January 19, 2010
More Google Maps
Check out this user-created map of Guernsey from GoogleMaps. You’ll find quotes from the book relating to various sites around the island, as well as photos of each area. This map is also useful for readers to orient themselves on Guernsey while reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Based on these photos, does Guernsey look like you imagined it did while reading the book?
Many thanks to the google user “SubmarineGuernsey” for creating this map!
torthwein said,
January 20, 2010 at 11:38 pm
Wow! I so enjoyed this map, photos and quotes. And, I want to go to Guernsey! Do you suppose “SubmarineGuernsey” was sponsored by the Guernsey Tourism Bureau?! Thank you for posting!
Neil Inder said,
January 27, 2010 at 10:55 am
Hi torthwein
““SubmarineGuernsey” was sponsored by the Guernsey Tourism Bureau?! ”
We are. It’s part of our job to assist in marketing the island. Hope you enjoy them and get in touch if you ever come to our fair isle. I’ll buy yo ua coffee
Neil
torthwein said,
January 27, 2010 at 10:55 pm
Dear Neil,
Smart marketing! I was really just kidding with my comment–I wish my intuition was always so keen! Thank you for blogging.
I’ll take you up on the coffee offer, if I get to Guernsey. Do Guernsey residents like fancy coffee Starbuck-type concoctions or do they keep to the simple, straight-up, old fashioned coffee that Juliet and company would have enjoyed?
Do you have any interesting Guernsey facts to share with us that might further enhance our reading of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society?
Loving getting to know your island through the eyes of an author who fell in love with it.
Yours truly,
Tab
Neil said,
January 28, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Hi Tab
We’re tea drinkers don’t you know. Well we were coffee has crepped in from Europe over the years and will drink Latte with the best of them. We’re still getting our heads around ‘skinny’ and ‘regular’. In our speak i think that’s semi-skinned and medium.
I’mm 44 and my mum and dad were evacuated in 39, mum to Leeds, dad to Huntingdon. Grandfathers fought in India and North Africa.
My generation were brought up with the stories, some good, some funny, some bad and some probably embellished.
Uncles who had fights in Town with the Germans, chicken stealing, passive and not so passive resistance.
Some facts for you:
20000 soldiers billeted in Guernsey alone. Alderney the northern island had a labour camps and Jersey was said to be the place where Hitler might have chosen to ‘summer’ in the event of him taking England. The total force billeted in the CI was an 1/8th (according to Churchill) of Northern Europes Wehrmachts forces. If Hitler was dumbe enough to expand that amount of resources on islands of no significant import, Churchill was relaxed about that.
The islands coast is covered with German fortifications. Alderney so heavily fortified it would have taken about 250k troops to liberate had it been invaded.
The occupation was what killed our native language. My mother went to England speaking – Guernsey French as an 5-year old and came back with a Yorkshire accent.
The Guernsey people are generally, stoic, hard working and very dry.
I could go on
Will pop back with some links to various websites when I have time. Take care
Images of Guernsey http://www.guernseyimages.com
Tourism site: http://www.visitguernsey.com
Neil Inder
http://www.submarine.gg
Neil said,
January 28, 2010 at 3:17 pm
Apologies for atrocious spelling. Will do in Word next time first
Libby said,
January 29, 2010 at 3:56 pm
Now, I am fascinated about Guernsey French. What is the history of the language in the CI? Is it still spoken among generational islanders?
Neil Inder said,
February 1, 2010 at 6:07 am
Libby
With the wonders of the web, you can even hear some http://www.bbc.co.uk/guernsey/content/articles/2005/01/24/guernsey_french_learn_feature.shtml
Norman French is the the original language of Normandy; we were part of the Duchy of Normandie.
The Wiki article gives you a bit of background
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guernsey
Sadly Norman French is a dying language. Even though there are efforts to revive it the anglicisation of the islands along with the historical fact of the German Occupation will see it dead within 30 years I suspect. From what I know it’s effectively an unwritten language and metropolitan French would not recognise it though it is still close to the Norman dialect