Tuesday 2 June. Bona Vista

We set off this morning for a journey of approximately 4 1/2 hours to Bona Vista but it took quite a bit longer than that. It took a while to get used to driving on the highway and there were also a lot of roadworks and potholes. Even in St Johns the state of the roads is a worry. Most of the line markings are faded or have disappeared so it’s hard to distinguish lanes, especially turning lanes. It’s also hard to see where to stop at traffic lights because the lights are only on the far side of the intersection, not both sides like ours. 

It was an interesting drive and we could see what was meant when someone told us Newfoundland is basically made of rock. There were lots of rocky outcrops and practically the only trees we saw were some species of pine trees, much smaller than ours. We did see a few birch trees along the way. We saw no farms, no crops and no livestock. There were numerous lakes along the way and as we got closer to Bona Vista we caught glimpses of inlets. We took a detour at one stage and came across a beautiful view of one of these inlets.

We eventually arrived at Bona Vista and found our charming little cottage. The door was unlocked and the lights and heating were on to welcome us. After a cuppa and a bit of recovery time we went for a walk down the road, finishing at Ragged Rocks Gastropub for dinner. We had Moose Soup (I kid you not,) and a lobster roll. We also had a very interesting chat with an American woman, who told us she is spending her money outside the States for the foreseeable future.

Monday 1 June. St Johns

We started the day with another big breakfast in Lorraine’s happy place, Dennys, before heading out into a truly dreary day. It was 3 degrees and the rain or drizzle didn’t stop all day.

First stop, after some kind people helped us work out the parking meter, was the Tourist Information Centre where I was able to get a great map of the whole of Newfoundland. The young man in there was lovely and gave us a few laughs. He was torn between wanting to live in a lighthouse and write poetry or run away with Margot Robbie. We told him we’d put in a good word for him if we bumped into her.

Back to the car and a 15km drive to Cape Spear, the most eastern point in North America. At one stage there was actually sleet on the windscreen. The wind was beyond bitter and I thought my eyeballs were going to freeze once we were out of the car. Lorraine decided to walk up the wooden steps to the lighthouse, while I was happy to photograph it from below. While she went up I followed the path to the cliff edge and checked out the stone marking the most eastern point. The wind on my face was actually painful so it was a relief to turn back and have a tail wind. Putting our coats back in the car was difficult as the wind was trying to blow them away as we were trying to get them off.

It was a relief to be back in the car and we decided to head to a nice warm shopping centre to look for some shoes for Lorraine. She found new Skechers and a couple of bargain priced tops. We had a hot chocolate then went back into the city to visit the museum. It was quite good and we learned a bit about the Irish settlers. At one stage, 2/3 of the population were Irish. There was quite a bit about local birds and animals too. By now I was really tired and happy to return to the hotel before having dinner in Moxies, the other restaurant attached to the hotel. We did not want to go out into that weather again!

Sunday 31 May. St John’s

We are so lucky as there was no wind and no rain today. This meant that we could walk outside quite comfortably. After a Dennys breakfast (Lorraine loves it!) we headed into town and eventually found a parking spot near the water. Most streets are resident permits only. 

We walked up, up, up to Victoria St to see the brightly painted houses, known as Jellybean Row. There are a number of streets painted brightly like this. Then back downhill to cookies Shop Cafe for a hot chocolate and a cake. There was a guy there playing jazz on his guitar, and we had a good chat to him.

Back to the car and our next stop was Telegraph Hill, where the first Transatlantic radio signals were received by Guglielmo Marconi on 12 December 1901. There were great views out to the misty ocean and also back across the whole city. 

The GPS then took us to a nearby supermarket which turned out to be a very trendy little one. We bought some cereal and fruit for our next stop and I replaced the shower gel I seem to have left in Frankfurt. A bit of a break back at our hotel before driving back into town for dinner at a pub called “The Duke of Duckworth”. We had been told that this was the best fish and chips in St John and that we must go there. Lorraine found us a spot sharing a table with a couple of young women who were a lot of fun. We had a great time chatting with them and they told us exactly how we had to have a fish and chips … absolutely swimming in gravy and with a bit of tartare sauce as well. The fish was freshly caught cod and the mushy looking dinner was surprisingly tasty although once was enough with all that gravy.

I’m starting to get used to the huge car now and as they don’t have another one with a GPS we’ll stick with it.

Saturday 30 May. St Johns, Newfoundland

We were both awake early so up, breakfasted and ready in tons of time for the shuttle bus to the airport. I rarely eat breakfast but it was a nice change to have some porridge and a bagel. 

We had a wander up and down the shops at the airport while waiting for our plane. It departed half an hour late for our 3 hour flight to St Johns in Newfoundland. We were flying east which meant a time change of one a half hours, so leaving at 12.30 for a 3 hour flight we arrived at 5.00. And yesterday, when I flew from Frankfurt to Toronto, I left at 10.00 and arrived at midday. No wonder I’m confused about time.

The girl sitting next to Lorraine on today’s flight was a very nervous traveller and became really upset at the slightest turbulence, so when we hit a huge bump coming into St John’s, she was beside herself. It was pretty bad and the pilot had to abandon his first go at landing and come around for a second shot. Lorraine was very involved in the exciting bit of her movie and didn’t even notice that we were climbing. The second attempt was a success and when the plane finally came to a standstill everyone  clapped.

We waited quite a while in the queue at Thrifty car rental and when it was finally our turn were given a Volvo, a huge one. My weather app said the temperature was 3 degrees but feels like -6, and it was drizzling and windy so we couldn’t get into the car park and then the car quickly enough. Spent ages adjusting seats and getting the GPS sorted before heading very gingerly onto the road. All went well but I’m not really comfortable with the size of the car. I’ll see how I go tomorrow and if I’m not happy we’ll try to change it.

When we reached the hotel we grabbed our things and raced in out of the cold. There was a nice welcome from the two young men at reception. Luckily we could access Dennys for dinner without having to step outside. So no need to face the weather until tomorrow which is expected to be much the same as today. Eek!

Friday 29 May. Toronto

 

Up and out early for my 10.00 flight to Toronto. Thankfully it was an uneventful flight with Air Canada. We arrived at 12.00, half an hour early, and I cleared immigration and customs in no time, then found my case already waiting on the carousel. (The time difference is 6 hours so it felt like 6 pm when I arrived and midnight when we had dinner.)

A few minutes later I was meeting Lorraine in the foyer of our hotel  and then having a cuppa and a good catchup. We took a photo to show that we’ve linked up but it’s a shocker. There was really nowhere to go for a few hours in the afternoon so we sat and talked and caught up with emails etc.

Then down to the restaurant for dinner where I introduced Lorraine to that classic Canadian cocktail, the Caesar. It’s contains vodka, Clamato, hot sauce and Worcestershire sauce. The interesting ingredient is the Clamato which is a blend of tomato juice and clam broth. She seems to have rather taken to it.