Friday, July 31, 2009
Twillingate - the Islands
We are just leaving Twillingate after spending 2 nights here. It is one of our favourite villages so far. Our B&B was very nice. Wavey and Wins, our hosts at Hillside B&B, were most gracious and helpful. The scenery here is beautiful. The area is made up of a series of islands that were isolated from one another until the 60’s and 70’s when causeways and bridges connected them. They are fishing villages and used to depend on cod until the moratorium in 1992. Now they fish for snow crab and shrimp and tourists! Prime Berth is a tourist attraction that we really enjoyed and found so interesting. The owner, David Boyd and his partner Bill spent hours with us demonstrating how to split cod and discussed the way fishing has changed. They are from the area and David moved century old buildings to the site and has filled them with artifacts from the past. It was all entertaining and so informative.
We hiked up near the lighthouse and had a chance to see some whales out in the ocean. It was pretty amazing. We had not taken another tour boat ride but when we saw the whales we kind of wished we had. There are restaurants, art galleries and museums that are very worthwhile. There was a dinner theatre we attended, called All Around the Circle, the first night we arrived. It was very hokey but fun. It is put on 6 nights a week in the summer and the performers cook and serve the meal and then put on skits and play music and sing. They have been doing this for 28 years! The community centre is packed almost every night. There were other performances available in the town but we didn’t attend any others.
Before we arrived in Twillingate, we visited the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove. After reading River Thieves by Michael Crummey last year with my book club I became acquainted with the Beothuk Natives of Newfoundland, or the Red Indians. The small centre is located at one of the Beothuk settlements. The last known Beothuk tribeswoman died in 1829. It is tragic little known group of native people. It was well worth the stop.
We are on our way to Witless Bay on the Avalon Peninsula.
We hiked up near the lighthouse and had a chance to see some whales out in the ocean. It was pretty amazing. We had not taken another tour boat ride but when we saw the whales we kind of wished we had. There are restaurants, art galleries and museums that are very worthwhile. There was a dinner theatre we attended, called All Around the Circle, the first night we arrived. It was very hokey but fun. It is put on 6 nights a week in the summer and the performers cook and serve the meal and then put on skits and play music and sing. They have been doing this for 28 years! The community centre is packed almost every night. There were other performances available in the town but we didn’t attend any others.
Before we arrived in Twillingate, we visited the Beothuk Interpretation Centre in Boyd's Cove. After reading River Thieves by Michael Crummey last year with my book club I became acquainted with the Beothuk Natives of Newfoundland, or the Red Indians. The small centre is located at one of the Beothuk settlements. The last known Beothuk tribeswoman died in 1829. It is tragic little known group of native people. It was well worth the stop.
We are on our way to Witless Bay on the Avalon Peninsula.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Photos in the Rain
As you can see it is really windy!
Above is fabric art of salmon that was hanging in the aquarium. It is really attractive.
Back in Rocky Harbour
Yesterday and today have been wet and windy in Rocky Harbour. We left L'Anse aux Meadows and the sunshine to arrive in the rain at our Evergreen B&B. We went out to dinner at a lovely restaurant called Java Jack’s-it is advertised as a no deep-fried zone-a rare place indeed! It rained all night and most of today so our plans to hike changed. We went down to Norris Point to visit the aquarium run by Memorial University. There is some great scenery around this area of Bonne Bay but it doesn’t look as good in the rain and mist. We went to the Parks Visitor Centre and watched a movie about Gros Morne. Then had lunch-not very good. We are on our way to the lighthouse but thought I would catch up on our blogging. Tomorrow we are off to Twillingate and I hope we leave the rain behind
Monday, July 27, 2009
Around Saint Anthony
As we drove to Saint Anthony and L'Anse aux Meadows we noticed fenced off gardens by the side of the highway. They were not near any dwellings -just along the highways. Also there were large stacks of firewood along the highway as well. We asked about this and learned that residents stake out a section along the highway (crown land) and plant and tend a small garden for themselves. There is no permit needed. The wood can be cut and stacked for use during the winter. You need to obtain a permit to chop the wood and costs $20 for 6 full cords. They store it by the highway and bring it in as needed to their houses. The really interesting thing is that no one steals any of their neighbours' produce or wood. That seems to be the culture here. I hope it's true.
We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant called The Daily Catch. The food was so fresh and flavourful and in the middle of nowhere! The photo above was taken in a different not so good restaurant but we had a good view.
Video of an Iceberg
They played the Titanic Theme while we passed by this iceberg. Here is a sample.
Saint Anthony
In the afternoon we went to Saint Anthony just south of L’Anse aux Meadows. It was turning out to be such a wonderful day that we decided to take a boat cruise out to see whales, birds, and icebergs. This area is known as Iceberg Alley because of the huge numbers of icebergs that float by each spring and summer from Greenland. We were lucky to have so many left this year in late July but then again the surrounding hills still had patches of snow on them!!
We learned that the icebergs take 2 years to float down from Greenland. 90% of the iceberg is under the water. Sometimes they get grounded. They make crackling noises as they hit the water as the trapped air is released. It is some of the purest water on earth. We brought some on board and got to taste it. Tom brought some back to our room to add to his whiskey.
We also saw a huge 80 foot fin whale. It kept surfacing then diving. We saw smaller minke whales, puffins, and a harp seal laying on one of the icebergs.
We learned that the icebergs take 2 years to float down from Greenland. 90% of the iceberg is under the water. Sometimes they get grounded. They make crackling noises as they hit the water as the trapped air is released. It is some of the purest water on earth. We brought some on board and got to taste it. Tom brought some back to our room to add to his whiskey.
We also saw a huge 80 foot fin whale. It kept surfacing then diving. We saw smaller minke whales, puffins, and a harp seal laying on one of the icebergs.
A few more photos
Tenders like this were used to go from the large Viking ship to shore.
On the right is a view of the excavated site.
L'Anse aux Meadows
After breakfast we went to L’Anse aux Meadows Heritage site. It is just 1 km. from our B&B. We watched a NFB movie, The Vinland Mystery, when we first arrived and that gave an introduction to the site. The fellow who discovered it, Helge Ingstad, was interviewed along with his wife, Anne Stine, the chief archeologist for the project. Vinland had been mentioned in the Norse sagas and this Norwegian couple set out to find the place that the Vikings referred to in North America.
They began around the coast of Rhode Island and worked their way north asking if anyone knew of any ruins or artifacts along the coast. They believed that wild grapes could have grown there but doubted they could have grown much farther north. The sagas talk about bringing back abundant dried grapes and making wine from them. Finally at the northern tip of Newfoundland in the tiny village of L’Anse aux Meadows he found a fellow who readily said there were mounds there that they had always thought were Indian mounds. No wild grapes grew in this area but the location made sense and a joint effort to excavate the site was begun in the early 1960’s. The discovery of a Viking ring pin clinched it as indeed the site of the Vikings landing in North America 1000 years ago.
Our tour guide, Clayton, was terrific. He had grown up in L’Anse aux Meadows and as a boy remembers playing around the mounds. He worked on the site to help excavate and build the replica buildings and has been a guide ever since. He retires next year and his unique perspective will be lost. He was a very interesting guide giving a glimpse into the most likely historical views as well as his first hand account of the time before and during the excavations. It was enchanting to imagine the land and people 1000 years ago! The excavation sites have been covered over with soil and grass for future archeologists to explore. Nearby replicas of sod homes, workshops, blacksmith forge etc have been constructed. Actors interact with visitors explaining what life was like 1000 years ago. The actual artifacts are housed and displayed in a museum building. It was all fascinating and I want to know more about these seafaring people. It may be that they settled farther down the St. Lawrence but no other site has been discovered. So L’Anse aux Meadows remains the first and only evidence of these European visitors to North America.
Clayton mentioned that this year there is an upsurge in visitors from Ontario and they credit that wonderful ad that runs on TV showing those adorable red headed kids running around the replica of a sod building. I must admit that it was that ad that made me want to go there too!
They began around the coast of Rhode Island and worked their way north asking if anyone knew of any ruins or artifacts along the coast. They believed that wild grapes could have grown there but doubted they could have grown much farther north. The sagas talk about bringing back abundant dried grapes and making wine from them. Finally at the northern tip of Newfoundland in the tiny village of L’Anse aux Meadows he found a fellow who readily said there were mounds there that they had always thought were Indian mounds. No wild grapes grew in this area but the location made sense and a joint effort to excavate the site was begun in the early 1960’s. The discovery of a Viking ring pin clinched it as indeed the site of the Vikings landing in North America 1000 years ago.
Our tour guide, Clayton, was terrific. He had grown up in L’Anse aux Meadows and as a boy remembers playing around the mounds. He worked on the site to help excavate and build the replica buildings and has been a guide ever since. He retires next year and his unique perspective will be lost. He was a very interesting guide giving a glimpse into the most likely historical views as well as his first hand account of the time before and during the excavations. It was enchanting to imagine the land and people 1000 years ago! The excavation sites have been covered over with soil and grass for future archeologists to explore. Nearby replicas of sod homes, workshops, blacksmith forge etc have been constructed. Actors interact with visitors explaining what life was like 1000 years ago. The actual artifacts are housed and displayed in a museum building. It was all fascinating and I want to know more about these seafaring people. It may be that they settled farther down the St. Lawrence but no other site has been discovered. So L’Anse aux Meadows remains the first and only evidence of these European visitors to North America.
Clayton mentioned that this year there is an upsurge in visitors from Ontario and they credit that wonderful ad that runs on TV showing those adorable red headed kids running around the replica of a sod building. I must admit that it was that ad that made me want to go there too!
Saturday, July 25, 2009
Sunset
It's after 10 PM and the sun has not completely set as yet. This is how the sky looks from our deck. We are very far North at about the 52 degree of latitude. I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow so we can explore the Viking site in comfort!
Fishing village near Cowshead
I love the fisherman getting right into his work-getting right to the bottom of the barrel!
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