Channel Islands - Jersey
First stop was a ride on the St. Helier tourist train. It was the perfect way to explore the historic bay with such magnificent views.
We were so excited to be able to join in with the island’s special day - “Liberation Day” which has been celebrated on the 9th May since 1945. This is when the Channel Islands finally became free after five years of German occupation. We were honoured to be witness to the day’s events. With front row views we watched the marching bands from both veterans and recent armed forces as well as the scouts, girl guides and sea cadets. 
A motorcade followed with a mixture of vintage military vehicles adorned with Union Jack flags and Jersey flags. 
It was a fabulous afternoon in Liberation Square partaking in the festivities. There were live bands on the centre stage and of course the JollyDays party animals needed no excuse in joining in with the dancing. It was such a wonderful, jolly afternoon.
Our next stop was to the excellent Maritime Museum with outstanding displays of many aspects of Jersey’s sea faring past as well as the tapestries depicting those dark five years of Nazi occupation. Each tapestry had intricate stitch work all with a slight personal touch from the seamstress.
It was all aboard our tour bus for an incredible trip all around the stunning Jersey coast. Our firs point of interest was Gorey Village with the backdrop of Mont Orgueli Castle, an imposing fortress built at the end of the bay. We were shown where the famous Jersey Royal potatoes were grown, the well-known Jersey Cows which are used for their creamy milk for making produce such as cream, cheese and mouth-watering Jersey fudge and chocolate. Our tour continued and we were shown famous people’s houses and graves belonging to Alan Wicker and Billy Butlin. Then we drove 5 miles to a beautiful beach to visit the light house at Corbiere to see some impressive pill boxes and gun placements built by the occupying German forces during their captivity. 
Today we caught the amphibious vehicle taking us on both land and on sea to the island where the Elizabeth Castle was situated. We were greeted by King Charles ll who retold the history of the island in perfect character. Stood on the rock, we learnt how its fortifications began all the way through to the modern day and how it was named by Sir Walter Rayleigh to gain favour with the Queen by naming it Elizabeth Castle. 
Next, we were given a lesson on loading and firing a musket by gunman Tom who was dressed in traditional artillery uniform from late 1700/early 1800’s. He took us to show the same procedure used with a cannon that was found on Nelsons’ ship “The Victory”. Using tools to scrape the end of the barrel, pack the gunpowder and light the fuse we held our ears for the loud bang! It was much louder than we expected. Our tour continued with Peter and Åse climbing to the very top of the castle keep and even into the carbuncle concrete pill box built on top which was built by the Germans.
How lucky were we to have our very own hot tub! It was the perfect way to relax after our busy days.
Another beautiful day greeted us as we caught the bus to Hougue Bie a neolithic site, a huge earth mound with a tunnel through the middle. This was incredibly constructed 6000 years ago with accurate positioning for the sun to shine down the tunnel. This evolved over the years with a Christian church being built on top. We enjoyed a very informative tour from a member of the heritage society and enjoyed listening to a flutist. In the grounds, a full-scale long house has been constructed using traditional methods. Inside we marvelled at how life would have been like living in such a dwelling. Back to more recent history we all went down the steps into a German bunker built on the site in 1942 from forced labour. The dark, ugly concrete block sunk underground with huge iron doors giving a grim reminder once again of the occupation by the Nazi’s.
Back in St Helier we visited the Victorian Market which was full to burst with flower stalls, fruit stalls and homemade goods. Everyone managed to pick up some souvenirs including Jersey black butter, Jersey cream biscuits and fudge. An afternoon cream tea treat with scones and cakes galore was enjoyed at Rosie’s Tea House
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