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kazu
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Back to a sea day and it meant a Gala night.  Of course we had the chocolate surprise in the Crow’s Nest (it was also offered in the Ocean Bar).

 

Here’s the chocolate:

 

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What’s chocolate without some wine?  After all, it was happy hour 😄.  😉

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Well, we were in St. Peter Port and for those of you who follow my LIVE threads you saw the tour around the island last time so, this time we were doing a walking tour to bring the medieval history of this island it’s occupation by the Nazi’s back to life.  

 

Our guide, Annette likes to bring things to life and involve her participants in the theatrics.BECA3A8C-D8C1-44B3-A30F-5497888E93CF.thumb.jpeg.5d5830dab3da7b9205e7b0af7e6b6517.jpeg

 

Can you see the crown, blind man’s stick and beard on our roll call members?  Annette is explaining about Queen Victoria.

 

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Mail boxes in Guernsey are blue, not red.  Just because they are different from the UK. 

 

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Any Canadians reading this LIVE thread?  If there are, I’m sure you all know who Sir Isaac Brock is.  He was born here.  For our American friends, sorry but he saved Canada from the Americans 😉 

 

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All the flags were up as St. Peter Port celebrates their Liberation day in just a couple of days.  Sadly we would miss it.  They take their liberation very seriously here understandably.

 

 

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The plaque to Sir Isaac Brock is at the spot of where the market once stood.  

 

The market was used for punishing people for crimes.  And I don’t want to get in to the grotesque things they did to punish crimes but I got educated where a lot of our sayings come from.  

 

Here DH is about to get one of the punishments.

 

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Yup, 25 lashes.  He probably deserved it 😉 

 

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Part of the market where the punishments were and here are the reasons for some of our common sayings.

 

 

Trying to be gentle - but one punishment was slitting from the mouth to the ear on both sides.  The jaw would drop and thus the expression - “Grinning from ear to ear”.

 

Another was pinning ears to the wall and pulling the person off (sans ears).  Thus, “the walls have ears”.

 

Another for liars involved squeezing the tongue until it literally fell off.  thus “tongue tied”.

 

And lastly was the whipping 25 times and then to add to the grief people would come and put salt.  So “salt in the wounds

 

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There are 62,000 people on this little island and 90,000 cars!

 

There is no paid parking required but the island is only 24 square miles so I don’t know where all those cars go

 

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The donkey is the symbol for Guernsey.  Since Guernsey and Jersey are in competition, Annette was quick to point out the Jersey’s symbol is a toad.  And it’s much better to be a donkey than a toad 😉 

 

 

 

 

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Do you see the plant on top of this building?  This is where part of the market was and it is a tobacco plant.  (Actually there are two).  The tobacco plant represents how they financed the market.

 

 

 

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Since 933 the island was mainly Normand - French.  It was a highly needed trading port so the English and the French were quite happy to have the port aligned with both and part of both.

 

In 1066 King John lost the battle to Normandy (France) so Guernsey had to choose between England and France

 

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England gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse - their own constitution, their own government, favourable taxes - so tax being one of the key words, they sided with and became British.

 

Guernsey is still self governing to this day and has it’s own currency.  They are happy to accept GBP but England doesn’t want theirs so either spend your change here keep the souvenirs.

 

For 600 years this spot faced French invasion trying to get Guernsey back.

 

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The drink of the island.

 

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A very old building that Charles Dickens wrote about in the 1500’s.

 

 

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A closeup of the inscription

 

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I saw one of these last year but this was the first time this year.

 

Great system, put your hands in and it’s all done.

 

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Look at the little alley ways here.  See the roof?  Those are timbers from the ships they used to close it in and protect it.

 

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The home of Sir Isaac Brock - the plaque is below in a close up.

 

He is revered here.

 

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Sad as witches were executed like Salem in the 15th and 16th century.  They weren’t witches.  They were apothecaries, herbalists or just refused to convert to the faith at the time.  Every time the religion changed for the monarchy, the people had to change.

 

The people hear hold an honourable reminder of the horrors of the day for 3 women - they refused to convert and were to be hung and burned at the stake.  One of the women was pregnant and the horror caused her to give birth.  The baby fell into the flames and was saved by the doctor who was there to supervise.  The people demanded that the baby be thrown back because the mother was a heretic so the baby was too and sadly, he had to put the baby back in the flames with the mother watching her baby die.

 

The story goes that he looked her in the eye when he saved the baby and told her he would care for it.  And had to look her in the eye when he had to put it back in and said he was sorry.

 

 

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The pretty sunken garden.

Here Annette would tell us about the occupation.

 

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Always nice to see those who gave up their lives for us remembered.

 

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The Channel Islands were key during the war.  Winston Churchill said he would send boats to come across to evacuate on June 20th.  He didn’t feel he could protect them.

 

Evacuation for Guernsey was ordered on June 19th.  Children were to go first and parents had to make a choice whether to part with their children and keep them safe or to keep them with them

 

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No boats came on that day so some decided not to evacuate.

 

The next day the boats came and 5,000 children were evacuated. The plane was that the parent would go after.  But there weren’t that many boats and a lot of the older islanders decided to stay to keep their home, livestock, etc.  They knew their children were safe and no one thought the war would last for 5 years.

 

 

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Annette’s grandparents (our guide) did send their children off and they said if they were to do it again despite the struggles and had known it would be 5 years, they would not have done it.

 

Churchill had demilitarized the islands before the Germans arrived but apparently no one told Hitler that there would be no resistance and on June 28th, the Germans mistook tomato trucks for army trucks and bombed.

 

On June 30th, the Luftswaffa (sp?) moved in and occupied this lovely spot for 5 years until May 9, 1945 when they were liberated.

 

The people here were starving.  They ate anything that moved - rats, donkeys, etc.

 

 

 

 

 

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The Germans were very clever and documented all the grains growing and the animals for their own use.  Each animal got a birth certificate and a death certificate.  The Guernsey people were equally clever to survive.  If an animal died (ie a pig in this case), then they would call the agriculturalist and he would come and give it a death certificate and tell them to bury or burn it.  In the dead of night, the farmer would take to another farm, tell them to call the agriculturalists for the same certificate and get a pig to eat.

 

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The people had to ration them carefully to avoid being sick themselves and to share with the slave labour that the Germans had brought in to build fortifications.

 

To their credit, the Germans did not take Red Cross packages & would shoot any German who did it.

 

Annette in one of her dramatizations.

 

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After our tour was complete DH and I headed up to see the Candie Gardens.

 

Very pretty.

 

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There is a statue of Victor Hugo here.

 

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And a pretty wonderful view.

 

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DH and I walked back down (down is always easier than up) and decided we needed to stop at a pub for a refresher.

 

People were very friendly here.

 

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The pub we went to.  I totally confess.  We had some Guernsey money and knew it had to spent.  It can’t be used in the UK.  The Guernsey people will take GBP but the UK doesn’t want their  money.

 

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The pier - it’s low tide.

 

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The tides here are very high in the spring and can be tricky.  They can rise to 10.3 metres and are the 3rd highest tides in the world.  They can pass over where the tender passage is.

 

The guides at the tender have to watch and guide the tenders as they can get stranded at low tide.  To Guernsey’s credit they know who has the highest tides in the world (I’m sure all you trivia buffs know that one).

 

 

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I got the high seat on the tender and tried to snap some pics

 

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And while we tender back to the ship...

 

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Farewell St. Peter Port

 

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33 minutes ago, kazu said:

They had to fight starvation.  It was very dire at the end.  The only thing that saved many on the island was the Red Cross packages that the Germans allowed to come by ship from December - May at the end once a week. 

 

The people had to ration them carefully to avoid being sick themselves and to share with the slave labour that the Germans had brought in to build fortifications.

 

To their credit, the Germans did not take Red Cross packages & would shoot any German who did it.

 

Oops, I just realized I missed part of the story in a previous post.  

 

I highlighted in bold in my quote so that hopefully it now makes sense.

 

Sorry about that.  I’m blaming it on fatigue. 😉   We were up over 24 hours yesterday travelling.

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Our last night so of course we did the Pinnacle.

 

We had a group of us at the Captain’s Table and DH and I brought a bottle of semi-champagne for our group. 

 

The new menu was out and we tried some things and liked.

 

We had a great evening with good food, good companionship.  Perfect way to end a cruise.

 

A few pics from the evening.  Not too much food porn as I don’t like to repeat pics already posted.  But, we enjoyed 😉 

 

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Our Manager Tudor and our fun waiter Rudi.

 

 

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Our voyage log for this segment even though we didn’t go to Le Palais 😉 

 

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The sun may have been setting on our cruise

 

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But wait there’s more 😉 😄 

 

There’s Dover and what a day.

 

I’ll be back 😉 

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As I said earlier, disembarkation was so easy it was ridiculous.  Our fabulous guide was there very early so it all worked out once we got the luggage sorted out.   

 

Farewell Prinsendam.  We will miss you and all of your fabulous crew.  A real loss to the HAL fleet.  

 

What an absolutely unbelievable day when we disembarked.

 

So Gary sorts our luggage and says would we like to WALK the Cliffs of Dover.

 

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So he drives us up to a kissing gate.  (A kissing gate is a gate that livestock or animals can’t get out of but people can get in and out.  It is customary for each to lean over and kiss each other).

 

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And we head off down to the path.  He is going to take us to spots to really see the Cliffs - so we are game.  Wasn’t on the itinerary but I like surprises

 

 

 

We were walking on the cliffs - they are over 100,000 years old.

 

I posted pics of Dover Castle last LIVE thread so I didn’t try to grab pics this time but for those that are interested - Dover was built in the 11th century and at the time cost 6,000 pounds.  It was the most expensive castle ever built and the largest in Britain.

 

Hitler spared it as he wanted it for himself as a trophy when he conquered Britain.  The Roman ruins here are the oldest in the UK.!

 

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The holes that you will see are rabbit holes.  The rabbits escape their prey by darting down but they have a ton near the cliffs - the little devils.  They dart down and the predators can’t stop and fall off the cliffs.  Who says animals aren’t smart?

 

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We could see France from here.  And, of course the Prinsendam

 

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Then we were off to Canterbury - on the way...

 

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And we were in Canterbury.

 

King Atherbury (sp) gifted the precinct of Canterbury to the Roman Catholic Church when Augustine came.  As a result they have about 10% of Canterbury.

 

The King wasn’t Christian at the time, but his wife Bertha was.  Augustine was ordered to go by the Pope and was nervous to go to a pagan country so he wisely threw himself on the mercy of Bertha who welcomed him with open arms.

 

 

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The King became Christian 2 years later and the rest is history,.

 

The original cathedral was quite small and wooden.  When the William the Conqueror arrived in 1066, he burned it to the ground and the rebuilding commenced.

 

The oldest part of the Cathedral dates fro 1067.

 

This is part of the precinct given to the Roman Catholic Church that was gifted.

 

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Yes, this house is really that crooked.  It’s been this way since the 1800’s.  The windows have to be replaced periodically because of the pressure on them but otherwise, it is the original and intact.

 

 

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Have to do a bit more clean up of the packing debris before I go to pick up the dogs (aka the devilish duo).  Be back later with more.

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And we were in front of the massive Canterbury Cathedral:

 

It is so huge, it was impossible for me to get a picture of the whole thing well.

 

So I chose pieces and close ups.

 

 

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The monument “War Horse” in memory of the horses who served in the war.  Quite well done.

 

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We are entering part of the old wall and going into where the monks were - the Chapter House.

 

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Some of the grounds of the Chapter House.  Sorry but there are a LOT of pictures.

 

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More of the Chapter House.  The prior and monks were here and did a lot of good for Canterbury.  Aside from nursing the ill, they also educated the poor boys who otherwise could not have afforded and education.

 

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They were key to assisting during the Black Plague.  Because of their religion and beliefs they were always washing their hands.  Their hygiene and their solitude left them safe from the Black Plague.  Only 4 monks died here during that time and none of the causes were the plague.

 

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See the stone structure sticking from the monastery out in the middle towards the right of this picture?  It was used to store water.  They planned the building of this so that the water flowed from higher up into the pipes to be stored here.

 

If the pipes were opened they say the water would still flow and the plumbing system would still work.  Amazing!

 

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More trivia - during the time of the Black Plague, they accidentally buried some people alive.  Coffins opened found scratches and people in crouch positions trying to get out.  So, bells were put at the top of the coffin and a string went down through a small hole and was attached to to the finger of the “deceased”.  People stayed to listen, hoping and if it rang they were let out.  And from this comes the expression “saved by the bell”.

 

And of course there’s “dead ringer”.  If you saw someone who was just buried who looked like the deceased, they were called a “dead ringer”

 

 

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A last look at the incredible wall and the Chapter House

 

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And we were headed to the Cloister 

 

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It was amazing and beautiful!

 

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Look at the roof.  Beautiful wooden timbers but what are these on the roof?

 

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The church had run out of money for this part so, to finish it, they promised the wealthy that in return for a generous donation, their heraldic crest would be displayed on the roof.  There are a LOT of them and this part of the Cathedral was finished.

 

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We were at the Nave.  Here the prior and all the monks met to discuss business and read from a Chapter from their rules daily.

 

The stained glass in this room (if you can call it a room - it’s massive) is very old (600 years IIRC) and dedicated to those who contributed to the Cathedral.

 

So everyone from Queen Bertha - Thomas Beckett - Henry VII, etc. Are pictured in the two sets of stained glass - one at each end of the room.

 

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The phenomenal roof.  It’s gorgeous.

 

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To keep you from getting a sore neck and looking up too long, there is a mirror in the middle of the room so you can see the detail of the roof.

 

 

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The stained glass at the other end.

 

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A couple of close ups of the stained glass so you can make out the work and the figurines:

 

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1 hour ago, cat shepard said:

Wow! Just wow! Imagine the craftsmanship to create those buildings back then!

 

I know and they didn’t have the modern tools we do now.

 

Wait until you see more.  It’s absolutely amazing.  

 

I am attempting to cook dinner and take care of the wild dogs of Borneo (aka excited puppy and dog that were picked up today).

 

But I will be back to add more tonight or tomorrow.  It depends upon how long I can hold my head up tonight 😉. Still in catch up mode from our 24 hours of travelling.

 

so, as we were saying on our tours....”But wait, there’s more “.

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