May 16: Travel to Guernesey Island

Previous: May 15

Today we left early (shortly after rising at 6 AM) because of logistics: The ferry was scheduled to leave for Guernesey at 8:05 AM and the operators insisted that we be there an hour in advance. However, the buses were not running early enough for us to arrive within the 1-hour window, and we had a 20-minute-plus walk to the ferry terminal. We made it in plenty of time, but as we're doing the tortoise thing and carrying all our posessions on our back—and front, see below—it was a bit of a slog.

Geoff, packing (too many) packs:

I swear that Madame and I are not the only ones putting on weight and volume from too much good food; our backpacks seem to have doubled in weight. Once home, I need to rigorously inventory the stuff I brought. I try to bring enough stuff to minimize time spent doing laundry, since we don't usually stay somewhere with washer and dryer available. But bringing extra clothing increases bulk, even with relatively lightweight equipment. We also usually bring some stuff that's not essential, like base layers in case of cold weather or shoes for walking around cities so that we don't have to live in hiking boots. Then there's stuff that's useful to bring, but only gets used once and increases bulk for the rest of the trip. For example, a kayaking shirt, bathing suit, and sandals (or water shoes) are essential for kayaking, but we only used this gear once.

Once we reached the terminal, it became clear why the ferry company wanted everyone to arrive an hour early: the rugby "Siam Cup" was being held in Guernsey this weekend, and in addition to what seemed like 100+ large rugby players making the crossing, their parents and fans were there in force. This rugby tournament is between teams from Jersey and Guernsey, and the rivalry to hold the cup has been going on for more than a century. The winner of each year's match gains possession of the trophy. The original was made from melted down silver coinage from Thailand, but it's now in the museum and replaced by a more durable modern version.

We actually got to see what may have been the cup, a silver trophy in a bin with a couple smaller ones. Shoshanna thought it probably wasn't the actual trophy, since, y'know, someone might steal something that valuable. I pointed out that there are few thieves who'd be capable of overpowering 100+ rugby players who could both run down the perpetrator and then inflict mayhem upon their body. It seemed a telling point. The phrase "rugby players eat their dead" is nominally because of the plane crash that stranded a rugby team in the heart of the Andes Mountains, leading eventually to cannibalism, but rugby is one of the few sports that makes American football seem nonviolent.

Our ferry was packed to the rafters, and all was well until we left harbor and started hitting waves. I've got a cast-iron stomach, so waves don't bother me at all. In fact, my sister Shay and I used to hide out belowdeck in the forward bunks of the family sailboat to see who could hold out longest before having to flee up unto the deck. (I don't recall who won.) But several people on the ferry were getting seasick; a steady stream of barf bags made their way down the corridor between the seats. The kid sitting beside me pulled out the bag from his seat, looking uncomfortable. I talked him through it, suggesting that he should keep an eye on the horizon and breathe slowly and deeply (common advice on combating mal de mer), and that kept his breakfast where it belonged.

After about an hour, we arrived at Guernsey's St. Peter Port harbor. It's a small working port that seemed similar to the port in St. Helier, though a bit smaller. From our brief experience downtown, on our way to the bus station, my first impression was that the town looks like it will be more fun to explore than St. Helier, though I started enjoying St. Helier more by the end of our stay. St. Peter Port's older and seems more charming than St. Helier, which is more modernized and busy; many parts of it reminded me of a Florida resort area, and not in a good way. We picked up a few local maps, then caught the first bus to our new home. We'll be staying at Le Chene, on Forest Road about a 10- to 15-minute bus ride from the downtown. Being closer downtown would have been more convenient, but prices were much higher. And buses offer the advantage of seeing more of the island than we could achieve solely on foot.

We arrived around 11 and ran into the staff cleaning up and making ready after departure of previous guests. Ordinarily, we'd have had to wait until 3 to gain entry to our room, but they took pity on us and finished cleaning our room ahead of schedule. Our room was much nicer than our room at the Franklyn: about 50% larger than our previous room, with a nice view over the back yard and about a 10-minute walk from a local pub, the Deerhound, that offers residents of Le Chene a 15% discount. We had a nice light lunch/brunch, as we hadn't eaten yet today and didn't want our bodies to get out of practice. Shoshanna had a "ploughman's platter" with really good chutney and I had home-fries (croquettes) with avocado and really perky home-maded ketchup. We shared a Butcombe pale ale that was quite nice.

Dinner tonight will be a tapas meal at the hotel, which they do every Saturday. Details to follow!

Next: May 17