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Excerpts from 750 word article "IS EVERYBODY HAPPY?." IN GUERNSEY THE ANSWER IS A RESOUNDING 'YES' by Pam Hobbs
Even the cows are happy. They stare placidly from beneath lashes most women would die for, and give the richest milk in the world. (Interpret that as cream, as in cream teas.) There is virtually no crime, and no unemployment. No visible poverty either. In fact money is big business, with more than fifty different banking groups active on this 62 square km (24 sq mi) island.
St Peter Port is Guernsey's capital and the Channel Isles' oldest community. Presenting a Mediterranean scene with buildings crammed onto the hillside rising from a busy harbour, its narrow cobbled streets have little in common with the 20th century. The shops could keep me all day. So could the historic dwellings, their gardens bounded by granite walls with wild flowers tumbling from their cracks. Castle Cornet has guarded the harbour for something like 700 years, and still fires its cannon at noon each day. Follow the town's side streets pointing towards the coast, and you will find yourself above seascapes of heart-wrenching beauty....
Hugo wrote most of Les Miserables here, twenty pages a day. His afternoons were reserved for long walks, which made him a familiar figure on the coastal paths. Now true fans like to follow the official Hugo Trail. Guernsey is very accessible. U.K. Air flies to this and other Channel Islands from Britain's major airports. A car ferry sails between Poole (Dorset) and St Peter Port in three hours. |
I can't say I have a lot of faith in
polls, but when results of a Gallup poll tell
me residents of Guernsey are the happiest
people in the world I believe it with all my
heart. I mean, really, who wouldn't be happy
to live on this island off England's south
coast? The sun shines almost every day, and a
balmy climate brings the flowers out long
before their buddies on the mainland. Income
tax is 20%, and there are no goods and
services taxes. Golden beaches connect
adorable little ports, while inland farms are
perfumed by
carnations,
roses and
freesias grown
for export.
On Guernsey you will never be at a loss
for something to
do. An efficient
bus network will
get you around.
Coastal paths make
cycling and walking
a joy. And if you
rent a car you'll
find that a full
tank of gas will
keep you going all
week. Local seafood
is second to none.
Cream teas served in country gardens are
unforgettable.
