Leaving Newfoundland

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September 21, 2013

Breakfast is late (8:30) at the Rendell-Shea Manor on weekends, so Joe and I spent the extra time rearranging our clothes and putting the necessities in one small bag for the overnight ferry back to Nova Scotia. We'll leave everything else in the car. Breakfast was good with blueberry pancakes, lots of fruit, yogurt and granola, juice and coffee.

It was a sunny warm day which made it all that much harder to leave Newfoundland. To all of you reading this that hope to visit some day, allow a minimum of two weeks to see this wonderful island. I know I keep repeating myself about this, but the people are what we'll remember even more than the beautiful scenery. Even the young people were eager to visit and share stories and give information. When you pass someone on the street, no matter who it is, he will make eye contact, nod, smile, and verbalize a greeting.

On the way to Argentia, where we were to board the ferry, we made a long stop in the little town of Brigus. We wandered around the coast, got some cod chowder to take with us because we were told it's the "best in the world" and drove through all four streets. We had a short stop in Cupids, where we visited with some fishermen cleaning cod. Cupids Cove Plantation Provincial Historical Site is also here. This was the site of the first official English colony in Canada (1610). It's being excavated now and they are finding some interesting artifacts.

The town of Dildo, was on our route. The townspeople here must somewhat enjoy the notoriety that comes with the name because they keep voting to keep it.

We boarded the ferry at 3:30 PM. It's nice, but not as pretty as the one we took to Port aux Basques. We have a cabin with four berths and have folded up the two top ones so we won't keep bumping our heads. Wifi doesn't work very well on the boat so will be surprised if I get this out tonight. Our crossing will take 16 hours and I think I will sleep at least ten of those hours, I'm grateful for the "down time." We will cruise by the St. Pierre Islands which are actually French territory. They have been the subject of much conflict over the years and have a fascinating history. They also have a separate time zone making it a half hour later here than Newfoundland.

As I write this (6:30 PM), Joe is out on the deck talking to people and looking for birds with his binoculars. He amazes me, he never slows down.

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Photos

Brigus, NL
Loved this picnic table, wish we'd had something to eat.

Brigus Tunnel
We read and reread the sign telling about this and never did understand why it was made.

Cod in Cupids, NL
Blurry, but the fisherman is showing me the tongue, the best part.

Cupids, NL
Site of the first official British colony in Canada.

Dig Site in Cupids, NL
They are finding lots of artifacts from this 1600's site.

Comments

[Lois Settles]

Once again....
You make me wish I could be there to accompany you on this great trip. Am enjoying each daily log and look forward to the next. Thanks. Lois

[J J]

Thanks
Lois, So nice of you to take the time to read my blog and to make so many nice comments. I wish you were with us, too. We have 13 days left for this trip and I'm already feeling like it's almost over. Probably because we'll most likely leave Canada tomorrow.

[Tom Swan]

Walkways
Nice! I'm always like photos of trails, ladders, steps, and walkways as they lead the mind out to what might be at the end.

[J J]

Paths
I agree about walkways. When I see photos that people have taken from their Grand Canyon hike, I usually see wide scenery shots, when the trail itself is just as interesting.