So here I am back again with another story of my time on the island of Jersey in the Channel Islands between England and France. Part 2 takes place on Saturday May 1st when once again I purchased an all day bus pass for 7.50 GBP. I had enjoyed my previous jaunt so much I decided to hit the buses once again.
I was staying in Gorey Harbour which was such a good decision as I was right by the water in a village setting yet with regular connections to good public transit all over the island. The bus stop was literally a two minute walk from my door step.
While staying there I was being coy about where I was staying when talking about it on the blog. (Stalkers you know!) Here is another picture of the harbour: I stayed in the pale yellow house in between the three yellow buildings in a row (hotel) and the blue house. One floor up with a wonderful view of the harbour. I would mark it with an X but I don't know how to do that!
This view appears on postcards, fridge magnets, tea towels and trust me... I've got them all!!
I hopped the number 1 bus (every half hour) to St Helier which is the main town. There I changed to the number 3 bus to Rozel Harbour. I decided I was going to have breakfast there. (not that many options in Gorey and I like to try a different place each time)
Twenty minutes later as I got off the bus I knew I would like this place...I wandered down the narrow street to the harbour and over to the Hungry Man kiosk. I had heard many wonderful things about this place so I was so disappointed to see every table was taken and there was nowhere close by to sit. Sadly I made my way back to the main street and entered a tea room..or tried to. They weren't yet open but would be in a few minutes so they said - and instructed me to sit outside on the deck which I did. I sat for a while but no one even approached me and being as I hadn't had my coffee yet I was kind of grumpy and muttered "sod this",got up and walked down to the harbour again. And guess what? As I arrived a couple left their small table by the water so I immediately plunked my backpack down and went to order my breakfast.
So there I sat with my bacon, egg and cheese bap (bun) and a flat white coffee. Bliss! What a view!
The Hungry Man is supposed to have the best Crab sandwiches on the island - next time!
What more could a person ask for - a delicious breakfast with a view like this and the tang of the wonderful sea air. I think you would have had to bitch slap me to get the smile off my face. These are the moments I savour on a trip - sitting enjoying the view and thinking how lucky I am to be able to do this.
I wandered around the village a bit...how I adore fishing villages whether they are in Portugal, Turkey, Malta or England...love them all.
It was time to hop on the bus an hour later so back I went to St Helier's Liberty Square bus station where I got the number 9 bus to Greve de Lecq which is one of the most popular beach areas on Jersey's north coast.
This beach was definitely a bit more touristy than other places I had seen but it was beautiful all the same.
At first I thought this was a very big fat seagull but turns out it was a duck..a very confused looking one.
I happily watched this boat get pulled in...I also spent a fair bit of time sitting on one of the benches on the pier above.
All too soon it was time to hop on the bus to St Helier and back to Gorey. But my day wasn't finished yet..oh no it wasn't! It was time to "hit" the castle above me and tackle the steep climb..nothing like leaving that until the end of the day. Smart thinking, eh?
Mont Orgueil Castle or Gorey Castle as its better known as was built in the 13th century. It has evolved over the years and was used as the main defence of Jersey until the 1600's when Elizabeth Castle was built (we will be visiting seeing that in another post). It was then used as a prison but fell into such disrepair by the mid 1700's that it could no longer be used for that purpose. Renovations were done and it was used as garrison accommodation. Germany invaded Jersey during the Second World War and they used the castle as garrisons as well - building new structures to fit in with the existing ones. Royalty has visited this castle including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as well as the present Queen.
Another knight in shining armour.
What a view!
I really enjoyed this castle and wouldn't hesitate to visit it again...
I ended off my fabulous day with a lobster salad with the wonderful Jersey Royal potatoes on the side...a bit extravagant but I'm worth it. :)
A fabulous day from beginning to end!
I was staying in Gorey Harbour which was such a good decision as I was right by the water in a village setting yet with regular connections to good public transit all over the island. The bus stop was literally a two minute walk from my door step.
While staying there I was being coy about where I was staying when talking about it on the blog. (Stalkers you know!) Here is another picture of the harbour: I stayed in the pale yellow house in between the three yellow buildings in a row (hotel) and the blue house. One floor up with a wonderful view of the harbour. I would mark it with an X but I don't know how to do that!
This view appears on postcards, fridge magnets, tea towels and trust me... I've got them all!!
I hopped the number 1 bus (every half hour) to St Helier which is the main town. There I changed to the number 3 bus to Rozel Harbour. I decided I was going to have breakfast there. (not that many options in Gorey and I like to try a different place each time)
Twenty minutes later as I got off the bus I knew I would like this place...I wandered down the narrow street to the harbour and over to the Hungry Man kiosk. I had heard many wonderful things about this place so I was so disappointed to see every table was taken and there was nowhere close by to sit. Sadly I made my way back to the main street and entered a tea room..or tried to. They weren't yet open but would be in a few minutes so they said - and instructed me to sit outside on the deck which I did. I sat for a while but no one even approached me and being as I hadn't had my coffee yet I was kind of grumpy and muttered "sod this",got up and walked down to the harbour again. And guess what? As I arrived a couple left their small table by the water so I immediately plunked my backpack down and went to order my breakfast.
So there I sat with my bacon, egg and cheese bap (bun) and a flat white coffee. Bliss! What a view!
The Hungry Man is supposed to have the best Crab sandwiches on the island - next time!
What more could a person ask for - a delicious breakfast with a view like this and the tang of the wonderful sea air. I think you would have had to bitch slap me to get the smile off my face. These are the moments I savour on a trip - sitting enjoying the view and thinking how lucky I am to be able to do this.
I wandered around the village a bit...how I adore fishing villages whether they are in Portugal, Turkey, Malta or England...love them all.
It was time to hop on the bus an hour later so back I went to St Helier's Liberty Square bus station where I got the number 9 bus to Greve de Lecq which is one of the most popular beach areas on Jersey's north coast.
This beach was definitely a bit more touristy than other places I had seen but it was beautiful all the same.
At first I thought this was a very big fat seagull but turns out it was a duck..a very confused looking one.
I happily watched this boat get pulled in...I also spent a fair bit of time sitting on one of the benches on the pier above.
All too soon it was time to hop on the bus to St Helier and back to Gorey. But my day wasn't finished yet..oh no it wasn't! It was time to "hit" the castle above me and tackle the steep climb..nothing like leaving that until the end of the day. Smart thinking, eh?
Mont Orgueil Castle or Gorey Castle as its better known as was built in the 13th century. It has evolved over the years and was used as the main defence of Jersey until the 1600's when Elizabeth Castle was built (we will be visiting seeing that in another post). It was then used as a prison but fell into such disrepair by the mid 1700's that it could no longer be used for that purpose. Renovations were done and it was used as garrison accommodation. Germany invaded Jersey during the Second World War and they used the castle as garrisons as well - building new structures to fit in with the existing ones. Royalty has visited this castle including Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as well as the present Queen.
Another knight in shining armour.
What a view!
The view overlooking Gorey. I had a more compelling reason to check out this view. The bathroom of the airbnb I was using had NO curtains or blinds and I was constantly looking up at the castle with trepidation especially at night when the overhead light was on. I am pretty sure no one could see it as it was pretty much a wall straight up - and I couldn't even see the house from here. Whew!!! The little green kiosk below the flagpole is where I would always catch the bus.
The family tree of the French and British families that lived in the castle.
I ended off my fabulous day with a lobster salad with the wonderful Jersey Royal potatoes on the side...a bit extravagant but I'm worth it. :)
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