Authentic Island Tour, Jersey

On Friday, I took a seven-hour bus tour around the island with Waverly Coaches.  The Authentic Island Tour was £27,50 (€32 / $34) and it was well worth it. 

The coach picked me up at my hotel in Saint Helier and in seven hours we drove all around Jersey, checking out all twelve parishes.

St. Matthew's, also called the Glass Church, is an Anglican Church in Saint Lawrence parish.  The unassuming church was built in 1840. 

In 1934, it became the "Glass Church" when a French glassmaker was commissioned to decorate the church. 

The moulds used were destroyed after they completion so there is nothing similar in world by artist René Lalique.  

Battery Lothringen is a WWII artillery battery at the top of Noirmont Point in Saint Brélade parish.  It was built in 1941 by the Germans to defend against the Allies when the Channel Islands were occupied.

There's a memorial stone for the men and women of Jersey who perished in the war from 1939 - 1945.

The site overlooks la Tour de Vinde that the British built in 1915.

Janvrin's Tower, also known as Janvrin's Tomb, was built by the British in 1808 on Île au Guerdain in Portent Bay in Saint Brélade Parish.

The beach at Saint Brelade's Bay is one of the island's most popular.  Even in November, it felt so good to be on the beach.

Next to the bay is the St. Brelade Parish Church.  The church dates back to around the 12th century.  

Next to the church is the medieval Fisherman's Chapel.

The Corbière lighthouse was built in 1874.  There's a causeway from the shore to the lighthouse at low tide.

Near the lighthouse is a sculpture commemorating the 1995 rescue of the Saint-Malo catamaran.  On 17 April 1995, a French catamaran was sailing form Jersey to Sark when it hit a rock.  Nearby ships came to the aid and all 307 passengers and crew were rescued.

There are also more German defensive positions that once made up the Atlantic Wall during the war.

The seven-story German observation tower was converted in 2004 to the island's only self-catering holiday accommodation.

The Channel Islands Military Museum is housed in a German bunker.  We only drove past the museum as it's not one of the tours designated stops.  It wouldn't have mattered as the museum closed in November and won't open for the tourist season until April.

In Saint Ouen parish we stopped at Jersey Pearl for a lunch break.  They café was quite good and there was enough time for a short walk out to the beach.  

I didn't have any interest in buying pearls but one interesting thing was a replica of the pearl jacket and dress worn by Princess Diana which sold at a charity auction in 1996 for $151,000.   

After lunch it was on to Grosnez Castle on the north-west corner of the island.  It was built in 1330 to provide local farmers with protection fro the French at the start of the Hundred Years' War.  It has been in ruins since the mid-16th century.

At the St. Ouen parish church is a memorial for Louisa Gould who during the Nazi occupation, took in a hid an escaped Russian POW for 18 months.  

She was caught and sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp, 90 km (56 miles) north of Berlin.  She was gassed and died in 1945 just two months before the camp was liberated.

In 2010 she was posthumously honoured as a British Hero of the Holocaust.  Her story was the inspiration for the film Another Mother's Son.

We later stopped off at Gorey Harbour, in Saint Martin parish, for a tea break.  Above the village is the Mont Orgueil Castle, also simply called Gorey Castle, which was built from 1204 to 1450.  It was the island's main fortress until Elizabeth Castle was built in 1594.  

I suppose that no visit to Jersey is complete without coming across a Jersey cow.  This tour ticked that box too.

I was surprised that we got to see as much as we did.  There were a few times that the tour guide provided some cultural references which were lost on me.  

I did have to chuckle when one elderly English guy asked me what my native language is.  He seemed shocked when I said 'English'.  Good times.

Cijin Island, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Cijin Island is a thin island in Kaohsiung Harbour which serves as a natural breakwater.

The ferry over to the peninsula costs NT$25 (€0,72 / $0.85) and takes about 10 minutes.



The Kaohsiung Lighthouse sits on Cijin.  It was built in 1883 and restored by the Japanese in 1918.

There are a number of temples and markets on Cijin.  It's a popular place for fresh seafood.

The biggest draw for me were the palm trees and a shot at some beach time.

Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Kaohsiung, 高雄, is located in the southwest of Taiwan about 362 km (225 miles) from Taipei.  It is home to 2,7 million people and is its second largest city.

The city's port is the world's 6th largest cargo-container seaport.



Kaohsiung, used to be known as Takao and it started off as a small fishing village in the 17th century.




The Daitian Temple was built in 1951.  There's a Taoist hall in the front and a Buddhist hall in the back.

The Qing Shui Temple was built in 1787.  When entering temples, it is auspicious to enter on the left and exiting on the right side provides an escape from danger.  Only the Gods may enter via the middle, unless you are holding holy statues.

The Chi Ming Palace was built to promote Confucianism 1899.  The palace was rebuilt in 1973.

The statue of the Xuantian Emperor is 22 metres (72 feet) tall.  It's the tallest god stature on water in Southeast Asia.

The Dragon and Tiger Pagodas were built in 1976.


The Pillar to Heaven and Protection of the Land at Lotus Lake is a memorial to the victims of a 7.3 earthquake that hit Taiwan on 21.9.1999.

The Wuli Pavilion is a symbol of good fortune.



Near Lotus Lake stands part of the Old Fongshan City Wall that dates back to the Qing Dynasty.





The Tianfu Palace was built in 1660, at about the end of the Ming Dynasty I think.




The Kaohsiung Confucius Temple was originally built in 1684.  At 167 square metres (1800 sq ft) it is the largest Confucian temple in Taiwan.  During the Japanese colonial period it fell into disrepair and the new temple was built in 1976.

Near the Lotus Pond is Shoushan National Park, also known as Monkey Mountain.  It is 356 metres (1168 feet) tall.




Kao Tong Tong is the city's agricultural mascot.  We needed to get a selfie together.




The Pier-2 Art Center used to be an old sugar warehouse during the Japanese era.  The area was rebuilt in the 1962 and today it is a contemporary art gallery with grass lawns between warehouses and old railway tracks.

The 85 Sky Tower was completed in 1997.  It is 347,5 metres (1140 feet) tall and it was tallest skyscraper in Taiwan until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004.

The former British Consulate was built in 1879.  It's currently a historic site with a popular cafe for the tourists.

The Kaohsiung Lighthouse was built in 1883 and was restored in 1918.  It actually sits on Cijin Island.

The port is the 15th biggest in the world.

The Dome of Light is a public artwork found at the Formosa Boulevard MRT station.  It is the world's largest stained glass installation made up of 4.500 glass panels.



The food here is simply incredible.  One of the local night markets had the best Xiao Long Bao - soup dumplings.  Delicious and super inexpensive.



Gua Bao is a "Taiwanese hamburger".  It's a steamed fluffy bun with pork and fatty pork belly that's topped with pickled mustard greens, crushed peanuts and coriander.  Tasty but I prefer it also with some hot chilli.

Kaohsiung is well worth a visit.  Especially when the high speed rail only takes around 90 minutes from Taipei.

One of the interesting things I saw was the musical garbage truck.  Not sure if this is only a Kaohsiung thing or a Taiwan thing.