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Published: December 17th 2014
Strait of Belle Isle
View of Labrador from deck of GNP CraftsI am exhausted from an unexpectedly full day and am recovering by drinking green tea brought from home – not an option in these smaller cities and towns yet.
The drive up the coast of the Northern Peninsula held pleasant vistas of slate-covered beaches strew with boulders, interspersed with mixed woods and green green bogs. Occasional very small outports perched on top of the landscape. Periodically we saw stacks of cut firewood, some very large. It was explained to us that for $36, residents could buy a permit for 10 cords of wood. (A cord is four feet wide, four feet high, and eight feet long.) The wood is cut in the winter, after the fishing seasons are over. During the summer it dries, and in the fall the families collect it to supplement oil heating for their homes. Near the wood there often were gardens. All were fenced, in an effort to keep the moose out. Because Newfoundland island is granite through and through, there is virtually no “earth” in which to grow vegetables. Once the roads were being built, the construction companies brought in earth for their purposes and resourceful residents planted root vegetables on the sides of
GNP Crafts
Industrial workshop for creators of seal skin products the road allowance.
In less than an hour we arrived at
Shoal Cove East where the
GNP cooperative has its workshop and store for seal skin products. Recognizing the controversy about the seal hunt, Michael presented “just the facts”, even while complaining about the unfair and dishonest treatment of Newfoundland. A local woman described how the pelts are processed over about two months to arrive at the beautiful skins. The craftsmanship of the purses, slippers and hats was excellent. Most interesting was the workshop containing several aged industrial sewing machines, an array of cardboard patterns, and pieces still being constructed. From their deck we could see Labrador, rising blue through the mists over the Strait of Belle Isle.
Shortly after resuming our journey, we turned inland to cross to
L’Anse aux Meadows. The name of this ancient site is a garbled version of the French name, L’Anse (port) à la Medée, which was the name of an important ship, in turn named after the Greek god,
Medea. The site is now famous as a key landing site for Norse ships searching for wood, fish and other resources 1000 years ago. Aboriginal artifacts pre-date the Norse non-permanent habitation, but nothing indicates if the
L'Anse aux Meadows
Nordic camp and locale of Norse stories two peoples met or interacted.
An extensive Interpretation Centre uses the artifacts that have been excavated to describe and explain the life of the Norse adventurers. We were taught that “Viking” refers only to marauders while they were pillaging. After viewing a video illustrating their life and the excavation, an outgoing and enthusiastic guide took us along a boardwalk to the still existing evidence of buildings. The bases of low walls show that the minimum construction was used to build sod houses, each probably containing 20 – 35 people.
Leif Erikson’s (assumed) house was quite large with room for his retainers. Also, in every voyage, a few women came to conduct the usual female chores; however, they did receive the same portion of the profits as did the men, and they were in a relationship with their husbands only. Much of the life-style knowledge comes from Norse sagas created about 500 years after the fact. Close to the sea, Parks Canada has recreated a sod house with typical tools inside and outside. A couple of actors gave an idea of life indoors – a lot too indolent in my view, since I doubt the actual camp workers took any time
Nordic walls
Perhaps the house of Lief Erikson and his cohorts off from trying to survive the harsh environment.
First noticed on the road to L’Anse aux Meadows, an iceberg was floating far offshore. We drove to a near-by point to try to capture it in photos; I’m glad for my new telephoto lens because even at 300 mm equivalent performance, the iceberg is just discernible.
At last we were on our way to lunch – to experience the best fish and chips in the world, according to Michael. On the outside, the Northern Delight restaurant was a long, low, straight building that could have been shipped on the back of several trucks. Inside, the décor was a charming combination of deep rose paint and framed local photos of icebergs. The fish (fish without a name is always cod) was lightly battered and fresh – not sure it was the best in the world, but delicious indeed.
Iceberg beer, clean and clear and made from 25,000 year old iceberg water, went well with the fish.
Beside the restaurant in a bit of wasteland covered with little daisies, butterflies danced from flower to flower, sipping nectar. Never have I seen such calm butterflies and in such profusion. The wings were
Iceberg!
My first sighting! dark with large orange bands. Something to look up at home. (
Aglais Milberti, Milbert's Tortoiseshell)
Thoroughly stuffed, watching the scenery instead of napping was a challenge over the next short hour. We arrived at
St Anthony and the
Wilfred Grenfell Interpretation Centre to be reminded or enlightened about this doctor’s extraordinary role in bringing healthcare to Labrador. In 1893 when he came from a mission in England, there were no doctors to treat 30,000 people in Labrador. The fishing families were destitute, starving and freezing. Grenfell treated 900 cases in the first year and went on throughout his career to continually expand healthcare services, including founding hospitals and recruiting doctors and nurses. Near to the Centre was his house where he lived for 25 years with his wife and two sons. Situated on a significant hill, the three-storey house is large, with several generously proportioned rooms plus a few small service rooms. Now a museum, the house has been restored to how it was in his time – furniture, books, photos, ornaments, lacy clothes, tools and implements.
At the point of exhaustion, we drove to Haven’s Rest Hotel to flop on the bed for a while before dinner.
Buffet dinner: Ribs, broccoli,
Milbert's Tortoiseshell
Dozens of these butterflies danced amongst the flowers. coleslaw, homemade buns, partridgeberry loaf cake, and a glass of red wine
Map of the trip to date.
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