Guernsey Museums

[yvr49]

Thanks especially to DC for your very helpful posts about Guernsey.  If you had to choose one museum, either the German Occupation Museum or the La Vallette, which would it be?

[ukestrummer]

hired private driver, found 2 couples to share, were escorted around area and went to Nazi caves, very interesting short time in cave. Guide was GREAT for us, new much about potato pie stuff & occupation

Hope you get onshore as the ocean can get rough & you are tendering in

[Guernseycruiser]

Definitely the German Occupation Museum.

[trrn2016]

3 hours ago, Guernseycruiser said:

Definitely the German Occupation Museum.

Is the German Occupation Museum walkable from the port?

[yvr49]

4 hours ago, ukestrummer said:

hired private driver, found 2 couples to share, were escorted around area and went to Nazi caves, very interesting short time in cave. Guide was GREAT for us, new much about potato pie stuff & occupation

Hope you get onshore as the ocean can get rough & you are tendering in

Thanks for that. Do you recall the driver's name?   Did you pick him up at the port and what did you pay?  I hope we get in that day too - we missed it due to rough seas on a previous cruise.  Disappointing as I had read 2 books about Guernsey and I was keen to see the place!

[ukestrummer]

There were 11 of us, walked around town some, then on small bus/van to tour the places where Nazis were, potato people homes, tunnels for Germans

Her name is  "Gill Girard", she knows LOTS of history there. Have fun, take LOTS of photos

Don

[Guernseycruiser]

2 hours ago, trrn2016 said:

Is the German Occupation Museum walkable from the port?

 

Unfortunately not, however easily accessible.  The nearest bus stop to the Museum is the stop before the airport, therefore any of the buses going in that direction will be perfect.  The local bus website is www.buses.gg.

 

 

Edited February 10, 2020 by Guernseycruiser

[D C]

On 2/10/2020 at 11:41 AM, Guernseycruiser said:

Definitely the German Occupation Museum.

I'm going to defer to the local expert on this one.  I have heard many good things about the occupation museum, but I have never been there. 

 

La Vallette is what I would consider a small museum, though unique in its setting. I think we spent less than an hour there.  But I find that when it comes to time spent in museums, a large factor is how much you read.  Articles, reports, letters and such on the occupation abound.  If you read headlines, captions, or full articles will determine your length of stay. I tend to read, my wife not so much. 

[geoherb]

I highly recommend reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society before your cruise. 

[yvr49]

16 hours ago, geoherb said:

I highly recommend reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society before your cruise. 

Yes, I have read that book.  A less well-known one also worth a read is The Soldier's Wife, by Margaret Leroy.  Both books give a good picture of life in Guernsey during the German occupation.