After
our 20-minute tender ride to the pier, we boarded our small, 20-passenger bus for
our Princess excursion, which drove out of St. Peter Port and headed across the
island towards the western coast. Our
tour guide, Melvin, doubled as our driver.
We were told that rocky cliffs alternate here with stretches of beach
and sand. However, we couldn’t see much
of anything because it was raining. We traveled
through the island's center and passed the greenhouses that produce Guernsey's
major agricultural exports: carnations and cut flowers. We drove through scenic villages but, again,
could not see much.
Our
first stop was a visit to Sausmarez Manor.
We were given a guided tour of the Manor, and experienced a time capsule
of Guernsey's changing fortunes over the last seven centuries through the
detailed descriptions provided by the tour guide on staff there. The first mention of the de Sausmarez family
in relation to Guernsey is in a letter dated 1254 from Prince Edward. The present Manor contains a wealth of
fascinating items, including the log from a voyage around the world in the mid-eighteenth
century, which culminated in the capture of the world's richest treasure ship. We viewed the Tapestry Room and the bow-shaped
Dining Room, which holds a collection of family portraits. Jesse brought our backpack that doubles as a
stool, which Sally used often during our tour.
(Jesse had received the backpack as an award for one of his Army
suggestions.)
 |
| At Sausmarez Manor |
Guernsey
Island is one of several Channel Islands off the coast of England, but it is
also close to France. Many of the names
of villages and streets are French words.
Of course, soldiers of William the Conqueror (from Normandy, France)
came here when they conquered England in 1066.
More recently, German soldiers arrived in World War II, when they
brought their wounded here from the D-Day landings. In fact, German soldiers arrived at Saumarez
Manor, intending to turn it into a hospital.
However, the Manor’s owner had installed neither electricity nor running
water; when the Germans realized these shortcomings, they went elsewhere –
which undoubtedly saved the Manor from destruction. The people on Guernsey lived under German
domination for five years.
Next,
we visited the famous Little Chapel of Guernsey, which was constructed to
resemble the grotto at Lourdes in France. It was built by hand over many years by
Brother Deodat of the Christian Brothers.
After
the tour, we returned to the pier and awaited our turn to board a ship’s tender
for our return trip to the ship. When it
began to rain again, we realized that we had neglected to bring an umbrella. Sally had brought along a hooded jacket that
protected her from the rain. Although we
had also brought along plastic ponchos, Jesse opted to get wet instead of
having to dry out and refold a poncho!
We were back on the ship and in our cabin by 12:30 PM. Because Sally then napped until 5:30 PM, we
missed lunch and a wine tasting event for which we had complementary tickets. (Sally wasn’t sad about that.)
For
the formal dinner, Jesse dressed in his tuxedo and Sally, in a short evening
dress. Although we sat at a table for
two, we conversed with the couple at the next table from Montreal. We didn’t get their names, but Sally talked
politics with the man, while his wife and Jesse mostly listened. Their primary language is French, and his
wife said that she didn’t speak English very well.
After
dinner, we danced for about 15 minutes to the Indigo Band in the Piazza. Many people watched the dancers from nearby and
also from the two levels above. Although
Sally liked dancing, she didn’t enjoy our being on such public display! (Also, that floor is marble, not wood, as
dancers prefer.)
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