Hello to everyone, I'm new to this board but not new to the magical sound of Libera...... have been a fan for some time.
As someone who has been a regular visitor (for both work and pleasure purposes) to the Channel Islands over the past 40 years or so, I thought I would give a few comments about life on the Islands.
Jersey is more commercialised than neighbouring Guernsey, but both are well worth visiting. They have a unique charm to them that is rarely found anywhere else in Europe. There is no VAT so prices for everything are generally cheaper than the UK mainland. Average small hotel/B&B prices are £50 per night maximum. Camping is also available (I happen to know that the owners of Fauxquets Valley on Guernsey are avid Libera fans!). There are lots of things to do on both islands. The islands formed part of Hitler's Atlantic Wall during World War Two so there are many reminders of this time on both Islands, many of which are open as tourist attractions/museums. On both islands you will find the coastal walks very spectacular indeed, as both Islands are in the Gulf Stream the weather does tend to be on the better side, usually.
Victor Hugo lived on Guernsey for some time and there are various places dedicated to him there. The late Gerald Durrell (wildlife conservationist) founded Jersey Zoo which is now known as the Durrell Trust zoo, well worth a visit. And the list goes on. Both islands are well served by reasonably priced public transport in the form of buses, (for Guernsey see
www.buses.gg) and there are bus routes serving all areas of both islands. A visit by boat to Herm, Sark & Alderney is also well worth considering, allow a day for each of these as you have to walk everywhere on Herm & Sark, no motor vehicles allowed!
Both St Helier and St Peter Port offer all the usual UK/European high street shops within their paved shopping areas, but these will be much smaller versions than what you will be used to, because there are no large out of town shopping centres anywhere on the Islands and planning laws are kept very strict to ensure that such things don't get built.....
The Islands use Sterling as their currency, however they have their own notes including pound notes which cannot be used off the islands.... Credit & Debit cards are widely accepted.
In terms of Libera choosing the Channel Islands for this Summer Tour, it is certainly a most interesting choice. I was reading through some of the threads elsewhere on this forum that relate to the discussions earlier in the year around a European Tour, well at least Libera stuck to their word and are doing something in Europe! Both of the venues are great for concerts, and there will be plenty of things to do for the boys and their families whilst on the Islands. I presume they will be staying around in between both concerts, and I suppose it is fair to say that it is quite likely that we as their fans will bump into them at various points around the Islands whilst they are there. I know that Steven Philipp is a frequent visitor to Guernsey because his employers (Carey Group) have a HQ on the island, I have bumped into him a few times in the recent past in St Peter Port.
All in all the Channel Islands are a perfect location for Libera to perform in, and for all of us including the boys of Libera etc going to enjoy a great holiday there.