Jersey - The Occupation, sun, a great ride, and prepping for the run to Christmas

We had three nights and two full days in Jersey and we packed in a fair bit.  Apart from the boring travel chores of doing 4 rounds of washing (we booked ourselves an apartment on Liberty Wharf at Saint Helier), we explored the gorgeous high street replete with Christmas lights and festive feel, ate more British food, went and explored some of the Occupation museums (which we'd avoided on Guernsey due to the fact most were closed, and because I couldn't face the one that was open), and WE DID A BIKE RIDE!  Yes, the sun came out for the afternoon of our second day so we kitted up and hit the bike path along the beach, rode to the Underground Hospital and War Tunnels Museum, had some yum lunch at a beach kiosk (fish butty, bacon and egg roll, and of course Jersey ice cream), then headed further along the beach and over to another part of the island.  

We were able to cook in our apartment, so we hit the M&S foodhall each day, and the apartments supplied scones every morning - so life was pretty sweet on Jersey.  We topped up some of our wardrobe with a bit more warmth, and culled old stuff we didn't need, we even gave two tyre tubes to the bike shop across the street (we were carrying 5 due to trauma from the rush of flats we had back in Tarascon).  We prepped ourselves for our run into Christmas.

Now, speaking of our run into Christmas - we are on a mission.  As of today, we have 159km to hit our 5000km (a personal goal), we left Jersey yesterday and arrived back in Saint Malo, back to our old quirky hotel, and today we head off to see if we can cope with the cold and get the 159km done.  Fingers crossed Sportsfans, we're hoping for no rain today, so I'm praying to the god of bikes and ego to help us along the way with as little sleet, head wind and windchill as possible.

So, I know it's short and sweet, so I'll let the pics tell more of the story...

We arrived in St Helier, after our four hour ferry ride to go 50km (because of the tides), checked in and headed to check out the high street - sooooooo beautiful with all the Christmas lights.  Blown away.  Loving Jersey at this point.

The next morning I was up and off to my first museum of the day it was the Occupation Tapestry Gallery at the Maritime Museum.  I'd read about it and wanted to check it out.  As I mentioned I'd been avoiding The Occupation, I often find it a bit too hard emotionally, but now on Jersey I was ready.  It was really a really special museum.  I loved it - full of colour, texture, sadness, fear, hope, and joy.  One of the best museum set ups I've seen - intimate, great interactive screen for all the information I wanted, and really personal. 

"...this gallery shows 13 panels of the tapestry woven by Islanders, which depicts a life of hardship during the five years of Occupation by German armed forces during the Second World War.  Each panel was then woven by one of the twelve parishes which make up the Island.  The story of the German Occupation unfolds as you move around the gallery and each of the tapestry panels has an interactive screen in front of it."

Outside the Maritime Museum is the Lighthouse monument

Liberation Square

After the museum, we then hit the high street in search of lunch

We found the local food market, and we got on a queue at one of the bakeries, Mike got a steak and kidney pie, and I got a Cornish pastie!  DELICIOUS!

We then joined the queue of another bakery and took home these two puff pastry mince pies - THEY WERE TERRIBLE!!  I spat mine out - it was all puff pastry and very very little spicy fruity mince inside.  MAJOR FAIL.

The next morning the rain stopped - WOOHOO!  We got ourselves rugged up, got the bikes out, and off we went along the foreshore on our way to the Underground Hospital and War Tunnels Museum.

They had these towers around the island - this is Round Tower Two - defence towers around the island (originally 31 were built) built in the late 18th Century to protect island from the French. St Helier itself has a huge fortress built on the hill overlooking the harbour in preparation for the Napoleonic wars.

Cute countryside 

We hit the museum.

The tunnels were built by mostly slave labour by the Germans during the Occupation.  It was another great museum - informative, atmospheric, really interesting, sad, yet still hopeful.  This is the entrance.

The operating room.

After we left, we headed back to the beach path for lunch followed by Jersey ice cream.  And as you can see, the sun is shining!

We decided to extend our ride along the foreshore (where the tide was out)

Looking out to one of the forts in the harbour

Looking back towards St Helier

Mike's happy to be back on the bike!

On our way back the way we came, here's the fort again with the tide even further out!  You can walk over to the fort only during this time

Heading back home...

And yesterday, here we are getting our bikes ready to head to the ferry

This is for Roses, she'll get it.  It's on our fast ferry back to Saint Malo and France - WOOHOO!

Coming into Saint Malo.  We are both so happy to be back in France.  

Our break to the Channel Island was FANTASTIC, and we're really happy to be back in the land of croissants.

Last night we went for a wander around our part of Saint Malo, which is not the posh part in the old city walls, we're out with the locals.  So beautiful.  Christmas lights abound, and so many people and families out and about.  It was Saturday night and the place was rocking.

The giant pantone in one of the shop windows.  You buy it by the weight.  Yum Yum.

The chocolate shop window display - so cute.  We popped in for hot chocolate and lemon cake out the back, then um... made a few purchases for later.

The gift shop window

Last night, tucked up in bed, I opened my special chocolate shop purchase - Marron Glacé - these are candied chestnuts, which I LOVE!  They are about the size of a walnut and are expensive and hard to get in Australia.  They are a french thing and so so so so good.  I had two.

So, Sportfans, we are getting ready to head off today towards Normandy.  We are hoping to make a town close to Mont Saint Michel, so fingers crossed, the rain stays away and I don't turn into an icicle.  Stay tuned to see how this plays out.