Food, Fun, Fond Memories of Newfoundland

So clearly, or not so clearly, the weather was not the best while we were in Newfoundland. In fact, I found 11C to be down right chilly. There was no precipitation except for the fog. Nonetheless, I have no regrets. I can only imagine how much more spectacular all the places would have looked had we had sunshine or blue skies.

A few new things which I learned while in Newfoundland...actually, there were many but here are some.

A person from Newfoundland is called Newfounese, not a Newfie.

Things made in Newfoundland from icebergs eg. beer and vodka, are delicious. The beer is made by the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company and water from 25,000 year old glaciers off the coast is used. It is brought into the facility by tankers and is tested for purity. Vodka is similarly produced. Other drinks designed to keep people warm on this island, (eg. Screech) are just fine as well.                                

The touton is a type of Newfoundland pancake. I first saw it in an ad in a brochure and figured I should test this local delicacy. It is produced by frying bread dough in a pan with butter or pork fat and it is served with molasses. I'm, glad my friend and I shared one because all I can apologetically say to this item is "Yuck! Disgusting." Definitely not suited to my tastebuds.

Mummers fascinated me. Apparently, it's a Christmas tradition, where people dress up in costumes and masks in an outlandish and humourous way. They go door to door and celebrate mostly with neighbours and friends who try to guess their identity. It's an excuse for a big party from what I could see although it is based on some European traditions. Sounds like a great time.

One of  my trip regrets is that I did not pick up a Newfoundland ugly stick. It's a percussion instrument which consists of a boot containing an upside down mop, often with a face and braided "hair". There are cross sticks with jingly beer caps attached and the instrument is pounded onto the floor in time to the music. What fun! On the other hand, this sounds like it could be a spare time craft project.

Washroom facilities are not as desperate as they appear. I figured out that it's not a drop at bottom of the foot on the right side but rather the other foot (from crossed legs).

By the way, lest anyone wonder, the gas price in Newfoundland in July was $1.19....not bad.

After leaving St. John's, our destination was the most easterly part of our fabulous country of Canada, Cape Spear on the Avalon Peninsula and our eventual overnight ferry ride from Argentia back to the mainland.  

I can now brag that I have been at the farthest eastern edge our coast. In fact, I was standing at a point that was closer to Greenland (1527 km) than it was to Toronto (2700 km). Amazing.

The Cape Spear lighthouse is the second oldest in Newfoundland, built in 1836.  During the second world war, a gun battery was installed here to defend the entrance to St. John's harbour. Barracks and underground passages were built for the troops who were stationed here. This provided a sheltered view of the ocean.















 Numerous signs and warnings are posted all around the area since it is notorious for rogue waves. Tourists have been frequently lost here in the past. Although I was quite lost in the magnificence of it all, I was not one of those unfortunates who ventured too near the edge.

All too soon, we were off to Argentia to board the overnight ferry back to the mainland.

Newfoundland, Another World

It doesn't take long after getting off the ferry in Port Aux Basques to realize that you've entered another world; a world full of rocks, trees, rivers, mountains, wildlife, and beautiful people. Sounds just like (insert someplace else here) you might say. Not so.

Although I was more interested in seeing puffins, the rest of our tour group began their search for moose almost immediately. After all, it's an odd thing seeing that sort of wildlife on an island isn't it? The moose, so the story goes were transported to Newfoundland in the early 1900's and released near Gros Morne Park, our eventual destination. A few moose, after a century of living here, have become many moose....hundreds of moose....maybe more.

I was excited when we reached the park and I had my first moose sighting (see photo). Then....another. But seriously, by the time our trip was finished we had seen no fewer than nine real, live moose. One even crossed the road in front of our bus!

We stopped for lunch in Trout River where we were served delicious chowder, sandwiches, and bakeapple, or partridge berry tarts. What an interesting place. I loved this town and the fascinating people. Not only did they provide us with many opportunities for online shopping....

they regaled us with whale tales. Apparently, this small town of approximately 700 people was the site of nine ice trapped whales last year. One of these massive blue whales washed ashore and took up much of the beach area...over 76 feet long. What to do with a huge dead whale? There were headlines in all the large Canadian newspapers. For example, this one was in the National Post on April 30, 2014.

As the world waits for the Trout River whale to explode, the town grapples with the attention

Not wanting to show my lack of whale knowledge, I didn't ask the obvious question about exploding whales, what causes this to happen, and what would be the consequences of such an event. All turned out well, however, when the whale was picked up, towed away to rot someplace in Ontario (I'll refrain from political commentary here) where the skeletal remains will later become an exhibit at the ROM.

The shores of Trout River are whale free, smell free and safe from carcass explosion once again.

On we travelled toward our evening's destination of Cow Head, population 500. Here we would be spending the night at the trip advisor highly ranked #1 of 1 hotels in Cow Head.  The scenery along the way continued to be magnificent. When we arrived at the hotel, there weren't sufficient rooms so a few of us had the good fortune of being sent to cabins. What a treat. Not only were they spacious and clean, but there were two bedrooms, a living room, kitchen, bath of course, and a fireplace. Awesome. I could see how this place was ranked #1 (even if there had been more options). 

After a good night's sleep, we would be off to Gander.

Miles to Go Before We Sleep

We had a lovely, serene day in P.E.I. where we learned more than was necessary about Lucy Maud Montgomery and Anne of Green Gables. The beach stop was wonderful as we enjoyed the scenery and the red rocks.












Dare I say that I was most amused by the jellyfish?  The bus drove on the beach near a scenic lighthouse. When I hopped out, I observed tire marks on the beached jellyfish (no worries...they were dead from the tide being out anyhow). Here's a photo of the treaded jellyfish and the quintessential PEI lighthouse.
















After a day of sightseeing, back across the bridge we went to our eventual evening destination, Baddeck, Cape Breton Island. This is the the beginning of the Cabot Trail and also the town where Alexander Graham Bell developed many of his inventions. I was glad that I had seen the marvelous Bell museum on a previous trip, as it was not on our current itinerary. Kudos to the Silver Dart Lodge for wonderful accommodations, great hospitality, beautiful scenery and a delicious seafood linguine meal.

In the morning, we left for the Blue Puttees ferry boat which would take us from North Sydney to Port Aux Basques in five hours. Goodbye Nova Scotia. We were off to our last maritime province.

Lobsters Larger than Life!

Our day in Shediac was truly a highlight for me. I had no idea what to expect when we were told we'd be going on a fishing boat and having lobster dinner at the lobster capital of the world. As it turned out, the boat was restored and was now a multi seating tour boat with tables which easily held our whole bus group of 46 people. We had two and a half hours of informative commentary, fun activities, lots of laughs, and fabulous food. It was an interactive trip and the time just flew by as Capt. Ron had us pull in lobster traps, showed us how to band lobsters, and most importantly, demonstrated the steps in lobster consumption.

I volunteered to help pull in the lobster traps. First one contained the chicken for the people who were unwilling to try the lobster. Next came the heavier, weighted and newer traps.

  

After we were taught how to eat the lobster properly, we couldn't wait to dig in to our delicious meal.

 

I eagerly awaited the continuation of the trip. We were going to see the world's biggest lobster.  It was 35 feet long, and 16 feet high and wide. The total weight with the pedestal stairs is 90 tonnes. This year the locals are celebrating the 25th anniversary of its existence.













 What would a trip to the Maritimes be without crossing the Confederation Bridge to PEI and immersing ourselves in the tales of Anne of Green Gables? 

Sunshine, a boat ride, lobster lunch, world's largest lobster viewing, crossing an amazing bridge structure, and dressing up as a storybook character. That's my idea of a perfect day.