Our last day

Saturday 19th July

Packing to go home never takes as long as before the holiday!  After breakfast by the pool (was that some clouds obscuring the blue we were used to?), we were all ready to leave at 10 o'clock - but we had another 6 hours before we needed to be at the airport.  We had already decided to go and visit the Occupation Museum, therefore escaping the grey skies.  One man, called Richard, had put this collection together - an amazing display of life of the occupied people, including a diary of a young boy that I found interesting - and of the occupiers, from their uniforms to their motorbikes.  Richard is quite a character - he was on the desk taking the entry monies, then when people made their way along the corridor to the little tea room, he hurried down there to make and serve the drinks, then the phone rang, so he was back to his reception desk in a flash before returning to collect cups etc. and do the washing up!  Then upstairs there was more to see, with a street scene, a fire engine of the time and a fishing boat.  While we were having our cups of tea the heavens opened and at long last we got one of those elusive storms they'd been talking about on the news for the last few nights.  Until now they had skirted the channel islands each time.  The rain rattled on the roof for a while but by the time we were ready to leave, it had all gone away and we had our blue sky back again!

We'd been told that one of the best eating places on the island was the Bruce Russell & Son Gold & Silversmiths (Guernsey Mint Bullion Company).  Wow, it's well worth a visit for the beautiful gardens, but the very tasty lunch and the chance to marvel at the stunning jewellery sparkling in their cabinets, makes this a must-do for visitors to the island. 

Queueing for our rations!

Bruce Russell & Son Gold & Silversmiths

 We needed to walk off that lunch, so headed a little way north to St. Saviour's Reservoir, a man-made lake which supplies the needs of all the inhabitants.  A foot path goes all the way round, but we enjoyed just a bit of it, under lovely pine trees, before the short drive back to the airport.

St. Saviour's Reservoir

 Because of storms back at Gatwick earlier in the day, flights were delayed, but we took off at 7pm, just an hour late and 35 minutes later, were back in West Sussex.

Goodbye Guernsey - we'll be back!