Day 8: The ocean and an island!

September 22

I have not posted for a couple of days. Not much has happened really since my past post! Day 6 was a "taking care of business" day. We traveled from London to Weymouth so that we could take the ferry the next morning. Once we got there we did laundry (which was greatly needed) and walked the beach munching on fish and chips and ice cream. We ducked in and out of little shops spending money we don’t have!

Yesterday morning we caught the ferry for Guernsey! Guernsey is pretty much the whole purpose of this trip. The three of us adored the book "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society" and we had to come. Guernsey is a small island in the English channel. It once belonged to France but a few hundred years ago they declared independence and swore allegiance to the British crown. They are protected by the British military, but the island itself is its own independent country. The people here have a variation of an English accent, but all the streets names are in french. It is an interesting little place!

Once we docked in St. Peters Port (the capital) and dumped our bags at the hotel, we boarded a city bus and rode around the entire outside of the island. It only took a little over an hour. The Island is 25 miles around and 75 miles across. That will give you an idea of its small size. It is pretty compact! In my mind I pictured it being more rural then it is. Downtown St. Peters Port is crowded and busy!

So, the book we read was set in the post World War II era. It is about the German occupation of Guernsey. Guernsey is the closets the Germans got to occupying England. Just before the Germans arrived the residence of Guernsey packed up all there children and shipped them off to live with strangers in England. They were gone for a few of years. How sad is that! The Germans were excited to get their hands on Guernsey thinking it was only a matter of time before they took over England, but Guernsey quickly became a liability to them. It had to be defended and was quickly flooded with thousands of German solders. Guernsey received most of their food and other supplies from England so of course that stopped as soon as the Germans arrived. Things on the island started to get pretty bad after that. Between the islanders and the Germans, food, clothes, and firewood quickly ran out. No one was allowed on or off the island. The Germans had it pretty miserable here too. There are stories of the Germans and the islanders having to collaborate and almost become friends in order to survive during those years.

The German occupation of Guernsey is now what pulls many tourists to it shores! (Like us!) Today we have booked our selves on an "Occupation Bus Tour." We are excited for that! However, (and my family will get this) my mother is sleeping her way through England and Guernsey. We can’t get her to stay awake for anything! On the ferry she knocked her tea over when she jerked awake. It flew all over the table soaking everything. Yesterday she slept through our entire bus ride through the island! At one point she nearly fell into the aile! So, I doubt she will get much out of the bus tour today. We tease her that she never really had "jet lag" when she got her because her natrual state is to be jet lagged!

On a depressing note. . . I have come down with a cold. I always get sick after a week into a trip. Always! I can’t figure it out! It makes me so mad. . . I want to be all "get up and go" but instead I am "where is the nearest bed". . . Grrr. . .