Guernsey, England/August 28

Guernsey (St. Peter Port), England

The British isle of Guernsey lies just eight miles off the coast of France. The second largest of the Channel Islands, Guernsey possesses a mild climate, breathtaking scenery and a peaceful, unspoiled ambiance. All these attributes combine to make it a popular destination for British and French vacationers. Once the haunt of sea dogs and pirates, St. Peter Port is one of the prettiest harbors in Europe.

Castles and forts dot the Guernsey coastline, including German fortifications from World War II. The Channel Islands were the only part of the United Kingdom to be occupied by the Nazis.

Note: St. Peter Port is an anchorage port. Passengers transfer to shore by ship's tender

I was really curious about Guernsey because of having read

 " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society".

The ship arrived here at 7:00 and that gave us time to

 explore the places mentioned in the book.

We wanted to visit the little chapel and the German

 Occupation Museum and underground hospital.

Our tour, which began at 9:15 took us to Castle Cornet and 

around St.Peters Port.

It was a walking tour and our guide told us stories of the

 port and storms and shipwrecks and smugglers and

 privateers and we walked the cobblestone streets.

The Cornet Castle houses the Maritime Museum.

After touring the Castle and its museums we were treated to

 tea accompanied by something called gauche, which is a

 fruit bread, an island specialty.