Last Weekend on Jersey

Well, the other half finishes his consultancy contract today and we both become workless! (well, for a little while anyway). Going out for drinks and dinner tonight with the people he has been working with here over the last 5 months. Then we have half of the Easter weekend here before returning home for a week. The forecast for the weekend continues as glorious as it has been, so will be a lovely finish to the sunny and warm 3 weeks we've had here. No buses tomorrow as Good Friday, so we'll be on foot but will probably return to the North coast on Saturday before returning to the Green Olive for our last supper.

We've had a preliminary look at our route for our 3 month long Europe trip in Valerie. The route will probably be something like: Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Liechtenstein (because its on the way!), Austria, Germany again to meet up with some friends, Slovenia, Croatia, maybe Bosnia, crossing the Adriatic Sea to Italy to do Rome & Pompeii, back up to Switzerland. The other half may have to fly home from Geneva for a contract at the beginning of August but I will stay and have another month away, maybe with my daughter joining me, and come home with Valerie at the end of August. We'd like to spend quite a lot of time, probably the whole of June in Croatia and its islands and, ferry prices permitting, will revisit the island of Hvar where we spent our honeymoon 25+ years ago. The route might look something like this:

although we'll give France a miss on the way down as we've done eastern France to death!

Anyway, we fly home Sunday afternoon. We then spend 2 days with extended family, then some shopping, packing, preping Valerie, getting haircuts and hopefully some time with the children. Then we hope to depart the following Saturday, pick Valerie's new bike rack up from Northampton on the way, have dinner and stay over with friends just before the M25 and then take the ferry Sunday 1st. Best laid plans always go wrong, so maybe I shouldn't be this organised!!!!!!!!!

Jersey by bicycle

We hired bicycles for the weeknd and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Cycling really is the best way to enjoy Jersey. We took the western coast on Saturday and the Eastern on Sunday, seeing just about everything.

Saturday

We cycled clockwise around the island, starting out along the 3 miles of beach of St Aubin's bay and then took the cycle path to Corbiere lighthouse.

From there we went up St Ouen's bay, had coffee half way right on the beach, before leaving the coast to see a little of the countryside.

We rejoined the coast at the top of the bay and then climbed the steep road to the high north coast.

We meandered along the north coast, stopping at the North Point Bistro for a lovely lunch outside under the pergola. After lunch we continued along the north coast until we reached Devil's Hole. We chained the bikes at The Priory Inn and walked down the steep path.









We then headed for St John's, to pick up the cycle route that goes down the middle of the island and emerges along St Aubin's Bay. We'd come a long way, so we were thankful that from St John's, it was mostly down hill to the south coast. Once there we walked/cycled 50/50 along the bay back to the apartment in the sunshine. We slept well!

Sunday

Today we went anticlockwise, taking the road from St Helier through Five Oaks and on to out first stop at La Hougue Bie Museum.

We then headed off towards St Catherine's via some lovely countryside and the top half of St Catherine's Bay. Once there we has a cup of tea and a cake at the cafe and cycled along the breakwater.

Then we headed up round the coast to Rozel Bay for lunch. This bit was hard work with the gradients so we were starving by the time we got there. We had a long lunch at the Navigator Restaurant and walked on the beach before finding the cycle path back into St Helier through some lovely countryside and hamlets.

What a scorcher!

Similar to the rest of GB, the weather in Jersey has been glorious and very warm. Wednesday I walked the beach of St Aubin's Bay. It was so hot the beach really was the only place to walk! The last time I was in Jersey the weather was horrible, this time it is akin to the Caribbean - literally!

I stopped to admire the nicest house I have yet seen in Jersey:

and this is its view from the front windows:

Thursday the old man worked from the apartment, so I stayed and kept him company - from the balcony anyway. We walked into town when he had finished and had a walk and then a drink in the sunshine overlooking the Royal Square watching the rat race make its way home from work! We then went for dinner at The Green Olive, a lovely place specialising in vegetarian and seafood dishes. The food was so nice, including the basil creme brulee (yes basil!), we booked a table for our last night in Jersey at Easter weekend.

Today has been the hottest day yet and is too hot to walk anywhere so I have been on the balcony reading my Kindle enjoying the view and the sea breeze. The old man just popped back after visiting the fish market and deposited some fresh calamari in the fridge to be cooked with chilli and pasta for dinner tonight.

Tomorrow we hire bikes for the weekend, so will be busy! You can ride the coastal cycle path round the island in about 7 hours but we're going to do it over 2 days. We'll have to set off early though, so we can avoid the heat of the middle of the day in a nice pub for lunch!

St Helier

Today the morning was spent meandering around the shops in St Helier. All the usual British chain stores are here so it feels much like home - but more expensive! For the second time I couldn't find the fish market - in many places in the world, one just follows one's nose (or in the case of Stonetown Zanzibar, the flies!). Never mind,  I have plenty of time to find it. In the shops I spoke to a variety of helpful shop assistants, Portuguese, Polish, Irish, Liverpudlian, Manchunian, but very few locals, I guess they don't want the minimum wage jobs.

This afternoon I walked up to Fort Regent, which has a commanding view over St Helier. It's actually been turned into a sports venue but was still a nice walk in the hazy sunshine round the walls and the gardens. I walked around the coast road and ended up overlooking Greve D'Azette. The bay is typical of the South East of Jersey, not very pretty and very overdeveloped. Squinting through the thin mist one can see France but I personally would give the coast from St Helier up to Gorey Pier a miss. This bit can be done quickly on the bus for £1.70, leaving much prettier bits to see on foot.

I meandered back and found a lovely mural on the end wall of a house.

By the time I got back, him indoors was almost home. A bottle of Chianti and pasta for supper and here endeth another day! It is forecast wall to wall sunshine and almost 70 degrees until Saturday and only a few clouds on Sunday, so we're in for a great few days !!

St Brelade

The old man went off to work at 7.30 this morning. I had a couple more cups of tea in bed watching the news, got ready and was walking along St Aubin's Bay by 9am. The weather was a bit chilly first thing but I was walking briskly, and by 10am had removed the fleece and was down to a long sleeved tshirt. I stopped in St Aubin for a pot of tea outside overlooking the little harbour before setting off again. I walked to St Brelade Bay and looked at some £multimillion houses along the way. The bay was beautiful, deserted with a few spots of rain. I had walked about 5 miles to this point.

I walked back the same way and by the time I was halfway along St Aubin's Bay the sun came out and by the time I reached the apartment it was wall to wall sunshine and nearing 60 degrees. Satisfied with 10 miles walking today, I took my Kindle out on the balcony to enjoy the sunshine until the old man got home. When he arrived at 4.30pm, we walked the harbour walls for an hour or so, enjoying the views of Elizabeth Castle in the late afternoon sun.

Some lovely boats in the harbour, would I trade Valerie for one? hmmm.........maybe this one!

Home for supper with fresh crab bought from the fish market (with a second mortgage) and BBC2's programme about the Rift Valley. The weather is improving here still further towards the weekend, so I/we should be able to get out and do lots. More tomorrow......

Gap Year Begins

I left work on 31st of March for a year. It seemed a little strange but I have never looked forward to something as much as this. Friday 1st April I went with Richie to pick Valerie (T5 Camper) up, after she'd been fitted with a nice awning and a few extra doors to make storage easier. The end cap was damaged but the replacement will be posted and snapped on whilst we are home for a few days at Easter.

On Saturday 2nd I cleaned Valerie and prepared her for our European tour, to save time in the brief period we're home after Easter before departing. A few domestic chores and packing for the next day and another day was over.

Sunday 3rd April Richie took me to the airport and I flew to Jersey to join the old man for 3 weeks or so before heading off to Europe. Uneventful flight and grey skies on arrival, but by the time we got to the apartment, the sun was shining and we had a couple of hours catching up on the balcony overlooking the harbour. Our balcony is facing the boats in the building at the back of this picture on the left, the picture taken as we walked out the the harbour walls.