Vindaloo and Wine

I'm here! It's so great to be back in Jersey. My dad and I spent well over 24 hours traveling from Boynton Beach to Fort Myers to Charlotte to Gatwick (London) to Jersey. It was so hard to sleep on the eight-hour plane ride squished between my dad and another guy in the middle of a Boeing 747. I tried falling asleep in so many different ways, but I could only get about 30 minutes of shut-eye in before we landed. Once we got to Gatwick we had a three-hour wait to board the 35-minute plane ride to Jersey, which really only felt like 10 minutes. On the plane from London to Jersey I could see the coast of France from my plane window on the left and five minutes later I could see Jersey with its rolling hills of lush green grass and the beautiful architecture of the houses and churches dotting the island. As we were landing I spotted a field of Jersey cows lying down indicating that it would rain later on...and as the cows predicted, it rained.

Gyles and his dad, Chris, greeted us at the airport. It was the moment I'd been looking forward to for the past 24 hours, and giving Gyles a big hug made me the happiest girl in Jersey. I'd also like to take credit for being the most tired girl in Jersey too.

Once we left the airport Chris drove us to have lunch in Gorey Village, which is a stunning part of the island. Gorey Castle sits right on the edge of the coast along with a row of shops, restaurants and pubs. We sat down to eat at a restaurant called Feast, which overlooks the Gorey Harbour. When we sat down the tide was out and by the time we finished eating the tide had crept back up and filled the dry harbour with crystal-clear, cold seawater. Jersey is known for having one of the world's largest tides that goes out twice a day exposing the bottom of the sea floor and leaving boats in the harbours to rest on the sand.

At lunch we started with a bottle of Rose and fish soup followed by our main course. I wasn’t that hungry because I was so tired, so I ordered what I thought would be a small meal—a bucket of prawns, or as we Americans say--shrimp. Little did I know I would have to behead the prawns and remove their legs before enjoying them. I was a bit scared! I've never had to remove the head of a cooked shrimp, so luckily I had Gyles to show me how. Of course when he removed the head to show me the shrimp's juices splattered all over my face. It was a great start to my trip. It rained a bit during lunch and by the time we finished the sun was shining through the gray clouds.

After lunch we all went back to have a kip, or a nap as I would normally call it, but I'm on their turf now...so I had a kip. We then went to pick up Gyles' uncle, Dave his son Aaron, and Dave's interesting friend Wayne. Dave and Wayne were visiting from Australia and Aaron was visiting from Brighton, England. After spending just 20 minutes with Dave I could definitely tell he was Chris's brother--he's hilarious and a very great guy. We picked them up from the harbour where people traveling by boat to Jersey arrive and we headed to Kaiyum, an excellent Indian restaurant in town. Six bottles of wine later we were all having an absolute riot. I loved it! I had curry, which is the medium level of hotness. While my dad ordered a vindaloo--the hottest curry on the menu. To say the least we all had an amazing first night in Jersey. Now I'm off to bed on my third day here...lots to do tomorrow to prepare for Beth's big 18th birthday party on Saturday. I'll be meeting her and her friends in town tomorrow around noon for a pint or two, or three. I'll have more updates and photos soon! Love you all! Miss you all! (I love you, mom & Laur!)

xx
Lindsay

Leaving for the Island in FIVE

Today I woke up with a knot in my stomach. It's not the knot I feel when I'm filled with stress or anxiety during exam week, or the knot that I get when I'm feeling guilty about something. It's the knot of excitement. In five days I'll be boarding a plane in Fort Myers to North Carolina then to Gatwick in London. Once I arrive in London, with my dad, we will have a four hour layover. Then we simply take a small plane to Jersey and there we will be met by Gyles and his family. It's that exact moment that I can't wait for. Seeing Gyles in person and giving him the biggest hug ever. Followed by the biggest kiss of course.
Over the past few days I've been creating a list of places in Jersey that I want my dad to see and experience. One of those places is definitely the Jersey War Tunnels. A museum dedicated to telling the story and history of Jersey during the German occupation in World War Two. From 1940-1945 Jersey was under German occupation and this museum tells the entire true story from beginning to end. The first time I visited the War Tunnels I couldn't believe what I was hearing and seeing. I cried a few times during the visit just thinking about what the islanders went through in those times. There are tons of testimonials from all types of people who lived through it. I think that's the hardest part knowing that it's real. It's a great history lesson as well as an experience of a lifetime. I don't want my dad's trip to start off without him knowing the history behind the island. But if we don't make it to the War Tunnels on the first few days we'll visit before he leaves.
Another destination on my list is eating at Partners. I'm sure to most islanders eating at Partners isn't something they would put on a high-priority list for visitors, but to me it's a special place. Not only is the food there absolutely amazing and delicious, but some of my fondest memories of Nan took place at the old Partners. Her and Pop would take me there on days when Gyles and everyone else had things to do that didn't involve me. We had some memorable conversations at the round table in the back as we chomped away at chips smothered in malt vinegar and sea salt. That's one thing I'll never forget about Nan...she loved her salt! She salted her chips just as much as I did except for my chips were always way more soggy from the tons of vinegar I put on them. Right before I left Jersey last summer Partners was just about to open their new restaurant right across from their old one. I hope they still have the same menu. When I get there I want to have the chicken tikka. It's an Indian dish similar to having a curry. The chicken is diced into cubes and then added to a sauce and served to you sizzling on a hot plate. It usually comes with a side of white rice, but you can substitute the rice for chips if you'd like. Or you can ask for half chips and half rice, which they would also willingly serve you. The owners of Partners happen to be dear friends to Gyles and his family. They're very nice people and I look forward to seeing them again too! I wish I had some pictures to show...I'll have them soon!
Wish me a safe travel everyone. Love you all!


xx
Lindsay