Our last port of call was Guernsey Island. This is a small island between England and France. It is its own country, with its own government, and its own currency. I read a book a few years ago (and have since read it two more times) set in Guernsey during WWII. The Germans occupied Guernsey for 4 years during WWII and they were completely cut off from the rest of the world. The book that I read is set during this time and follows a group of very interesting characters telling their story through letters. The book is the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Because of my love for this book, this port was the one I was most excited to see and I was not disappointed! The kids, Cheryl, and I got to do a bike riding excursion and it was so much fun! The island is so beautiful and exploring it on bike was a true treat. We went along the coast and also through a residential area that wound through some beautiful homes and scenery.
One of our stops was at an old WWII bunker that they are working on renovating and we were able to go into it. It was a complete mess so the renovation clearly hadn't started. It was really neat to see though.
The bottom is a view out of the window in the bunker.
We stopped for a snack and Grace had a scone with Guernsey butter which is supposed to be the best ever.
After our bike ride, Hannah and Joe went back to the ship but Cheryl, Grace, and I stayed in town and her friend, Delaney joined us. We walked around, looking in shops including a used bookstore...my favorite. Then we found a cafe and had some lunch and hot tea. Grace and I had a "toastie" that was pretty awesome.
After lunch we continued to explore the city and made a stop at the library to check it out and use their free wi-fi for a bit.
Our guide had made a really big deal about Guernsey milk, Guernsey cream, Guernsey butter, and Guernsey ice cream so we knew that we wanted to try the ice cream that is supposed to be completely amazing. We found the cutest little ice cream shop and after chatting with the worker and trying a few flavors, we made the mistake of asking if the ice cream was made with "real" Guernsey milk and she made the mistake of telling us that it was imported from France. We felt bad just leaving so we asked her to change her answer and we asked the question again, she amended her answer and we left enjoying our "real" Guernsey ice cream. :0) Cheryl waited and later got to have the real stuff and I tasted it and it was super amazing ice cream.
Grace and Delaney went back to the ship and Cheryl and I continued to walk around and enjoy the city and found a bookstore where I found a book about the Occupation. We bought some souvenirs and made our way back to the ship. It was a beautiful, perfect day in Guernsey and I am so thankful to have gotten to go there and see it in person. Hopefully I can go back someday!
