Guernsey, famous for its brown dairy cows, welcomed us with
another ‘marginal’ sea state. Prinsendam anchored in the lee of the island and
was barely sufficiently protected to tender the daring ashore. Now ‘dungeon
like’ landing pier awaited us here, but a brand new floating dock with all the
comforts one may wish for, except of course dry weather.
A lovely little port on an island close to France, which is
obvious when strolling the local shopping scene which abound with boutiques
inspired by French fashion and French prices. French language is evident in
street names, names of mansions and of stores and restaurants, which often
offer their fare on French menues with French fare.
I strolled along the harbour front, looking for the ferry to
Herm Island close by (great for hiking its verdant 1.5x1 mile expanse) however,
all ferries, including the ones to an alternative island Sark, were cancelled
due to strong winds. Ok, land-based diversion it shall be.
Although there is a castle, a church, various museums e.t.c.,
I opted for a leisurely stroll through the quaint town streets, and a look at
the many marina basins – many of them showing their low tide face with some
boats resting on the mucky bottom. Birds, like oyster catcher, hunted and
foraged in the seaweed, and one boater had driven his SUV down the boat ramp to
park beside his grounded boat for some maintenance work.
Midtown has a busy bus terminal, with public transport
reaching the interior of the island as
well as doing a ‘coastal’ route. One Pound Sterling bought an around-the-island
ticket, and one could watch the scenery roll by from the comfort and dryness of
a slow moving public bus.
One passes wild and rocky coast lines, long sandy beaches,
protected and rather ‘open’ fishing harbours. In the latter the boats were
bouncing up and down close to forbidding rocks, tethered to the sea bottom with
long ground tackle, if not – as in many coastal areas here – firmly sitting on
the sea weed covered sea bed at low tide.
The coast line is dotted with round stone watch towers and
concrete bunkers, dating back to German occupation during WWII. There is a German
built underground military hospital, which is located in one of the tunnel
complexes underneath the bunkers.
Fort Grey, situated on a rocky outcrop and easily recognized
by its white round tower reaching above the fort’s wall, dates back a little
further.
Although Guernsey is famous for its dairy cows, I did not
see a single one chewing her cud on the many fields. Neither could I track down
a flower shop on an island that prides itself of its gardens, flowery
adornments of its streets and widespread freesia producers.
A pleasant little town, picturesque harbour, sophisticated
shopping and bistro scene, pleasant land and seascape….a fitting finale to a
circumnavigation of the United Kingdom and Ireland….
 |
| The only tango in St Peter Port..... |
