pleasantly surprised

Sometimes it pays to have no expectations, you can find yourself pleasantly surprised yet rarely disappointed. This has been my experience of Jersey. If you are like most people you may need an introduction at this point. Jersey is a small Island in the English Channel, situated between the South of England and the West of France. By small, I mean quite small, Jersey is a mere spec on the globe measuring 9 x 5 (miles that is). When my sister and I planned to come here I had no expectations, no clue really what hope for, or even what to plan to do while we were here, yet I assure you I have been pleasantly surprised time and time again.
Jersey is the kind of place that you could be blind-folded and dropped in the middle of and spend days touring and exploring yet never cross the same path twice. For an Island of its size there is a vast diversity of terrain from coastal cliffs, to flat farmland, gently rolling hills to the seaside beaches. It is a place of overwhelming nature beauty, especially at this time of year when the flowers are in full bloom and signs of life light up in every direction. The road, or lanes, are wide enough for two-way traffic, yet narrow enough that one car has to pull over into a driveway to let the oncoming traffic pass. I should also add that these narrow roads are lined with hedges that are at least four feet tall and are built of solid Jersey granite. This common occurrence could be hectic for a motion-sick traveller like me, yet there seems to be a common understanding among the Island folk who calmly back out of the way without giving it a second thought.
Among the natural beauty Jersey is known for two things, Jersey Gold Potatoes (which are only available in England and here on the Island), and secondly, the reason which drew us here, the Jersey cow. Coming from a rich family heritage of Jerseys, (the small brown cows that unfortunately are often mistaken to produce chocolate milk), we thought we should pay it a visit. Today my sister and I went to visit a farm, which was unlike any farm I’ve ever been to. It was an estate owned by an extremely wealthy couple, compiled of farm buildings dating back to the 1500s. I felt a tinge of pride that I have felt seldom in the past, as we stood there and spoke about the opportunities that agriculture can present.
Aside from cows and potatoes, we’ve seen a number of interesting things during our stay here. Some highlights include; the beautiful white sand beach, an internationally acclaimed zoo, a museum that recorded the impact and involvement of Islander in the World War II, a beautiful garden at the home we’re staying at and some of the finest ice cream I’ve tasted in a while.
All in all Jersey Island has been a pleasant surprise and I’m glad we fit it into our itinerary.