Newfoundland 4, Canada

We’ve neglected the blog for awhile and are just catching up – we were doing so many things we couldn’t keep up then we were just too tired – so we’ll pick up where we left off. We are now at one of our favorite RV parks in Angel Fire, New Mexico.  We stayed here last year for a couple weeks and really enjoyed it because there is little to do but sleep, take walks, read and look at the scenery.  We are finishing up postings for Newfoundland, Montreal and a summary of our trip.

St. John’s is the oldest city in North America. We enjoyed the sights, activities and people in St. John’s. (Not to be mistaken with St. John, New Brunswick where we also stayed.)

We stayed at Memorial University in a dorm room with the program “Summer Accommodations.” It was like being back in college and actually very comfortable as compared to the hostel in Trinity.

We arrived in the capital of Newfoundland on August 6, planning only to stay three days. This seemed unfortunate as there is so much to do in St. John’s and the surrounding area. As it turned out, our stay was extended as we missed the ferry and had to reschedule to a later date.

Our stay at the dormitory included a continental breakfast each day, laundry facilities, free parking, and a coupon for a discount at a restaurant within walking distance.

After checking into our room, we took a taxi to Signal Hill and Cape Spear. Signal Hill overlooks the city of St. John’s. Due to its strategic placement overlooking the harbor, fortifications have been built on the hill since the mid 17^th century. It is topped with a windswept stone tower overlooking the wild Atlantic coastline. It was here that French and British troops vied for control of the continent during the Seven Year’s War.  (I have learned so much of Canadian history. Although this is really OUR history – all of North America.)

Cape Spear is the eastern most point in Canada, and North America, excluding Danish-controlled Greenland. The Cape Spear Lighthouse is the oldest surviving lighthouse in the province and an iconic symbol of Newfoundland and Labrador’s mariner history.

Cape Spear has majestic views of the Atlantic Ocean. It was a perfect vantage point to view whales which many people were doing. We joined them as there is not a more beautiful sight than whales breaching. We could have watched for hours.

We ended the evening with dinner at Ches’s Fish and Chips. We tried another variation of poutine – chips with “snarl” which is fries,  grilled onions, hamburger meat and gravy. I have to admit, it’s pretty good.  And, so were the fish. As I’ve indicated before, Peter seems to have lost his taste for lobster. I think it’s been replaced by Fish and Chips.

 

The next day, 9/7, we hired our taxi cab driver from the night before to provide us tours of St. John’s for the next two days. This actually worked out for both our cab driver (Nancy) and for us. She knew the area and we didn’t have to deal with parking.

We visited the neighborhood of Quidi Vidi which is a historic fishing village. The Quidi Vidi Brewery Plantation is located in the neighborhood. It’s actually a micro brewery which gives tours. We didn’t do the tour but checked out the gift shop. I considered bringing home some Iceberg  Lager for Dan. I regret not doing so since I haven’t been able to find the lager once we left Newfoundland. Sorry Dan, it’s pretty good.

Checked out the gift shop. I considered bringing home some Iceberg  Lager for Dan. I regret not doing so since I haven’t been able to find the lager once we left Newfoundland. Sorry Dan, it’s pretty good.

We also went to the fishing village at Paddy Harbor where they filmed the 1977 movie “Orca”.

From there we went to the “Rooms” which is a museum in the heart of St. John’s.  This museum tells the stories of Newfoundland and Labrador and its diverse people. It included artifacts, historical information and videos of the Newfoundland and Labrador peoples of diverse heritages telling their stories. There are several indigenous groups in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador including the Innu, Inuit, Metis and  M’kmaq. Other groups are English, French and Irish. There are lots of Irish. The Vikings apparently came about 1000 AD. You can also see the influence of Basque explorers, mostly fisherman and whalers in many of the city names such as Port aux Basques.

Another exhibit was regarding the fishing industry, “King Cod.” Large scale fishing began shortly after the European discovery of North America in 1492. However it ended after  intense over fishing and  with the collapse of the fisheries in 1992. Fishing is now regulated and has affected the economy of Newfoundland and  Labrador.

 

Whale watching at Cape Spear – could have stayed for hours

Batter Hill right across the harbor entrance from Signal Hill –  hear the fog horn -you can see the base of Signal Hill in the fog – the rugged shores of Newfoundland