St. John’s (Part 2) – 6/1 – 6/4/23

Four days remained in our St. John’s stay, and we fit as much as possible into them.  We were lucky weather-wise, once again, and had a beautiful day for our whale watching tour on Thursday from Bay Bulls, on the eastern side of the Irish Loop.  It was very cold, but the calm seas, intriguing sights, and jovial captain and crew were great distractions from the frigid (for us) temperatures.

Lots and lots of layers are the required dress code for today
Heading into the Witless Bay Ecological Reserve
A researcher going ashore to the observation house
This may look like black rock, but it’s actually thousands of black birds
Our tour was made complete by two sightings of 1 (or 2?) Minke whales just as the boat started going back to port. You’ll have to trust me on this (proof is the people who ran to the boat rail) – it’s very hard to watch and take pictures simultaneously. 🙂
Back on shore, we drove back to St. John’s for lunch at the historic Mallard Cottage.

Friday became a very special day and a highlight of our week in St. John’s, thanks to two very special people who we came to know by way of a small-world coincidence in Costa Rica.

These are two of the views from the home of David and Yvette, whom we met on Friday after they so graciously invited us to their beautiful home. Our acquaintance was initially made via email, thanks to a conversation they had with Katy and Steve a few months prior while the eight of them (two families) were vacationing in Costa Rica. “Where are you from?” led to ‘My parents are going to be camping there!” And that’s how we found ourselves sipping coffee, enjoying a bountiful homemade noontime meal, and sharing stories around their dining room table. We’ve frequently heard about the warmth and friendliness of Newfoundlanders, and we experienced it “times ten” on Friday. The Newfoundland Traveller’s Guide says, “You don’t need to be from here to belong here.” That is exactly how we were made to feel.
After lunch, the four of us went for a walk through the woods and to the top of this enormous rock, where one could see Conception Bay and Bell Island, if it were a clear day. Not so today, unfortunately, but the wispy, billowing bursts of fog were actually very pretty.
This picture was a mistake of mine with the camera, but I actually find it endearing; I just wish the fourth pair of shoes made it into the shot (and, I’m also quite amazed that my shoes made it into the picture at all 🙂
Here we are (photographed by David).

* * * * *

The weekend weather was cold, foggy, and rainy, so we planned indoor activities for both days.

These truffles are from the Jacobean organic craft chocolate company, which we first discovered at a gallery in Quidi Vidi. They had a booth at Saturday’s farmers market, and we couldn’t resist.
This is not a wine tasting venue, but the actual cellars where Portuguese wine (Port) was aged in barrels over 300 years ago, then shipped over to England for the aristocracy to enjoy. The wine first ended up in Newfoundland after a Portuguese ship full of wine bound for London slipped its mooring and floated out to sea. After encountering severe storms, the ship found safe harbor in Newfoundland for the winter. When the wine was shipped back to England in the spring, it was discovered that it tasted much better after its cold aging, thus began the business of Newman wine cellars on Water Street in Newfoundland.
Our tour guide
Old bottles of Newman’s Port
We did have a tiny tasting at the end of the tour.

We spent Sunday afternoon at The Rooms.

We set the entire afternoon aside to explore The Rooms, which showcases the history and culture of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Views from the 4th floor

What follows is mostly text.  I guess the stories of the people captured my attention the most.

This is a picture of Water Street, the same street where the Newman Port Cellar is located.
In 2001, civilian airline flights were diverted to Canada on 9/11. This picture shows Gander Airport in Newfoundland, which received aircraft with over 6,000 passengers and almost 500 crew, who found shelter and hospitality here until airspace was reopened.

Now, a little bit about some other inhabitants ….

After a few hours on our feet, we went to the Cafe for a late lunch.

We had a table with a beautiful view.
Walking downstairs, we had a look at the Ukrainian folk dancing event.
One last look at the harbor. It’s time to go back to the camper and prepare for tomorrow morning’s departure.

4 thoughts on “St. John’s (Part 2) – 6/1 – 6/4/23”

Leave a reply to betsy obrien Cancel reply