Upset to see us go?

This was our first holiday trip since adopting CS Lewis last December; we left hoping that, with the support of Topaz, Whiska & Sophie, he'd adjust OK - seems he was off to a good start.

June 18 We arrived at Gatwick and, with a 4 hour layover, took the train to the nearby town of Crawley, stopping for a first pint at a local pub, before catching our Aurigny flight to Guernsey.

Guernsey June 18 - 24

We'd divided our six nights’ stay into 3 nights in St. Peter's Port and 3 more in St. Martin's. By late afternoon we had settled in to our hotel in St. Peter's Port and been struck by the fact that, this being our 5th trip to the Island (in less than 6 years) and having already visited the tourist sites, there was nothing to do - other than relax and "take it easy." Guernsey was a place where we felt "at home;" somewhere we'd always enjoy returning to. It had taken on the comfortable feel of "the family cottage" - and that, in some strange way, is what it had become for us.

Some highlights (during which the weather was perfect) were:

Hotels

In St Peter's Port we stayed at St. George's on the Esplanade for the  5th time. Davina, as usual, was there to greet us. On the shore and a short, pleasant stroll into the heart of town, it was our base.

In St. Martin's we stayed (for the 2nd time) at La Barbarie.Our first stay was last year and this elegant but relaxed country inn has become another "home." It feels that way, in part, because it's just down the road from Bellieuse Farm, where George's grandfather was born - we'd discovered the farmhouse on our first visit and are still researching its history. La Barbarie is a great base for walking into St. Martin's or along the coast or even all the way into St. Peter's Port. And it is an excellent place to just "be," enjoying dinner in the restaurant or reading by the swimming pool.

On the Sunday morning (June 22) we took the bus into St. Peter's Port to attend the service at Town Church,where George's great-great-great grandparents were married in 1820. The walls near the church are covered in poppies from the fields of Flanders.

 

 

 

After the service we took off along the south coast trail along the bottom of the island, finally and exhausted we reached Fermain Bay where there is a much-appreciated restauant with outdoor picnic tables. And then it was back to La Barbarie.

 

A couple of hours later we walked back into St. Martin's (where his grandfather had been christened and where his great, great grandparents were buried) to attend evensong at the small parish church.

 

Restaurants

A return to Village East on the embankment for fresh seabass served with a skewer of prawns on a bed of local, new potatoes. http://www.villageeastguernsey.net/
               

Always a favourite is La Nautique overlooking the harbour where George has his usual liver and blood sausage followed by tempura prawns. http://www.lenautiquerestaurant.co.uk/
               

And a discovery, The Absolute End, a seafood restaurant less than 50 meters from our hotel where George had skate with capers. http://www.theabsoluteend.com/

And during a walk about town, we stopped for a delightful, outdoor lunch of oysters at The Boathouse http://theboathouse.gg/  

While staying at La Barbarie, we had breakfasts and one lovely dinner in the restaurant and discovered a nearby local pub, the Captain’s, for good pub meals (and soccer games).

The World Cup

One plan for this entire trip had been frequent pub visits to enjoy games amongst enthusiastic fans cheering for England. That plan got dashed on our 2nd night in Guernsey when England lost to Uruguay, getting eliminated from the finals and having only one more game to play - one they lost as well. This sign, which we saw several days after, pretty much sums up the mood that took over English pubs.

 

 

Shopping

In St. Peter's Port we browsed in some antique shops, hoping to find something of old Guernsey to take home. George found (what else?) a pipe and Tana gold earrings and a chain, in a long established jewelry shop where the jeweler was hard at work.

 

 

Buses

Buses are the way to get around this tiny island and we road a lot of buses.The fare is only 1pound and they take you all over the Island - even the airport. And on one ride Tana scribbled out a copy of this poem (from the Guernsey Literary Festival, May 2014; which was above a seat across from hers and it reminded her of a friend and hit a chord:      

Lovely Memories by Beryl Maky
I have a friend in London
Who lives close by the Thames
Strand-on-the-Greens where I taught
And one of London's gems.
I'd like to go to London
And see my friend once more
I'd trace my steps along the path
That leads up to her door.
Now Chriswich Words may not be there
As in the days gone by
And London Transport of our times
May seem a distant cry.
But memories are still quite clear
As I close her garden gate
Tea is being served at 4
So I must not be late.

Friends

Since our first visit, part of the draw to Guernsey has been a sense of belonging - of having friends there. We met Tony the current owner of Bellieuse Farm, on our first trip (back in 2009), when he flung open the door and graciously invited us in. He still owns the farmhouse. Since his wife, Judy died in 2012, he and his two elderly dogs live there on their own but with a vivid and uplifting sense that Judy is with them.

On this trip we saw him twice, the first time just stopping by for a chat when out walking one evening and the 2nd time for lunch at La Barbarie. It was a pleasant meal at a private outdoor table the staff had set up for us in the gardens surrounding the entrance and we learned more about Tony's quite fascinating life - in his earlier years, attending Oxford (in the 1940 at the end of WWII), starting out as a young lawyer, working for the British government to run countries like Aden (under Britain.s control until 1967 and now called South Yemen), in later years being Magistrate of Guernsey.

We met Roger, the former owner of the farmhouse, on our last trip when he filled us in on Island history and gave us, as a gift, a piece of linenfold from the old farmhouse. Since returning home we had researched that gift and it had become the topic of a just published article. So, sitting with him again at the large table inside his house just across from the farmhouse, we gave him a copy. He was intrigued by the carbon dating finding that the house dated back to the 1400s and said he'd cross check by getting the growth circles on a larger piece of linenfold analyzed. In Roger we've found a collaborator - someone seeped in knowledge of Guernsey's rich history and as intrigued as we are by the old farmhouse. As if destiny had played her hand, when we arrived at La Barbarie the next day, he was there in the dining room having lunch after at a meeting of "the courts" of the Fief Le Comte and the Fief De Blanchelande which are the only fief courts in the island that continue to meet. As we'd learned when we met with Roger last year, he's a long term member of this historic court and Bellieuse Farm is still part of the Fiefdom and, as we discovered when we got home, that meeting was an historic one. (see BBC)

 

No doubt we'll keep in touch and definitely we'll meet up with him again - next trip.

As we have done on every trip, we made a couple of treks up to the Priaulx Library and this time we got to know Amanda, the Chief Librarian who had just done a book of photos on Guernsey Through Time. We bought a signed copy and chatted  bit about the history of the Guernsey Crest or Coat of Arms.

In a couple of years it will be the 100th anniversary of the day George's grandfather's moved into our house in Hamilton and we're thinking of naming that house, in his honour, The CJ Loney house and creating for it some sign that encorporates the Guernsey Crest. Given that he was born in Guernsey that seems somehow fitting.

On the morning of June 24, right after our final breakfast at La Barbarie, we reluctantly left Guernsey, taking a quick flight to Gatwick and from there on by train to Canterbury.

Canterbury June 24 - 27

We'd booked 3 nights at the– Millar’s Arms.   Located in a quiet residential area near Canterbury Cathedral, it was built in 1826 to serve local mill workers; the pub has long been a favourite with locals. It's still got a good local feel, excellent pub food and a selection of local brews so that’s  where, after the magnificent experience of attending a choral evensong inside Canterbury Cathedral, we enjoyed our first Canterbury meal.

This was our first visit to the area and, feeling again like "tourists," next morning we took a guided walking tour to get our bearings. Then we took the short bus ride to Whitstable on the coast which turned out to be a quiet place fit for wandering, getting glimpses of fishing gear, oysters, and huge piles of oyster shells and stopping  for a pint on the beach before heading back to Canterbury and enjoying a great meal at the Old Weavers’ House, a restaurant in an historic building, dating from 1500. Taking its name from the influx of Flemish weavers in the 1600s; it's said to be Canterbury's most photographed site.

 

 

 

 

 

The next day we toured Canterbury Cathedral, pausing to take photos at famous spots such as the site of the murder of Thomas Beckett

 

Then going through the open market to the bus depot, we headed east to Dover and its famous white cliff, admittedly humming Vera Lynn's famous wartime song as we walked the beach. Vera Lynn White Cliffs of Dover

Then, we walked  up (believe me its ‘up’) to Dover Castle where we focussed  on the WWII wartime tunnels. Our favourite tour was that of the area which served as the underground headquarters for Operation Dynamo - the rescue from Dunkirk. It was set up to give the sense of how it had looked at that time and film clips of what was taking place across the water were skillfully projected on the walls.

Back to Canterbury, we had dinner at Deeson's. George had spotted the restaurant during our wanderings the previous day; they were already booked solid for that night so he’d made a reservation. It's a lively, obviously popular, place that specializes in everything fresh and local (much of it brought in that day from the owner's own 5 acre "small holding" situated just outside town). George savoured his meal of "pan fried breast of local pigeon served with parsnip purée, a quail egg, onion tart, pickled celery and candied walnuts which was followed by a tasting plate of bunker pork - pork loin, shoulder stuffed with black pudding, slow cooked pigs cheeks, and. Pulled pork bubble and sleek cake served with broccoli and apple butter. And Tana enjoyed something a touch more vegetarian, starting with a goat cheese salad served with heritage tomatoes, walnuts and a balsamic reduction followed by a twice baked old Winchester cheese soufflé served with a carrot and onion puree, new potatoes and creamed leeks. With no room for dessert both of us left with a good taste of Canterbury and the feeling that, should the opportunity arise, we'd be back for another meal.

London June 27- 29

On June 27 we took train to London, where again we were in familiar territory and, feeling no need to "be tourists," could just wander familiar streets and return to favourite places.  We had booked a last minute deal to stay at the Grange Rochester on Vincent Square which turned out to be a good choice. The first night we had a not memorable meal at a nearby noisy pub and next morning, the weather, for the first time since we'd left Canada, looked ominous. With predictions for rain on and off all day, we headed to Portobello market (one of our favourite spots to head in London on a Saturday morning). Escaping into a pub every time it started to pour, we had a good day with shopping restricted to a search for a Sherlock Holmes style "deer hunter cap." We did find the perfect one. That night we returned to another of our favourite areas of London, South Kensington and had dinner at a Lebanese restaurant we had discovered on a previous visit. It was lively and the food was, as we had remembered, great - as was that bottle of Lebanese red wine.

Windsor/Eton June 29 - July 2

The next morning (June 29) the train took us from nearby Victoria Station to Windsor where we stayed for our final 3 nights of this trip at the Crown and Cushion. Dating back to the 1600's, this delightful local pub, with 8 rooms upstairs, has been an Inn since 1753. Just across the river in Eton it turned out to be in a great location. We had come to Windsor (and, in fact, planned this entire trip so as to attend a concert at Stoke Park - a 300 acre private estate/resort/country club in Buckinghamshire that had recently started hosting concerts.

 The night before it had been Elton John and tonight it was Katherine Jenkins. We had seen her for the first time on our second trip to Guernsey when she'd done a show there during Liberation Week. It had been just before her 30th birthday; she had been fabulous and now it was her 34th birthday and we had "gold circle" tickets".

The only problem was that it had rained the day before and the skies were looking cloudy. This was an outdoor concert in a setting where the dress code specified "no umbrellas" and said to "be prepared for inclement weather." So, we went in search of one of those long plastic rain capes. Trouble was that they'd sold out to people heading to the Elton John event. But George did find one in a shop where the owner said he'd put it in the back (and was sending it back) because no-one wanted it. It was bright pink and now it was George's costume for this upscale event.

But, as it turned out, it was his lucky charm because, as soon as we arrived at Stokes Park, the skies cleared! The evening was calm and pleasant. We were first ushered into an elegantly set-up Pavillion where, as we were led to our table, waiters were walking around serving Pimms cocktails. That was a lovely start to what proved to be a truly excellent dinner - wine glasses never empty and a quite wonderful buffet featuring such dishes as beef Wellington. After dinner we were shown to our seats out on the lawns for the show and, at intermission, it was back to the Pavillion for more wine. Great show! Great evening!

The next couple of days we spent wandering in Windsor/Eton. We'd been there before (on a snowy winter day) and already toured Windsor Castle so the major sightseeing was done though we did attend (again) a choral evensong inside the Castle at St. George's Chapel - a magnificent and historic place. With Henry VIII buried there and so much royal presence and with the choir singing, it was a "haunting" experience.

We also:
             - visited Windsor Parish Church of John the Baptist - a pleasant, welcoming place where Tana found a bookmark bearing her favourite Kipling quote which reads, in part: "If you can face Triumph and Disaster and treat those two importers just the same; then, yours is the world and all that's in it..."

             - relaxed on a river cruise, noticing the Oakley Court - a castle-like mansion where movies, such as Dracula and Rocky Horror Picture Show, were filmed. Now  a hotel, it looked like an interesting place to spend a couple of nights, especially around Halloween.

             

              - stopped at the outdoor patio of The Three Tuns pub a few times, housed in one of the oldest buildings in Windsor, it's a popular spot and a good pub with a non-touristy, local feel.

              - watched a couple of World Cup matches in the homey atmosphere of the pub at our Inn. It was  pretty quiet as there was not much interest from disgruntled English fans still smarting from England's embossing early defeat.

              - ate at some good restaurants in Windsor. We had our last dinner on a lovely outdoor patio overlooking the Thames - a good meal (steak tartar for George) & a pleasant end to the stay.

In the future, if we have a stopover through Heathrow, we might just take the train or taxi to Windsor instead of going into London.

On July 2 we took the short taxi ride to Heathrow for the flight home to the cats who, thanks to pet sitters/neighbours, were looking great - contentedly relaxing in their usual places on our bed and in the windows.

78 Mountain Ave, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8P4G2
All text and images are copyrighted. Any use is by permission only.
Site is under construction. Last update: July 24, 2014