Another museum?

I know you’re sad but it’s time to say goodbye to Franny Fiat. She is little, cute but does screech every time you have to go up a hill. More importantly, you can’t liberate her as she won’t fit in your suitcase. Say goodbye!

We all know that sunshine makes things look different so we lulled Franny into a false security and checked out the lighthouse from yesterday.

Look at this swimmer. He couldn’t wait for the pool to open ( remember there are rocks below and it’s an ebb tide).

Onward now, you have two museums to visit. First through Liberation Square to the Jersey Museum.  As the name suggests, it displays aspects of Jersey from  Neolithic times through the ages till now. The museum is in a Victorian town house so there is also a recreation, using holograms of the previous occupants.A  Homeopathic  doctor  and  family  who  were  about  to  do  a  flit  because  of  huge  debts.All  the  furnishings  are  faithful  to  the  era.     

There are some beautiful finds like this  Irish gold crown , weapons, examples of stone work and displays from Jersey life.   

Agriculture was such a huge part of the economy for Jersey. Apart from milk, butter and cheese (all marked with the farmers name so yo knew the provenance ),potatoes, fruit, tomatoes and cider were exported to England or France . A plant found on the island was also pickled and exported.

Now tourism and finance are the main contributors to the economy.

Models of uniforms, cutlass ( there were pirates and smuggling), and fortification models showed the uneasy relationship with France and England. There was a model of a Don tower which were built right along the coast to protect it during Napoleonic period.The towers still dot the coast.

Now a quick visit to the Victorian markets and then to the Maritime Museum. No groaning allowed as I have been told there is lots of hands on stuff to play with, YOU WILL HAVE FUN.

As expected, when you are on an island, fishing and the sea are going to play a major role in the country.

Check out the videos of amusements for children.

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There were lots of buttons to push and hands on activities. Did you like them…..I did. I looked at all of the different models and tried all the interactive stuff. Massive failure at making a boat sail but never mind. I hope you did look at the boats in bottles, models, and paintings and of course the maritime displays. Good weren’t they. I liked looking in the tiny cupboards at the special historical items best as it was like exploring someone’s treasures. Smuggling of materials off the island was a major activity..Knitted woollen stockings and vests were particularly sought after. This is how they did it.

Customs knew that the women were taking out goods under their skirts but couldn’t search them without there being an outcry from the townsfolk.

As the island suffered through the WW2, people did not want to have their stories lost. Liberation Day on the 5th May is a major event . A project to show life under occupation was also created where 13 tapestries were created. Each of the 12 shires using volunteers sewed one. For each square inch there are approx 3000 stitches. Below each tapestry was an interactive screen where you could read the story behind that tapestry. It also told of what was happening in other countries under occupation. It is a magnificent feat.. for

Well that wasn’t so bad was it. Great to see people so proud of their history. A quick walk back to the hotel, collect your bags and then on the ferry to Guernsey.