelson's Ship, the Victory. We then caught the ferry across the Bay to Gosport to wander around some marinas including the Armed Forces Sail Training establishment. Next step was by bus to Heathrow to stay at the Comfort Inn to be on hand to catch our flight home the next day. All went smoothly again, though we must remark that the food in England is both less delicious and more expensive than in France. We were very glad that our stay in the Mother Country was so short. The trip home was uneventful. We were lucky again to have no middle- seat passenger- the seat was broken so the man first there was moved- and we believe that the new headphones helped us to be less tired because they reduced the noise stress. We arrived at our front door exactly 27 hours after catching the shuttle to Heathrow.