Island hopping in the Med and the Channel

I HAVE visited two of the three Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean, starting with Menorca, the serene island which I first visited in the late 1970s and early 80s. Staying in a villa with a private pool in Cala’n Porter, it was an ideal introduction to foreign holidays for a growing family. 

Some years later, I visited the famous Cova d’en Xoroi, as well as the Xoriguer gin distillery, in Mahon, with its vast array of free samples including a rose flavoured gin, alongside the traditional juniper based varieties.  I still prefer Gordon’s and bitter lemon although a recent birthday gift of Gordon’s Lemon Meringue went down really well!

There are many quiet and secluded beaches on Menorca and one of my favourites is Cala Galdana, a white sanded cove, where you can paddle for hundreds of yards in the shallow, calm waters, with the only “Great White” in sight being a newly arrived tourist!

On a subsequent visit, I went to the larger island of Majorca, staying in the capital city of Palma, complete with a Gothic cathedral, Moorish fortress, lively tapas bars, and marina views. Sir Richard Branson owned “Son Bunyola”, a historic estate in Majorca.

It seems natural to follow on my journey at this point with my only trip to Cyprus in 2007. I stayed at the Roman Hotel and took the opportunity to visit the divided city Nicosia on the divided island. Cyprus became independent in 1960 but  power-sharing between Greek and Turkish Cypriots finished in 1963. A Greek junta-backed coup in 1974 prompted Turkey to invade, seizing the northern third. The island was partitioned along the Green Line, creating the Greek Cypriot south and a Turkish Cypriot north (declared the TRNC in 1983 but only recognized by Turkey). Nicosia remains Europe’s last divided capital, split by barbed wire and a buffer zone. 

I did visit the Greek Island of Rhodes to take photos at a friend’s wedding but, apart from that, memories of the island are in the mist. I have similar re-collections about a trip to the island of Kos and a day trip to Bodrum, in Turkey, which I never hope to repeat again. 

A ferry from Kos to Bodrum is one of the quickest international trips you can take, often crossing in just 20 minutes. You will need your passport, which you give to the boat operator for safekeeping, and which he returns to you on the way back. That did not sit well with me. 

Many day trippers head for the Bodrum Bazaar where they enjoy lunch at a genuine Kaaba or visit Bodrum Castle and the Museum of Underwater Archaeology. I did very little apart from worry about my passport, as the atmosphere felt uncomfortable, but I am sure other visitors had different experiences. Bodrum is certainly not on my bucket list to do again – although I may return one day again to Kos.

Whilst on the subject of small islands, let me take you to Jersey, in the Channel Islands, which I visited on assignment with “The Paper” from Tenerife to cover the Jersey Guineas horse race at the Len Landes racecourse, hosted by the Jersey Race Club. It takes place in May and I was a guest of the Clerk of the Course and allowed to photograph the race and interview another guest introduced to me as Princess Galitzine.

I later researched the life of the Princess, who was born Jean Mary Dawnay and was one of the very first supermodels after serving at Bletchley Park as a code breaker. In 1950, after the war she secured a contract with Christian Dior as a model and Princess Jean’s image was captured by many famous photographers of the day including Cecil Beaton and Norman Parkinson. 

In 1958, she married Russian Prince George Galitizine and was a familiar face in Vogue magazine and on the TV programme “What’s My Line” as a panelist. Prince George had served in the Welsh Guards during the war holding the rank of Major.

It was also at the race meeting that I was invited to be a guest at the Jersey Zoo by one of the patrons of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust. I was instructed on arrival at the Jersey Zoo to give reception my name and I would be presented with a “press pack” and of course free admission. I took full advantage of the visit and photographed many of the animals including the prized silverback gorilla. Jersey Zoo is open daily from 9.30am-5pm with longer hours in the summer. Admission prices range from £18.90p for adults booking online with many concessions available for children, groups, students and the disabled.

Whilst in Jersey, I also visited the military museum and the Jersey War Tunnels from the time when the island was occupied by the Nazis from 1940-45 after they bombed the island in June 1940 killing 10 people. When the island was liberated on 9th May 1945, it is now celebrated as Liberation Day with a monument on the island.

 I also managed to squeeze in a day trip to Saint-Malo, the historic French port in Ille-et-Vilaine, Brittany. 

It was not as much fun as going through the customs, on the way back to Jersey, when a German tourist wanted to know why he should show his passport when he hadn’t the last time he was on the island. 

The Border Patrol asked “And when was that sir”? To which the embarrassed German replied “July 1940”.

Coincidently, my next stop would be Austria via Germany!