The Grouch's take the British Isles by land and by sea! Part 4

Our first landfall was the island of Jersey in the Channel islands group close to the coast of France.  The islands, part of the UK, were intentionally undefended when WW2 started in order to spare the islanders the horror of a fighting invasion by the Germany military.  Those islanders who wished to be, were evacuated by the government before the Germans arrived.  The remaining population were faced with a German occupation that lasted five long years.   PBS showed a great dramatic series several years ago made in the UK about the initial occupation of the Channel islands by the Germans.  It is probably still available for purchase via PBS for those interested. 

We signed up for the WW2 tour of Jersey which first took us to the German coast artillery emplacements along the cliffs and then to an underground German hospital/command center.  According to the information provided during the tour of the underground hospital, the only fighting that occurred for Jersey was in the air when Allied planes strayed over the island and were fired upon by German AAA batteries.  The island were never attacked by the Allies and stayed under German occupation until the end of the war.

Much hardship was experienced by the islanders as food and medicine came to be in short supply as the war dragged on.  The German occupiers became more harsh as food shortages grew and the war turned against them.

Jersey itself is a green and beautiful island and its prime industry is no longer dairy farming but banking!

Our mode of transportation from the ship to the dock.  the tenders shuttled the passengers back and forth all day.

The Grouch clan is ready for an adventure on land

A good thing to read before the tender starts to sink!

Back to the ship for another load of passengers to tour Jersey

At the coast artillery emplacements

Our ship, waiting for our return

The remnants of the coast artillery battery range finder

One of the spooky bunkers

The tower on the island is the grave site of a pirate ship captain.  Honest!

German anti-ship gun, Young Son and the Missus

Jersey is green, cool, and very pleasant

The entrance to an extensive tunnel complex built by the Germans using a mix of paid and slave laborers.  The Germans loved to dig tunnel complexes.  They are everywhere still in Europe.

The Grouch and a Kubelwagen - both inside the tunnel

A genuine Enigma coding machine.  The Germans never realized that we were reading their mail on a daily basis

One of the many tunnels

A gas mask for infants and toddlers

German rifles and MGs

A replica StG assault gun.  Looks real to me!

The crowded Jersey harbor

Street near the Jersey port

Young Daughter is feeling a bit tired out after a day of touring!

Citizen Grouch and the Missus volunteer for Cruise Night 2015

The Missus and I volunteered to help at the Glendale Cruise night this year. It was scheduled for July but for the first time ever, in the middle of the worst drought that the West has experienced since the dust bowl, the event was rained out!  It was rescheduled for the end of August with the thought I am sure that certainly it wouldn't rain in August!  Instead we got temperatures in the low 100s but what the heck, we're tough because we're from Pittsburgh and as Liam Neeson said to Russel Crowe 

"Pittsburgh's tough" so there you have it.

Our job in the event was crucial to the success of the whole show:  hand out swag bags to the participants.  On the surface this seemed simple but with further scrutiny we discovered that, before we arrived on the scene, some others were letting participants into the show before it opened and even worse, without making sure that they had paid their registration fee.   We put a stop to that you can be sure.   Soon it was organized like a well planned military operation if I do say so myself.

After our duty stint was finished we met two other couples and Young Son, had dinner, toured the show, saw hundreds of fantastic vehicles and went home tired, sore, and very happy.  It was a great time!

The Missus showing the limited edition swag bags given to each show participant

Eager participants lining up and waiting for the gate to open.  The Missus is shamelessly flirting with every man as is her wont.

...And they're off!   The Missus checking registrations and handing out the swag bags.  My job was to pre-screen participants and turn away those who didn't realize that the street was closed to  through traffic.

The Missus was on the job!

This car was the second to last to arrive with just minutes to spare before the gate closed.

Two classy dames

My dad had one of these but a '57, one year older than this one.  Great looking car but the most unreliable car ever built in Detroit

Love the push button trans selector.  I learned to drive in a '63 Dodge wagon with a push button trans selector. 

Our Plymouth had clear plastic seat covers.  One evening I was in the back along with my aunt Jean, an 'Auntie Maime'  type woman with a loud laugh, a never ending collection of great stories, and a very exciting life (at least to a five year old boy).  I idolized her.  Anyway, as we drove through the night somehow her lit cigarette that was between her fingers missed the ash tray and ended up being stubbed out on my hand.  I yelled, knocked it from her hand and the burning cigarette tip melted a hole right through the plastic seat cover.  She was horrified at hurting me and I secretly liked all the attention.  The hole in the plastic seat cover reminded me of that night for as long as we had the car.

The Grouch's take the British Isles by land and by sea! Part 3

It was time to travel to Dover to board our ship!   We had a driver and minivan laid on who gave us a lift from our hotel to the port.  An easy drive once we got out of bustling London.  The port was pretty quiet with one other small cruise ship tied up at the dock in front of ours.

On our previous cruises the checking in process has been long and crowded...this time we walked up, did our thing and got moved on in to the waiting room where we found Older Son and his lady friend already arrived!

We soon boarded, found our cabin, got some drinks (diet Coke) and then were called to the lifeboat drill which was held in the cabaret.  On previous cruises we mustered on deck wearing the life jackets by our assigned life boat.  This was a more laid back drill plus there were only about six boats and not much deck space beneath them to muster.

Soon we were casting off and heading off to our first port of call: Jersey island.

The Missus works on her quilt border while waiting to board.

Our cabin with a view.  Several days later through the porthole we saw some dolphins cavorting next to the ship  while sailing between ports

On the stern deck outside of the dining buffet waiting to cast off.  The Missus is looking pensive about the voyage or perhaps she was hungry for dinner.

Dover castle with a commanding view of the sea.

The abandoned ramp for the discontinued hovercraft that once sailed (flew, hovered?) between Dover and Calais.  The Missus took the hovercraft when on her high school class trip in the 70s.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaspeed

The same ramp back in the day when the service was going strong

The Missus modeling what we hoped would remain safely stored in our cabin for the entire voyage

One of ferries moving into the harbor - there was constant ferry traffic when we were there

...and one heading out

I won the lottery!

I received this email message today.  I can hardly wait to send them my information and money!

FBI Headquarters in Washington , D.C.
J. Edgar Hoover Building , 935 Pennsylvania Avenue,
NW Washington , D.C. 20535-0001 USA
www.fbi.gov


ATTENTION: BENEFICIARY
This e-mail has been issued to you in order to officially inform you that we
have completed an investigation on an International Payment in which was
issued to you by an International Lottery Company. With the help of our newly
developed technology (International Monitoring Network System) we discovered
that your e-mail address was automatically selected by an Online Balloting
System, this has legally won you the sum of $2.4million USD from a Lottery
Company outside the United States of America. During our investigation we
discovered that your e-mail won the money from an Online Balloting System and
we have authorized this winning to be paid to you via INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED
BANK DRAFT.

Normally, it will take up to 5 business days for an INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED
BANK DRAFT by your local bank. We have successfully notified this company on
your behalf that funds are to be drawn from a registered bank within the world
wined, so as to enable you cash the check instantly without any delay,
henceforth the stated amount of $2.4million USD has been deposited with IMF.
We have completed this investigation and you are here by approved to receive
the winning prize as we have verified the entire transaction to be Safe and
100% risk free, due to the fact that the funds have been deposited with IMF
you will be required to settle the following bills directly to the Lottery
Agent in-charge of this transaction whom is located in Cotonou, Benin
Republic. According to our discoveries, you were required to pay for the
following,

(1) Deposit Fee's ( IMF INTERNATIONAL CLEARANCE CERTIFICATE )
(2) Shipping Fee's ( This is the charge for shipping the Cashier's Check to
your home address)

The total amount for everything is $98.00 We have tried our possible best to
indicate that this $98.00 should be deducted from your winning prize but we
found out that the funds have already been deposited IMF and cannot be
accessed by anyone apart from you the winner, therefore you will be required
to pay the required fee's to the Agent in-charge of this your transaction In
order to proceed with this transaction, you will be required to contact the
agent in-charge ( Mr. Mark Ben ) via e-mail. Kindly look below to find
appropriate contact information:

CONTACT AGENT NAME: Mr. Mark Ben
E-MAIL : inter_monitory_fund@globomail.com
PHONE: +229 68658982

You will be required to e-mail him with the following information:

FULL NAME:
ADDRESS:
CITY:
STATE:
ZIP CODE:
DIRECT CONTACT NUMBER:
OCCUPATION:

You will also be required to request Western Union or Money Gram details on
how to send the required $98.00 in order to immediately ship your prize of
$2.4million USD via INTERNATIONAL CERTIFIED BANK DRAFT from IMF, also include
the following transaction code in order for him to immediately identify this
transaction: EA2948-910.

This letter will serve as proof that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is
authorizing you to pay the required $98.00 ONLY to Mr. Mark Ben information in
which he shall send to you,

Faithfully Yours,
For And On Behalf Of
Federal Bureau of Investigation
Mr.James B. Comey, Jr.
Executive Director

The Grouch's take the British Isles by land and by sea! Part 2

Day two found us rested and  ready to take on a day's assault on central London!  The Missus had planned the day's activities which took us past Buckingham palace, towards Big Ben, along the Thames river, onto the tube to Piccadilly circus, and then back to the palace for a tour.  Lastly was a walk through the neighborhood surrounding our hotel to a dinner at a near-by pub.

Off we go!

Buckingham Palace in the morning.  We had tickets for a late afternoon tour so we had to get cracking and start our journey!

Walking to Big Ben and the Thames.  I saw the Guards regimental museum and wanted to stop but the Missus forbade any deviations to the schedule.  Keep moving!

Getting closer

We made it!

strolling along the Thames river bank

Note the date:  not WW2 but WW1!  German Gotha bombers flying from the continent in a preview of the terror of WW2

The dedication to Cleopatra's needle 

According to Wikipedia, its twin is in New York

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleopatra%27s_Needle

One of the pair of guards outside of Buckingham palace.  

Emerging from Buckingham palace after the tour.  No pictures inside, sorry!  Definitely worth the visit!

http://www.royal.gov.uk/TheRoyalResidences/BuckinghamPalace/BuckinghamPalace.aspx

Time for dinner at the pub across the street from out hotel

Busy, busy Victoria station behind our hotel and across from the Shakespeare pub

Citizen Grouch and the Missus enjoying dinner

The tube is the way to travel

Something catches Young Son's eye

I'll take one!  Love the color too