St.
John's Harbour
Photo Album for this trip
My cousin, Gayle, lives in the old town of Grand Bank in the province
of Newfoundland on the eastern edge of Canada and has been wanting me to
come for a visit for several years. I had a trip planned to Italy for 1996
so promised to go this year. Here is a travelogue of some of the things
I saw and did.
I flew to St. John's, the capital of the province, on Tuesday, August
19, arriving about 4:30 p.m. and was met at the small but nicely laid out
airport by my cousin and her teenage children. She had booked a hotel room
overnight as it's a 4 hour drive to where she lives and the hotel room
was free anyway. Her husband is a frequent business traveller who stays
at the Battery Hotel in St. John's and gets a free night after every 10th
stay. We parked our stuff at the hotel room which was in the older part
of the hotel, ground floor but a magnificent view straight down the harbour.
The Battery Hotel is halfway up Signal Hill which is peaks near the narrow
mouth of the harbour. This is where Marconi received the first Transatlantic
telegraph signal in 1901, thus the name.
We didn't do too much that afternoon, just a little shopping in one of the malls and drive around a bit. We did drive up to the top of Signal Hill after dark to see the lights of the city which was neat. I tried to take a couple of pictures and one of them didn't turn out too bad for balancing the cameral on a fencepost!
The next day we drove up again to see the view in the daylight. The
weather pretty much the whole time I was in Newfoundland was generally
overcast and running to fog though we had two nice sunny days down in Grand
Bank. This is typical Newfoundland weather though you can get lucky with
clear blue sunny days in August or September. The harbour is just over
a half mile long and the narrow 
opening
to it makes you wonder how all the warships could have fit in there during
WWII when St. John's was a lead off point for many convoys heading across
the Atlantic, as was my own city of Halifax, Nova Scotia. There is a 100
year old tower built on the hill called Cabot Tower which was began in
1897 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's landing/discovery
of Newfoundland. This year was the 500th anniversary and there were many
events going on all summer. The tower has the standard issue gift shop
and upstairs a display and information about the telegraph origins. The
man who works there has a ham radio as well and a book of the call numbers
from people all over the world that he has spoken to over the years. Quite
interesting. There are hiking trails all around the area as well though
we didn't attempt them that day.
Leaving St. John's, we took the secondary road to Cape Spear, 11 km. from the city and the most easterly point in North America. The weather cleared up a little so it wasn't fogged in! The old lighthouse at Cape Spear is up on the rocky coastline and is about 150 years old. There is a newer one nearby that is the working beacon now but the old lighthouse can be viewed. These older lighthouses have the beacon build of stone with a wooden residence built around it. We climbed around the rocks for awhile, looking at the spectacular cliffs and seabirds. There are also some old WWII batteries around there with old guns on display and that day there were also three young foxes sunning themselves on the nearby fields. They didn't seem too fearful of the tourists though didn't go too close to them either.
Down to Grand Bank which, as I said is a 4 hour highway drive. It is situated on the Burin Peninsula between Fortune and Placentia Bays on the Fortune Bay side of the *boot*. We followed a couple of side roads to some of the smaller villages and stopped a few times and generally took our time so it actually took closer to 6 hours getting there where we were greeted by Gayle's husband Peter and their dog Brownie.
The next day was a beautiful sunny day so we didn't want to waste
it. Gayle and I decided to drive the *loop* around the Burin Peninsula,
exploring all the little villages and side roads. The first town past Grand
Bank is Fortune where you can catch a ferry to St. Pierre-Miquelon. Unfortunately
though the passenger ferry goes over every day, it doesn't return until
the next day. Day trips are only scheduled about 10 days scattered over
the summer season and I missed the closest dates. So much 
for
duty free shopping (these islands are French territory). We stopped at
a little cove for a view of the islands, which was as close to them as
I got! The road went around the toe of the peninsula and around up through
small outport villages and settlements nestled around little coves and
harbours. These places have only been accessibly by road for about 30 years,
only by boat before then.
Populated by square white or light coloured one and two story houses
and fishing wharves, some have little take out shops, a few craft shops
here and there and one or two larger places might even have a museum. St.
Lawrence has a museum dedicated to the local fishing and flurospar mining.
This village also has a striking memorial sculpture called Echoes of Valour
and it is dedicated to the miners, and victims of two shipwrecks nearby
and also all the war veterans. Local residents helped save the lives of
some of the victims of two American ships wrecked in storms in nearby coves
during WWII.
The town of Burin has a beautiful Heritage house museum, with many
artifacts from the late 18th and 19th centuries. There is a small gallery
to spotlight local art and also information, personal accounts and pictures
of the aftermath of a tidal wave that hit in the late 1920's causing a
lot of damage. The harbours around Burin were deep and surrounded by steep
hills with the roads turning sharply around and dug out of the sides of
cliffs. One particularly sharp turn of a road around a high abutment is
locally known as The Scrape. Newfoundlanders have a wonderful turn of a
phrase! These are probably the warmest and most down to earth people i've
met up with so far in my limited travels. This province has a very strong
Irish heritage and I guess that's why they are so welcoming and friendly!
Their accent is very reminiscent of that heritage as well.
Once thing I decided about the Burin Peninsula is that it should have been named the Barren Peninsula. We drove for miles amid rolling hills and didn't see one tree! What trees there were were evergreen and not all that tall. Certainly not like the tall stands of forest in some of the inland areas of Newfoundland and elsewhere in Canada. The coastline here isn't as steep and rocky as other parts of the island. You don't see the hundred foot high cliffs here where the sea comes up to the shorelines and coves though I have no doubt that it would be just as dangerous to navigate a boat in a storm along this coastline as anywhere else.
We had a picnic lunch near the mouth of the harbour in St. Lawrence at a little picnic area called the Umbrella tree where in a field of shrubbery and grass on a little hill there stood a lone tree with it's branches spread out high at the top like, yes, an umbrella. Later on we stopped for coffee in Marystown, a larger town with a shipbuilding industry. I was a bit startled when I asked for tea with milk because the woman asked me if I wanted fresh milk! Thinking she may have had a cow in back I nodded hesitantly. My cousin laughed and said she would have to translate. In Newfoundland if it isn't salted (fish or meat) or tinned, it's called *fresh*. A lot of people use tinned evaporated milk in coffee and tea there.
Back to Grand Bank for our supper and afterwards Peter took us up
to the top of a nearby hill on the 
hiking
trail with his Jeep 4 wheel drive for a lookout over the bay and town.
You could see for miles. A few more trees here at least and we stood there
with the smell of the sea and the evergreen trees and the wind blowing
our hair. Last decent summer day, they told me! (August 21!)
Next day was sunny too. Gayle said that was a bonus day. The town of Grand Bank has a number of lovely old Queen Anne style Victorian homes scattered around so we walked around the heritage walk tour outlined in a local brochure to see some of them. One of them is the Harris House where Gayle and her family lived for two years when they first arrived here 6 years ago. The seafood processing plant where Peter works used to own the house. They could only live in the downstairs though and now the house has been set up as a little museum. Harris House has a *widow's walk* on the roof, a sort of balcony where the wives used to go up and watch out the harbour for returning fishing boats. Grand Bank is about 300 years old and supported a brisk fishing industry until the last decade when the cod stock has been depleted to the point where the federal government has now imposed limitations. Peter's plant processes some kinds of shellfish for sale mostly overseas to Europe and especially to Asia and these days the plant is the major employer. Another lovely old house we saw is now a Bed and Breakfast. The newly painted blue and white Masonic hall is quite nice too. There are a few main streets in Grand Bank and a lot of little *alleys* and narrow lanes as well. Some modern houses and lots of 30-60 year old one and two story houses mostly painted white and light colours. There's not a lot there for young people though Peter was instrumental in getting part of an old warehouse on the waterfront renovated and turned into a youth center a few years ago. There's a small movie theatre and a couple shops including a little coffee shop called Mug Up with the most delicious deserts to accompany a good cup of coffee or tea.
The rest of the visit over the next few days was fairly quiet while
we visited neighbours, and did 
everyday
stuff like watch tv and videos and played on the computer a bit. Weather
now overcast and misty. We went to a local museum, the Southern Newfoundland
Seamen's Museum, exploring the local fishing industry. The building looks
like a ship in sail and used to be the Yugoslavian pavilion in Expo '67
in Montreal. We also went to see a play put on by a local theatre group
about the history of Grand Bank over the last 300 years. It was in a room
in a waterfront building that was decorated with artifacts of the sea,
nets, buoys, barrels which gave it a great atmosphere to compliment the
little stage and painted backdrop of the local landscape.
St. John's
Monday, Aug. 25 I took the *taxi* up to the city of St. John's. The taxi is a commuter shuttle van that holds about 12 passengers and will take you to the city right to the door of your destination for $25. Pretty good deal I figured. I decided to stay in the city for 3 days to explore on my own and booked three nights in the Cantwell House Bed and Breakfast. I arrived there about 1 p.m., earlier than I thought so they weren't expecting me and my room wasn't quite ready. The house on Queen's Road has three stories and a little sitting room on the top floor so I waited up there and read some of the material left there including a history of the house that someone had researched.Downtown St. John's is built up from the harbour on hills. Lots of
them. Steep ones. Be forewarned! The public transit does serve the downtown
area so pick up a few route maps. But the busses stop serving downtown
about 6 p.m. Well anyway I set out to walk around and check out the architecture 
of
this old city. Except I didn't realize that most of the downtown was destroyed
by fire in 1892 so most of the oldest buildings are only as old as the
turn of this century. That's ok. I love architecture and the predominant
style of the houses here is called Second Empire. Two or three story houses,
a bell shaped roof, dormer windows and sometimes bay windows on the ground
floor, all the houses being attached along a row. The houses are painted
all kinds of bright colours. Which would have been even nicer had the weather
been clear and sunny. It was not.
I walked along a street called Military Road to the big stone Catholic Basilica. I went into the little museum alongside first for a look at the old religious artifacts and the rooms displaying the artistic endeavours of the Sisters of Charity where I was awestruck by some illuminated script one nun painted over 100 years ago and quite impressed by some of the exquisite embroidery. The basilica has a beautiful painted ceiling over the plaster mouldings and has nice stained glass and statues.
I found the nearby Anglican Cathedral and went in there too. Both the Cathedral and Basilica are dedicated to St. John the Baptist. I looked up and was surprised to see that the cathedral had a wooden beamed roof! I was offered a free tour by a young lady sitting near the entrance doing cross stitch to pass the time in between visitors and she said the previous cathedral also had a wooden roof which was why it was gutted by fire in 1892 but rebuilt the same way. There was a small museum in a side area and the stained glass was exquisite. The windows have all been made since the fire except for two surviving ones from the 1880's and the various windows have been created over the decades right up to one installed and dedicated this past June. It was fascinating to compare the styles of the artists over the years. My favourites consistently seemed to be the ones created from about 1905 to 1915. I don't know if it was the style or the colours which tended to be more muted and more whites and reds than the brighter, clearer glass of the 40's and 50's. Leaving the cathedral I noticed a sign on the iron fence surrounding the property and realized there was a tea room in the crypt of the church. Just what I needed! I went in and for $4.50 you received with your coffee or tea, a plate of scone wedges and muffins and a plate of sweets and squares.
I made my way down toward the harbour and came across a red double decker tour bus parked in front of the Newfoundland Museum. I found out the particulars for the city tour that I intended to take the next day and explored in the three storey museum which is a natural history museum detailing the wildlife and native histories of the province and territory of Newfoundland and Labrador. Newfoundland has a rich wildlife population, excellent place for bird watchers. There are some excellent provincial parks for visiting, wild life watching and camping, Gros Morne and Terra Nova. Take care on the highways though, as moose wander onto the roads and can cause some pretty bad car accidents. If your car hits a moose, there may not be much left of either the moose or your car as they are pretty large beasts! Take special care if driving at night!
My poor feet are pretty sore by this time so I climb back up the hills toward the B&B, taking pictures as I went of the lovely houses and stopping for a meal in a cafe. With the weather being overcast and humid but not that cold, the climb was a bit tiring and I needed a shower by the time I reached the B&B! A quiet evening in.
Tuesday, after a hearty breakfast I met up with the double decker
tour bus at the Newfoundland Hotel, an impressive first class hotel near
the base of Signal Hill. The tour costs $20 and lasts 3 hours,
partly because the bus goes slowly through the streets. First stop was
an old fishing village at a small harbour on the other side of Signal Hill
from the main harbour, called Quidi Vidi (pronounced Kiddie Viddie). This
used to be a village outside the city limits and the streets are narrow
and winding and remind you of a European village. There is a small, low
ceilinged wooden house now containing a gift shop which is purported to
be the oldest house in the city, built in the 1700's. Quidi Vidi lake nearby
contains recreation fields and hiking trails.
Next stop was Commissary house, restored to 1830 with period dressed staff inside to tell you about the restoration and life as it was there for the Commissary for the Fort William, situated nearby where the Hotel Newfoundland is now. A walk across the grounds of Government House where the Lieutenant Governor of the Province resides to meet back up with the bus. The large sandstone mansion is lovely, with large manicured lawns and flower borders. There's a greenhouse in behind and a 12 foot deep moat around the building. Huh? Apparently it is a snake pit. Excuse me??? Well apparently the plans for the building were mixed up with those for a similar mansion to be built in Bermuda and the *moat* keeps the snakes away. Must have worked because there isn't a snake to be found on the island of Newfoundland!!! Next stop was Bowring Park, a beautiful public park with hiking paths and in the newer part of the park, recreational facilities.
The bus picked up a guide at the park's entrance and she described the history of the park, laid out by local businessmen in the 1920's. There is a little river running through it and little ponds and paths and gardens. There is a restaurant recently opened in an old building in the park. It would have looked so nice if threatening rain all morning! *sigh*. Bowring Park is near the outskirts of the city. Making our way back downtown past a neighbourhood with large mansions including one where the Premier of the province lives, we stopped in front of the Newfoundland Museum which I had seen the day before so I just wandered around and took pictures of the nearby stone courthouse. The tour bus didn't go up Signal Hill though I think it sometimes does go partway up to an interpretation center because the bus doesn't have the power to get up the steep hill all the way to Cabot Tower. No problem as I had seen it when I arrived last week.
Got off the tour back at the beginning and made my way back downtown to explore the craft and gift shops along Duckworth and Water Streets. Stopped into a cyber cafe I found on Water St. to check my email and have cuppa. There are some really nice gift shops featuring local crafts including native carving, wool knitwear, art and prints along with the usual souvenirs of china, glassware and doo-dads! I picked up some colourful knit gloves and mittens for Christmas presents as well as a jar of partridgeberry jam. Partridgeberries are a native berry as are bakeapples.
Partridgeberries are blue-reddish and taste like a combination of blueberries and cranberries and are a little tart. Bakeapples are amber and more expensive as they are harder to find and are a sweeter flavour. Both delicious though, on homemade scones. I had a look at the infamous George street, which has non-stop clubs and pubs and restaurants. Because of George Street, St. John's has the highest per capita pubs in Canada! I had my supper in one of them and had a lovely piece of fish for my dinner, lightly breaded and grilled. I wanted to take a boat tour of the harbour and points outside the harbour but the fog was pretty thick and I wouldn't have seen anything had I went. Because of the fog I didn't get to go on a boat tour at all so that was disappointing.
Tuesday afternoon, instead of the boat tour, I decided to go to the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador which is in an arts center at Memorial University on the outskirts of the city. I sussed out what bus I needed to take to get nearby and off I went. I got off where I thought I should and had to find a *you are here* map in a courtyard between some of the university buildings. I figured out where I was and where I needed to go and found it. And was disappointed. There were two rooms open. One with paintings and other print media art, some more paintings up a wide staircase and a room containing a special exhibit of silver church services (communion cups and plates etc.). There are two other rooms but they are being prepared for new exhibits. I had expected a bit more extensive permanent exhibition. It took longer to get there and back down town than to see what they had on offer! Oh well. I had my supper and climbed back to the B&B again, footsore when I got there. I kept missing the last busses from downtown!
Wednesday I thought I might take the morning easy and decided to follow a walking tour around the area of the city where the B&B was and where there was supposed to be some older and very nice Victorian houses. I took my time and also strolled the gardens of Government House again and looked into the Colonial Building which used to be the legislature building before Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949 and is now the Public Archives. There was a lovely little wooden church painted black and white which apparently was shifted off its foundation 6 inches in a gale back in the mid 1800's! They added side *wings* to stabilize it after that! Some of the houses I saw were indeed fabulous. One particularly large one is now an inn and contains many antiques. Another was built as a small cottage on a larger estate and looks like a little stone cottage though that's only the clapboard made to look like stone blocks. It had delicate lacy wainscotting and diamond shaped mouldings on the windows. It looked just like a gingerbread house!
That afternoon I went commercial and wandered through the Avalon mall. There is a market style restaurant in the upper level containing a brew pub called Fog City (appropriately!) that brews it's own beer on the premises so I decided to have an early supper there and sample the brew which was very good! The mall was typical of all malls so there isn't anything special to report there. I picked up a few more souvenirs including a mousepad from the brew pub.
As you can tell i'm not a real night owl, at least not on my own. I'm not comfortable going out to bars and pubs at night by myself though I would have had I been with someone else. The nightlife in St. John's is said to be great with all those places to go on George Street. One of the other guests, a young Japanese woman, went out with a friend of the owner's daughter and had a fabulous time, she reported the next morning.
Thursday was my last day but I didn't have to be to the airport until
4 p.m. so I took the morning to 
hike
along the Battery. That's a village built along the harbour at the base
of Signal Hill, and is also a fishing village with narrow streets. The
Battery is built along the steep hill/cliff lining the harbour and houses
are built on top of and around huge rocks. There is a hiking trail that
will actually take you out to the mouth of the harbour and back up to the
top of Signal Hill and Cabot Tower but I only went a little way along there
past the village. Again, overcast and humid weather with barely a breeze
to cool me on the climb. On the way back I looked into a few more craft
shops and found a really nice once with a wild life theme, called Wild
Things. The storefront is painted bright blue and white with whales and
birds and other nature sights. I actually found what I had thought I wouldn't
find there, a small ceramic house, typical of the St. John's style of houses.
I am building a collection of little houses and like to have one of an
area that I visit though the majority of the small collection at present
veers towards English cottage style. I was pretty pleased about that and
ended up spending some money on a couple of T-shirts as well. The owner
was quite friendly and chatty and told me that they also do wildlife tours
in the area in case anyone is interested next time they're in St. John's!
Wild Things on Water Street. If I get there again i'm definitely going
to look into it I think.
Taxi to the airport and a quick lunch and flight back to Halifax.
I didn't see a whole lot of the province and didn't make it to St. Pierre
but it's a great place with wonderful people, a historic capitol city,
wild untamed scenery and fabulous for an eco-vacation or nature lover.
St. John's also has a local theatre group that does Shakespeare by the
Sea and in the Park and Shakespeare-related plays but the play showing
while I was there was Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and I preferred
to see Shakespeare's works themselves and there wasn't one playing on the
nights I was there. I have no doubts that they would have been great productions,
though. Other unusual sights were a double decker bus renovated as a little
coffee shop and a tea room in the back of a store which sold living room
furniture and accessories like lamps, tables, pictures etc. I hope to go
back and find out more little corners of St. John's and see more of the
province someday.
Photo Album for this trip
