Bus Tour Day

 Lucille, our MC from last nights entertainment and ‘Screech In,’ picked us all up this morning in a motorcoach for a tour of the St. John’s area.  She has been a tour guide for 22 years and was born and raised here,  she did a great job!  She is of Irish decent, which there is a lot of in this area, and sometimes her accent was a little hard to understand.  One of the interesting things I noticed was how she pronounced Newfoundland.  I expected to learn the correct pronunciation from locals once we got here, and I’ve heard conflicting ways to say it.  I even asked Chat GPT and google, and got different answers.  Anyway, Lucille pronounced it like Newfie-land.  Some people say ‘Newfin-lin’.  Others, ‘Newfin-land.’ Perhaps it has to do with your ancestry?  Anyway, I plan to start asking locals directly how they say the name of this wonderful province.  

We started our tour with a drive around the city.  She pointed out important buildings and shared a lot of history.  She spoke positively about the relationship Newfoundland had during WW2 with the Americans, and said there was a time when there was a consideration of joining the U.S.  We were all pretty surprised to hear that.  If they had, I might be living here now! One of the places we visited was the Lt. Governors residence.  I don’t exactly understand how Canadian politics work, but the Lt. Governor represents the Crown and is appointed by the monarch, not elected.  The current Lt. Governor is a woman, one of only two in the history of Newfoundland.  They fly a flag outside of her residence when she is present, and today the flag was absent.  We got to tour the downstairs, but did not see the private residence upstairs.  We heard some great stories about the building and the people who have lived there.  

Most of the artwork was very traditional… lots of portraits of the monarchs.  There were a few modern pieces, and there was one that caught our eye.  It was a mixed media piece called ‘Secret of Carpet’ by Nasim Makaremi Nia and it was made out of tampons. 

We also visited Signal Hill which has a spectacular view of the city and has been the location of forts, a hospital, a gallows, and the location from where the first telegraph was sent over the ocean.  

Lucille

We also drove through the area of homes called jellybean houses… I’ll let you decide why.  I downloaded an internet picture as it was too hard to take pictures out of the bus window.  

We then headed to a local restaurant where all of us managed to remember what we had ordered.  😉 We overheard someone asking about dessert when we were done, and our guide, Penny, said no dessert.  Evidently, Lucille felt like we should all have that carrot cake and somehow convinced Penny to let us have it.  It was delicious, and did cause a few eye rolls.  We happened to be in the hall when Penny was paying for our lunch with the company credit card.  I guess I thought all that was paid for ahead of time, but it makes sense that it wouldn’t happen until they knew exactly who would be showing up. I do wonder if there is some benefit to limiting what we can have.  The meals are all budgeted ahead of time.  

After lunch we drove to Cape Spear, which is the eastern most point of North America.  It is a spectacular area with views over the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding cliffs and coves.  It is also the location of an underground fort the Americans built during WW2 and was hidden from German U-boats.  

Our last stop of the day was the obligatory souvenir shop. I picked up a couple of items and then it was back to the campground.  I had hoped to do laundry tonight but this campground doesn’t have washers and dryers.  Tomorrow is a free day, and although we plan to do a last bit of exploring before we head to our next destination, we will find a laundromat in the morning.  The rest of our destinations in Newfoundland are all much smaller and rural.  That will be awesome, but we will be limited on things like large grocery stores and laundry facilities,  it’s all part of the adventure, right? 

We May Move to Newfoundland

(Steve)  Really, it’s that nice. Let’s start with the people. I know I’ve said this before but it’s just so refreshing. We expected some animosity while here due the great tariff holdup. Everyone we have met has been unfailingly kind, welcoming and generous. And, that everyone I mention includes folks who are resident here but come from all over the world. It’s a virtual stew of races, origins, and languages. However, Newfoundland is very, very, Irish.

Last night we attended an event that celeberated the seafaring history of the place but was accompanied by Irish jigs played on accordions, fiddle, guitars and the occasional strains of a flute - all by elderly women including one who was 93. The event was a recreation of an Irish kitchen party that is part of the historical culture. Good food, good music, dancing, and good friends all gathered together.  Pam was one of the stars of the show with her Hollywood moves.

Getting a lesson on playing an ‘Ugly Stick’

Five fine Irish women

 

The event ended in a Screech In, a traditional ceremony involving drinking rum and kissing a codfish. Ours was modified a bit so we kissed the “arse” of a stuffed puffin. Newfoundland! You just don’t get this in New Jersey.  And the benefit of all this? We are now exempt from paying Newfoundland taxes!

That was how we ended our day. The way we started it was pretty awesome too. Up early, clean, the RV, and out the door to points unknown in the area. The first discovery was a quaint fishing village a few miles away - Petty Cove. I’ve come to call it Petty Cove Junction.  Spectacular little place. There was a small shop peddling local crafts that caught our eye and our wallets. We bought several mementos that we absolutely didn’t need but couldn’t pass up. The village sits in a narrow bay with colorful homes dotting the shore and working fishing boats anchored in the bay. There is no parking to be had and the approaches to the shoreline are rocky and steep.

We wandered and we admired and the we ate - and ate - and ate. We found a small tavern with a deck facing the bay. When entering the place the first thing you see is an old picture of a boy with a couple little codfish.  We sat, we admired the water and we ordered a lunch to split (thank God). The order was fried codfish with a local specialty - french fries mixed with turkey dressing and smothered with gravy - a bit of coleslaw and a couple of bloody Ceasers. Those are bloody Marys made with Clamato rather than tomato juice. The dinner itself cost us all of $17 U.S. - about what you pay for a hot dog some places near home. And it nearly killed us! 

The signboard said the fish had been caught that morning

Off next to Blackhead - a beautiful little spot with a dubious name. Maybe the Irish have a different meaning? I was expecting the next town up the road to be called zit but I was disappointed. We had decided not to drive to the town of Dildo (yup) but, back in St. John, did find a shop peddling merch from the Dildo brewery. I bought a Dildo shirt and look quite fetching wearing it. I may never again leave home without my Dildo (shirt). We topped off the daytime trip with a visit to the Yellowbelly Brewery and headed back to the park to rest a bit before the evening event.

A grand day. If you’ve never been to Newfoundland you’ve really missed something. Next up is a bus tour of the area. All that tomorrow.