With decent winds we left Alderney for the mile sail to St. After 5 hours we arrived at the harbor entrance, requested permission to enter and did so after waiting outside while a large ferry docked. Next we waited for one of the marina skiffs to guide us carefully to one of the floating pontoons. No thanks. Plus, the pontoons were only a three-minute walk from one of the main streets.
I have to say living in Maine one gets use to tides and steep ramps to and from floating pontoons, but in this neck of the woods, they can get a heck of a lot steeper…. Actually, even the public restrooms throughout the islands seemed exceptionally clean. No laundry facility at the marina, but we found one in town easily enough.
With a supermarket nearby, plenty of buses and ferries within a five-minute walk, and a great Tourist Information TI Office just across the street, the location offered everything we needed.
Oh, yeah, and a great coffee shop, too :. Doing some quick research online we discovered a fabulous treasure in St. Having visited his apartment in Paris a few years ago, to tour his home here seemed a no-brainer. But, the lady at the TI suggested I try calling, and, voila!
Fortunately, careful restoration left the house the same as when Victor Hugo lived here. He Hugo, not Emperor 3 avoided arrest by heading to Brussels in December But his stay was short due to the proximity to France and a formal decree of exile, so he left for Jersey in where other non-Napoleon III supporters lived.
