Blogs from Channel Islands, Europe - page 2

Dear All Greetings again from London, for the second of my two blog entries on my mini-travels to Jersey earlier this week. Here I plan to write up on my second two days on this lovely little Channel Island, which although were not quite so exhilarating and enthralling as the first two days, were pleasant and agreeable enough. I believe it was the weather which made a difference, which although I’m not complaining too much, was really quite sunny and bright on Monday. This meant that I stayed dry for the whole day, but in fact the day was more genteel and calm – I know that this really shouldn’t be a problem, but compared to the windswept exhilaration of Sunday, felt a bit mundane. Still, mustn’t grumble, and I enjoyed very much my final two ... read more

The two big news stories during our stay in Jersey – football and the weather. The weather stories were a bit predictable. The “Beast From The East” was making a presence with some unusually cold temperatures and a biting wind. However, now we had snow in the forecast. Jersey is the southern most of the Channel Islands and tucked in at the bottom of the chain. It is much nearer the French coast and therefore not so prominently positioned like Guernsey and Alderney, that take the occasional swipe from a storm heading in from the north. We were busy staring out into the harbour at St Aubin from the comfort of the Westward pub. The locals were staring at the sky. A tiny amount of small white flakes descended. A barman advised that it was the ... read more

There is a familiarity about Jersey, even though we've never been. It has that same feel you get in Los Angeles. I mean by that, you have seen it before on the TV. Jersey was the backdrop for the 1980s detective series, Bergerac. Think Death in Paradise of the day, transferred from the Caribbean. Jim Bergerac - divorced, recovering alcoholic - solves crime on small island, accompanied by a succession of ever changing female co-stars. At least, he kept the same car - a 1949 open top Triumph Roadster 2000. Well he didn't actually - during the rigours on TV filming, the producers went through 3 identical models between 1981 and 1991. We circled over the azure blue waters of St Ouen Bay to land from a westerly direction. The North Sea never looks this ... read more

The first port of call for Caribbean Princess was Guernsey and its capital, St. Peter Port. The harbour is too shallow to accommodate large cruise ships, so Caribbean Princess anchored offshore. The ship launched its own boats to serve as tenders to convey passengers ashore. I was looking forward to making a visit to the Channel Islands. There are not many opportunities to visit here during a European trip. Upon arriving at the ferry terminal, greeters in local dress welcomed us. Guernsey's dependence upon the sea was evident as there are three large marinas at the harbour. Slips accommodate local and visiting craft. Ferries operate to England, France and to the other Channel Islands, including the mysterious Sark. St. Peter Port is very tidy with the focus of the entry point a statue of Prince Albert ... read more

We started our latest adventure by flying from San Francisco to London. Once we arrived at the airport we headed to the Central Bus Station and bought a ticket to Southampton from National Express. We bought a ticket using our credit card and then waited an hour for the next bus. When we arrived in Southampton we walked to our hotel the Southampton West Quay. After checking in we walked around the town and had a beer at a 800 year old pub. The manager was very nice and we bought him a beer which is the equivalent of giving a tip. The next morning it was raining so we took a cab to our ship which was very near by. The ship is the Celebrity Eclipse, which is a beautiful ship. Our ship arrived at ... read more