Some friends of mine decided to visit for a few days in July and I took them to visit several parts of the region including Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, just off the coast of Normandy. Although the sky was dark and threatened to rain, it quickly cleared up and we left early in the morning for St-Helier aboard the ferry Victor Hugo from Carteret. The sea was very choppy and nearly half of the passengers were seasick filling the vessel with that pungent, unmistakable odor of vomit for well over an hour. It was truly disgusting. Not far from the ferry terminal in St-Helier is the 14-meter tall Jubilee Needle which was commissioned for the Golden Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. The Central Market, on Beresford Street is an indoor market which opened in 1882 and is popular with tourists and locals. It features Victorian architecture including cast iron structures, and an ornamental fountain. The market comprises stalls selling flowers, fruit, and vegetables, as well as small shops and cafés. Across the street is the Beresford Fish Market. Not far from here we stopped and had a traditional English breakfast. It was delicious but most certainly UNHEALTHY ! I’m glad I don’t have to eat this way all the time. St-Helier has many interesting buildings including its town hall known as La salle paroissiale de Saint-Hélier. This statue of George II in the Royal Square is the zero milestone from which all distances in Jersey are measured. There is a sundial on the wall of Piquet House on the square which is set to "Jersey time," eight minutes different to Greenwich Mean Time. This statue of a crapaud (toad) in St-Helier represents the traditional nickname for Jersey people. In 1855 an obelisk was constructed in Broad Street to commemorate the reformer Pierre Le Sueur, five times elected Constable of St- Helier. The monument was restored in 2005 and the fountains restored to working order. Later in the day we took a bus tour which followed along the coastline past the small harbor of La Rocque through small seaside villages and parishes until reaching the St. Catherine Breakwater and café. At low tide, there is an opportunity to explore vast stretches of beach and unusual rock formations. Other interesting constructions along the coastline are the 31 Conway towers. Their construction started in the late 18th century, when the island was under constant threat of attack by the French. Only three years after approval was given in 1778 for the construction of the towers, Jersey was indeed invaded, leading to the Battle of Jersey on January 6, 1781. Ironically one of the first towers had already been built close to where the French landed, but failed to detect the arrival of the invading troops. And although the construction program continued after the Battle, not a single shot was to be fired in anger from any of them. Mont Orgueil Castle, atop a granite cliff which looks over the seaside town of Gorey, was the island’s first major defence and was built at the beginning of the 13th century. It was abandoned for many years when advances in warfare and the use of cannons rendered it vulnerable to attack. The tourist bus took us all the way to the Catherine Breakwater where we stopped for about thirty minutes at the nearby cafe in order to use the restroom, buy some souvenirs and eat an ice cream cone.  On the way back into St-Helier, we went through a number of parishes and saw several churches.  Unfortunately, the bus did not stop so we could go inside and I had to be satisfied with a handful of shots taken from the moving bus.  In 1997, the world’s largest steam clock the Ariadne by Gordon Young was inaugurated into the Guinness Book of World Records. Modelled on a traditional 19th century paddle steamer, the clock stands on a landscaped area on St Helier’s North Quay. Near the new tourist office is the "Jersey Girl" sculpture by Rowan Gillespie, commissioned by Harcourt Developments for Liberty Wharf development inaugurated in 2010.  Fort Regent, which overlooks the city is now used as a sports and leisure complex.  At the base of the hill is the Maritime Museum.