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weathering the
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I have time and time again, said that the pace of life here is much slower in general and sometimes I forget that. Sometimes New York thoughts do come out in me, yet, I am sitting here writing this piece, relaxed in the air conditioned, yes, air-conditioned comfort of the apartment Rosa and I have. And, yes, Rosa is at the library as I am writing this, or she would say it is frozen. For me, it is perfect, so I can focus and not feel like I am in a sauna and, this need to remove the humidity and cool at least one room in the apartment down for a while so I can work, is a good thing. My computer likes it also. Even momma prefers a lower temperature as many others do.
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This island also includes its sister islands including Herm Sark and Alderney, but you need more time to explore and if you are a fan of Les Miserables, then coming to Guernsey is a must, as Victor Hugo lived in Guernsey and that is where he wrote this amazing story. Guernsey, as Jersey, also celebrate their liberation day, the 9th of May, each year and it too, is a very big deal. Remember, the Allies, while they landed on the beaches of Normandy on June 6th, 1944, bypassed the Channel Islands and they were not liberated until almost a year later, even though their location was about 23 miles away from the closest landing beaches. There was not strategic value to the islands, so in the end, when Germany capitulated, then the islanders were free, and they truly experience the day each year.
The number one highlight of Jersey is the War Tunnels built during the 5-year occupation by the Nazis during WWII. While the UK stood alone against the Nazis in the early stages of WWII, the let the Germans occupy the Channel Islands, as they had no military value, but the Germans built them up always thinking that the Allies would invade. The tunnels are very extensive, and it takes a good 2 hours to explore the underground and get a feel for the history. Even after D-Day, when the Allies invaded France, they bypassed the Channel Islands, even though the islanders heard the invasion and thought they were next to be liberated. In fact, they endured 5 years of occupation and were not liberated until May 9, 1945, so only when the war in Europe was over. The islanders endured starvation and other horrible events during the occupation and had to figure out how to survive, and many did not, being shipped to labor and concentration camps. Many left when they knew that they would be occupied and many tried to escape, but in the end, most of the people stayed and endured. The Nazis even changed the time zone to central European time zone, when they took over to match the time zones in France and Germany etc.
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October 2023
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