UNITED KINGDOM: Guernsey & Jersey

A bit of advice if you’re traveling to the Channel Islands, give yourself some wiggle room. The ferries have a habit of frequent cancellation. Such was the case when I lost a day in Guernsey to just such a curtailment of service, proving once again, the necessity of maintaining flexibility in your travels. Also, always have a back-up plan. It turns out that Condor Ferries purchased vessels that were not entirely up to the task of dealing with rough seas. The place I stayed was managed by a short, pudgy git who bore a resemblance to what would happen if you crossed Boris Johnson and Donald Trump.

After mentioning that there might be relief in sight regarding our horror of a President, to which the plump innkeeper had the poor taste of lambasting me with Fox News talking points. I think he forgot the hospitality part of the business in which he was supposed to be engaged. Never mind the fact that Guernsey was occupied by the Nazis during the war, and that Donald Trump has given comfort and encouragement to Nazis of all stripes worldwide. Should Trump be re-elected in a year, I will never forgive the American people and the 99% of evangelicals who still support him.

GUERNSEY

My week in Guernsey was truly a grey and rain-sodden experience, but thankfully I was granted one absolutely stunning sunny day.

These first grey shots were taken with my iPhone close to my hotel. It’s always nice to get some of the same material in different lighting so I made sure to return for more on a sunny day.

Even windy, rainy weather can produce some quality images.

I very much enjoyed the rock formations and the craggy coastline and was looking forward to delving into some of the war remnants that can be found around the island.

German bunkers and fortifications encircle the perimeter of the island. Most of them were built by slave labor from Hitler’s camps.

HERE COMES THE SUN

FORT HOMMET

CASEMATE BUNKER

IT’S NOT THE GUNS OF THE NAVARONE

BUT IT COULD DO SOME DAMAGE TO AN UNSUSPECTING VESSEL

10.5 CENTIMETER COAST DEFENCE GUN

The ochre-colored moss on the rocks in Guernsey was especially attractive.

PLEINMONT OBSERVATION TOWER

GRENADE CHUTE

PARASAILING

MACHINE GUN

RADIO

LADDER TO THE TOPMOST LOOKOUT

PARASAILER COMES IN FOR A LANDING

FORTIFIED TRENCH LEADING TO ARTILLERY EMPLACEMENT

EXTERMINATE, EXTERMINATE! – I think the Doctor Who people stole the design of the Daleks from the Germans.

HERE’S A SLIGHTLY HEFTIER PIECE OF ARTILLERY

CAMOUFLAGED TRENCH LEADING OUT OF THE ARTILLERY EMPLACEMENT

ANOTHER BUNKER IN THE DISTANCE

THE ALBION HOUSE – 1780

Closest tavern to a church in the British Isles

JERSEY

HERE WE GO AGAIN WITH ANOTHER WET WELCOME TO JERSEY

THERE WEREN’T ANY TAXIS AT THE FERRY TERMINAL SO I WALKED THE MILE TO MY HOTEL.

ONCE AGAIN THE LION’S SHARE OF MY VISIT WAS INUNDATED BY PRECIPITATION

Chippy was good enough to give me a tour of the island.

Jersey also has ochre moss inundated rock formations.

DODGY PUB – One of the kilt-wearing chaps just got done mooning someone down the street.

Chippy, Sadie-Rose, Zoe, and Harry

RECOVERING PET

LIBERATION MONUMENT – Celebrating the expulsion of the Nazis in 1945

I enjoy a brief respite from the rain before flying to a week’s worth of precipitation in London.