We arrived at our new location and have everything unpacked. We are on the east side of the island now. We turned in our car so we will now be taking buses and walking everywhere we go.
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| The tide is out so walking to the castle is common as long as you plan accordingly. |
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| 2 hours later, the tide is back in. The duckboat then has to transport you. Same view as above just from the castle. The duckboat is to the left of the sailboat |
It’s only a 20 minute walk to the beach. There is another castle on this side of the island we want to see and its only a 2 mile walk. Piece of cake!
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| Elizabeths Castle |
We arrived at our new location and met the owners. Don was taking us around on the tour and we met the dog, Sox, a cute little Heinz 57 and so sweet and then we walked to the back yard and the cat, Missy was there with a dead mouse waiting on us!
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| The Guard house. Soldiers checked in here. If they were late or missed the boat they had to stay in St. Helier at a specific area or risk being courtmartialed |
These cats are pretty efficient at getting rid of the mice. We are in the country now. Next to us is a field. It is planting time so right now its a potato field.
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| The Gate Battery – This wall was the first line of defense against enemy fire |
Their potatoes are all home grown, called Jersey Royals. The skin is thin and they are golden in color. They are really good. We went to Waitrose a.k.a. Wegmans and purchased our supplies for hopefully 3 weeks.
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| The Northeast Bastion – the views over St. Helier harbor made this area an important part of the defenses. The Germans installed a floodlight here during their control. |
We like to live on the edge the last week so we don’t have a lot of food to throw away. So far we have done well. We like to get to the location and check out what type of cookware and cooking we can do.
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| Many different cannon types were set up ready to fire. Apparently this one is still working but the wind was too high today for demonstrations. |
This location has a crockpot so I’ll make a roast on this trip. We also have a microwave and dishwasher. Music to my ears! We have a little more room in the kitchen and bedrooms too.
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| Cannons were plentiful around the middle layer of the castle |
So far we have found at each of our temporary homes, there are some adjustments we have to make but we make them and move on. No complaints here!!
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| The Parade ground. This is where most of the soldiers lived. 480 men in 36 rooms. Only 6 men per 100 were allowed to have their families with them. Stores, washing facilities and provisions were among the buildings |
The castle was interesting. It is called Elizabeth Castle and is named after Elizabeth I who was the queen of England around the time the castle was built. The castle was built on a tidal island within the parish of Saint Helier, Jersey. It was built in the 16th century when the power of cannon meant that the existing stronghold at Mont Orgueil castle (we’ll visit this castle next) was insufficient to defend the Island and the port of St. Helier was vulnerable to attack by ships armed with cannons. It has many, many cannons.
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| Replica of one of the cannons moved on wheels |
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8 cm antiship cannon. It was sunk by allied aircraft just after D-Day. It took 10 years to raise the gun and restore it
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The British government withdrew the garrison (troops) and relinquished the castle to the States of Jersey in 1923. Jersey then opened it to the public as a museum.
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| A cross erected in the open area |
During the Second World War the Germans, who occupied the Channel Islands, modernized the castle with guns, bunkers and battlements.
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| Queen Elizabeth Gate – the last port of entry to the castles main upper ward. |
After the Liberation, the castle was repaired and was eventually re-opened to the public.
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| The upper ward. A wood oven still in place near the right side of the window. |
We walked all the way to the top. It was an interesting place and the historical facts increased our knowledge a little more. We stopped for some scones and water while we waited on the duck boat. When we left to see the castle, we had to take a duck boat over to the castle.
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| The Upper Keep – A cannon was installed here that would rotate on tracks. This is at the very top of the castle |
The tide was really low so we were going to walk and the young girl we bought the tickets from said, oh no, the tide will be here in 5 minutes. You wont make it. So, we hopped on the duck boat (with wheels) and it drove us to the castle. Just before we arrived, the water started to rise.
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| View from the tower in the castle |
After around a 2 hour visit and eating our scones we hopped back on the duck boat to ride back. It hit the water as soon as we took off and the propeller engaged.
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| Overlooking the grounds of the castle from the top tower. St. Helier just ahead |
So we were in “boat” mode on the way back to land. It was a much smoother ride back since we were floating. It was enjoyable.
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| The backside of the castle |
It is expected to start raining beginning Thursday for a few days. Hopefully not much. It has been so beautiful here I hate to see the rain set in.
May God bless you always!
Chuck & Lea Ann
WorldTravelReynolds 