Day 282 - No Jersey

Some of the beaches on Jersey

(With apologies to the great and late Charles Schultz for using this intro)

It was a dark and stormy night, suddenly a door slammed, a maid screamed, an airplane is struck by lightning.......meanwhile at Gatwick Airport two Canadian travellers, having spent the last 11 months travelling around the UK and Europe await the announcement of their departure gate for their flight to Jersey, one of the Channel Islands off the coast of France. But...that airplane from the story? Well, it turns out it is the incoming flight that will refuel at Gatwick and then take us to Jersey. So...we are advised that the plane is not going to continue flying that day and our flight is cancelled. And...the only available space to Jersey is now on Sunday evening, the same evening we were scheduled to return back to London. Weekend away cancelled. Thus, the title of today's episode: "No Jersey."

Mont Orgueil on the east coast of Jersey

Now let's pretend we did get to go. What would we have found out about this U.K. protectorate with it's own financial and legal systems and a Lieutenant Governor who reports to the Queen? Well, it's the largest of the Channel Islands and is located just off the coast of Normandy, France. It's known for it's wonderful beaches, the capital St. Helier, and fine food.

The history as you can imagine is very interesting. There have been inhabitants on the island for thousands of years, and the usual suspects have arrived there and settled and left: the Romans, the Vikings and the Normans. When the Normans conquered England, the island was part of the overall Kingdom of William the Conqueror. Subsequent Kings of England held onto the Norman territory until the French king, Philip II, defeated England's King John in the early 13th century to regain it -- all, that is, except the Channel Islands. So, the English fortified Jersey and it has remained under English rule until today. Oh wait a minute, there was the Second World War during which the Germans occupied Jersey. Ironically, although the islands are so close to the D-Day landing sites, they were not liberated for another 11 months, May 9th, 1945.

That's it folks and sticking with today's "fantasy" of having travelled to Jersey I will pretend that I enjoyed the following ...

Ale of the Day: Liberation Ale, Liberation Brewery, Jersey