It was dark at 5.30am when I left to walk to Clapham Junction station. Once we got to East Croydon an announcement was made that the train was going to divide, with one section going to Bognor Regis and the other going somewhere else. Trouble is, me and all the others with luggage were going to Gatwick, and not being locals (and with no onboard maps to help) we didn’t know which of these lines Gatwick was on. We all followed each other, with some pandemonium – we all had deadlines, and hoped we’d chosen the right bit. Luckily we arrived at Gatwick.
After a 40 minute flight we landed at Jersey – one of the Channel Islands. There was a long queue for taxis so I got on the local bus – ended up in town with no idea where my hotel was, and seemingly no-one around to ask. And so, with a few “points in the right direction” and up a hill (of course), and the Hotel was located. And I think “I’m too old for this! Why didn’t I just wait for a taxi?”
This forms the mood for the day. I’m sick of travelling. Over old buildings. “Why am I here?” I think. (Not on earth. Here in Jersey?) A lovely evening meal of minted lamb restores the mood, and I walk back up the hill in the pitch dark and have an early night in bed.
Next day go out to the Elizabeth Castle in the St Helier Bay. It’s on a rocky islet and I went over in a boat on wheels. At low tide you can walk over on a pathway, but at high tide the pathway is 10 feet underwater. At low tide the boat on wheels bumps along the rocky path and at high tide it floats. St Helier was a monk who lived on the island in 700AD. Later it became a monastery, and then a strategic fort. Most of its history is about defending the island from the French, the Dutch, or whoever was around. But the Island was captured by the Germans in WW2, so I presume they didn’t sail in through the heads to be fired on by the cannons!
As I walked around I came upon a musket firing exhibition. The guide was dressed as an English soldier of the 1790s. He showed us how to load the gunpowder and then he fired some shots in the general direction of the ferry terminal. Very loud noise (the sort you feel in your chest) and a very satisfying echo. When he finished he skipped off to change for “the Parade”. I expected there’d be a group of soldiers turn up but he appeared alone. He told us that in “his” time, women weren’t allowed on the parade ground, so he asked us to stand on the side. That left all the men standing there and he told them that the rest couldn’t turn up so they’d have to do the parade. So he formed them into a marching group and he had them marching around. They were wearing shorts and towelling hats and sandals and having a great time. Really funny. At one stage he shouted” Are you all trained killers?”. They answered “Yes Sir”. He shouted “I can’t hear you!” They yelled “YES SIR”. Looked as if they wouldn’t kill an ant.
Uneventful trip back: 40 Minute flight, 45 minutes for them to decide which carousel to put the bags!! Typical airport fun!!
