St. Peter Port (Channel Islands)
We arrived at St. Peter Port which is a channel island between England and France. The port is in the town of Guernsey which may be most famous for having been the home of Victor Hugo. During World War II this island was captured by Germany and used as defense against the attack from Great Britain. Castle Cornet guards the port and is an impressive fortress. We visited the castle when we left the ship and was able to see the firing of the cannon that is performed at noon every day. This is done with two soldiers dressed in uniform and firing a dummy round that sounds just like the real thing. The castle is well preserved and there cannons in place throughout and a museum.
As we walked back to the city we saw local kids swimming in the sea which must have been really cold. We didn’t mention in our first blog but the weather here is very cool. After leaving Peachtree City with 90 plus degree weather for a month and a half, we were pleasantly surprised to arrive in 70 degree weather in Amsterdam. Guernsey was even cooler today in the high 60’s with a little breeze blowing. We expect this type of weather for our entire cruise and it is such a relief to finally get out of that hot summer weather we have been having.
The city of Guernsey was beautiful with all of the colorful flowers throughout the city. Everywhere you looked there were large baskets of flowers present with multiple types of flowers in each basket. The shops were very nice in town and some roads were just cobble stone walk ways without the worry of car traffic. There wasn’t a lot to see or do here and we ended our visit with a stop at local pub for some fish and chips along with a pint (Greg) and some flavored cider (Sharon). It was a very enjoyable snack.
Guernsey was a nice place to visit but I am not sure what we would do if we went back there again. There was an island not too far away that we could have taken a ferry to. That might be something else to try. Tomorrow we arrive in Cork, Ireland and have a tour arranged to go see Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone!
Liverpool (United Kingdom) -
Liverpool is the home of the Beatles so we decided to go visit The Beatles Story. This was a very good way to learn more about the Beatles and how they got their start and eventually what happened to them. We were amazed to learn of the struggle of this most famous group to gain true popularity and to get their first record published. Once they got this record published and changed their drummer to Ringo Star their rise to stardom was dramatic. They published so many number hits in just a short number of years it is truly an amazing feat. After their band manager died at the age of 32 they only stayed together for another 2 or 3 years. As fast as they rose to fame it is amazing how quickly they broke up as a group and each band member went their own way. They left an impression on the world that no other band has ever come close to attaining. After visiting the Beatles Story we took a short walk over to the Cavern where this group got their start. It was such a small little room several floors below street level that a bunch of teenagers came to and helped to encourage them to become the great band that everyone came to know them as.
After our experience with the Beatles we took a train to Chester which is a nice medieval village about 40 minutes outside of Liverpool. The clock tower there was very different and many of the buildings made the trip definitely worthwhile. The shops and restaurants along the street were unique and we stopped for fish and chips along with a quick stop at one of the candy shops. We were very impressed with this little town and would recommend any visiting Liverpool to make this little side trip.
Upon our return to Liverpool we walked around Albert Dock a little more and took a few more pictures before heading back into the ship.
Greg and Sharon
We arrived at St. Peter Port which is a channel island between England and France. The port is in the town of Guernsey which may be most famous for having been the home of Victor Hugo. During World War II this island was captured by Germany and used as defense against the attack from Great Britain. Castle Cornet guards the port and is an impressive fortress. We visited the castle when we left the ship and was able to see the firing of the cannon that is performed at noon every day. This is done with two soldiers dressed in uniform and firing a dummy round that sounds just like the real thing. The castle is well preserved and there cannons in place throughout and a museum.
As we walked back to the city we saw local kids swimming in the sea which must have been really cold. We didn’t mention in our first blog but the weather here is very cool. After leaving Peachtree City with 90 plus degree weather for a month and a half, we were pleasantly surprised to arrive in 70 degree weather in Amsterdam. Guernsey was even cooler today in the high 60’s with a little breeze blowing. We expect this type of weather for our entire cruise and it is such a relief to finally get out of that hot summer weather we have been having.
The city of Guernsey was beautiful with all of the colorful flowers throughout the city. Everywhere you looked there were large baskets of flowers present with multiple types of flowers in each basket. The shops were very nice in town and some roads were just cobble stone walk ways without the worry of car traffic. There wasn’t a lot to see or do here and we ended our visit with a stop at local pub for some fish and chips along with a pint (Greg) and some flavored cider (Sharon). It was a very enjoyable snack.
Guernsey was a nice place to visit but I am not sure what we would do if we went back there again. There was an island not too far away that we could have taken a ferry to. That might be something else to try. Tomorrow we arrive in Cork, Ireland and have a tour arranged to go see Blarney Castle and kiss the Blarney Stone!
Liverpool (United Kingdom) -
Liverpool is the home of the Beatles so we decided to go visit The Beatles Story. This was a very good way to learn more about the Beatles and how they got their start and eventually what happened to them. We were amazed to learn of the struggle of this most famous group to gain true popularity and to get their first record published. Once they got this record published and changed their drummer to Ringo Star their rise to stardom was dramatic. They published so many number hits in just a short number of years it is truly an amazing feat. After their band manager died at the age of 32 they only stayed together for another 2 or 3 years. As fast as they rose to fame it is amazing how quickly they broke up as a group and each band member went their own way. They left an impression on the world that no other band has ever come close to attaining. After visiting the Beatles Story we took a short walk over to the Cavern where this group got their start. It was such a small little room several floors below street level that a bunch of teenagers came to and helped to encourage them to become the great band that everyone came to know them as.
After our experience with the Beatles we took a train to Chester which is a nice medieval village about 40 minutes outside of Liverpool. The clock tower there was very different and many of the buildings made the trip definitely worthwhile. The shops and restaurants along the street were unique and we stopped for fish and chips along with a quick stop at one of the candy shops. We were very impressed with this little town and would recommend any visiting Liverpool to make this little side trip.
Upon our return to Liverpool we walked around Albert Dock a little more and took a few more pictures before heading back into the ship.
Greg and Sharon
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