The sumptuous travelling toilette case with its cut-glass bottles, silver gilt and turquoise brushes, glove stretchers, mirrors, hair tongs and button hooks belonged to the woman who is probably the most famous Jersey islander. Mistress to a prince, Lily Langtry was born Emilie Charlotte Le Breton in the parish of St Saviour in 1853.
Although she once claimed she never wore make-up, this case was her constant companion as she toured the US. Now behind glass in the Jersey Museum in St Helier, the case contains such useful items as a barometer, a thermometer and a clock, so she could read time, temperature and weather as she curled her hair.
The museum in St Helier is a must-see for visitors, especially if, as on our visit, the climate was eerily reminiscent of home - my rain jacket was the most worn item in my wardrobe, the shorts and sunscreen never leaving the case.
Upstairs, in the museum, history is still in the making as islanders and visitors put together a series of 20 panels which will form a millennium mosaic. The panels - six foot by three - depict island life in black and white. The black and white is topped by a dream sequence in colour showing the islanders' hopes and dreams.
All residents of Jersey are being asked to put a piece in the mosaic. The panels are travelling the island, from post office to church to hospital. Visitors to the museum can also leave a lasting memorial to their visit in the form of a mosaic tile, although identifying my particular white tile in the future might prove something of a challenge.
It's a short drive from the museum to the zoo. Of course, with an island which measures nine miles by five, everything is a short drive away, although the 40-mph speed limit may slow you down. The bike makes a good alternative, with green lanes where the speed limit drops further to 15-mph.
The zoo is the headquarters of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and was founded by Gerald Durrell in 1959 as a sanctuary and breeding centre for endangered species. It's home to animals such as Ya Kwanza, the gorilla whose claim to fame is that he was the offspring which resulted from the first successful artificial insemination in the gorilla world.
Anne, our volunteer guide, loses me in the complex animal genealogy as she refers to the gorillas and orang-utans as if they were human. There's talk of Gamba's first wife, Gina, and how the "girls" pined after Gamba's death. Clearly fond of the animals, she waves and blows kisses as she points out various animals.
One of the most interesting aspects of the zoo may not appeal to children but it may ease anxieties of their parents who may have zoo property has been turned into an organic garden producing about one-fifth of the fruit and vegetable requirements of the animals. So, those hanging baskets full of yellow and orange nasturiums are actually food for the lemurs, iguanas and bats - rather than decoration for the cages.
Blackcurrants (entire berry-bearing branches are given to the animals), Chinese gooseberries, apples, giant red mustard (favoured by the tortoises, iguanas and apes), Japanese greens, fennel (the apes love it), onions, lettuce are all grown and fed to the animals. In turn, the animal bedding and waste is composted and used to nourish the plants.
When the sun shines, it's time to visit the island's lavender farm, with its rows and rows of deep blue plants growing in sand, about one mile and a half inland from the coast. The smell of lavender is all pervasive as the plants are grown, harvested and distilled in situ, to make products such as oils, soaps and perfumes. The garden, which is in Rue du Pont Marquet, St Brelade, contains about 55 different varieties of lavenders.
About half an acre of herbs are grown to supply fresh herbs to a tea room. Their essential oils are also extracted for perfumery and aromatherapy.
Bidding farewell to the outdoors, a trip underground to the tunnels made by slave labourers during the Nazi occupation is a more salutary experience. The underground hospital was built originally as an artillery barracks to service long range and anti-aircraft guns sited on high ground all around it. Later the Germans turned it into a fully equipped underground hospital, which never treated a single casualty.
The most poignant exhibits are the photographs which depict life on the island during the occupation. Islanders found harbouring or helping the slave labourers (Spaniards, Moroccans, Alsatian Jews, Poles, Frenchmen and Russians) were arrested.
The only British person found alive in Belsen was a Jersey islander who had been sent to the concentration camp for harbouring an escaped Russian slave.
If all this seems too depressing (and the underground hospital is an experience that will leave lasting impressions), Jersey's main asset is, of course, its coastline with sandy beaches. There is surfing on the north coast as well.
But be warned, tidal currents are among the strongest in the world. Jersey experiences tides of up to 40 feet, so the coastal landscape changes dramatically in the course of a day. During extreme low tide it's possible to walk about two miles out to sea to see exposed gullies and reefs resembling a moonscape.
Our three days on the island were packed with activities including a visit to a pottery, the Le Mare vineyard (which makes two white wines as well as grapple, a drink made from apples and grapes and an excellent apple brandy), two private gardens, and the Living Legend show.
Of course, the in-between times were spent eating and drinking. If you like seafood, Jersey will not disappoint. The fruit and vegetables are also excellent and the alcohol is cheap.
Those making a longer stay on the island may wish to venture further afield. There are day trips to the neighbouring islands of Sark and Guernsey and, of course, to nearby France.