Sights in Newfoundland

On our first full day in Newfoundland (Monday) Andrew and Tarra had our day all planned out...our first stop was to a little restaurant in Bay Roberts called Madrock Cafe where we had a full breakfast and tried a local favourite, touton, a stiff pancake with molasses. Afterwards we took a short drive to a walking trail along the shore. It was very windy so we just walked to the top of a hill to get a good view of the ocean.

Next we drove to St. John's which was pretty with the brightly coloured houses, harbor views and artsy shops. Andrew drove us down some very narrow little streets lined with old houses along the harbor and then George street. We got out and walked along Water Street which was one of the main roads in St. Johns full of little shops and restaurants. Also in St. Johns we visited Signal Hill, a historic site with an old signal tower and sweeping views of the city and Atlantic ocean.

View of St. John's from Signal Hill

Signal Tower

View of Atlantic Ocean from Signal Hill

Before heading back we made a stop at the mall so we could go shopping at 'the Newfie Store.' We picked up some postcards, a Newfoundland bumper sticker and a moose bottle opener. We did some more wandering in the mall and then went out for lunch at a Newfoundland chain called Jungle Jims, a restaurant  filled with jungle memorabilia and bamboo. After lunch Andrew drove us back through all the small towns to Upper Island Cove and along the way showed us North River where Tarra used to live. Later they took us down the road to a friends house where we went drinking in the "shed"-a heated garage. We had a grande old time and even tried moose meat for the first time!

The Girls

On Tuesday we had a late breakfast before checking out some more local spots. They took us to Cupids which was the first European settlement and Briggus where we walked through an old tunnel leading to a nice view of the ocean and then visited a quiet little spot along the shore where we sat on the rocks for a bit. After, we got custard cones and then visited a spot in Harbor Grace with a big old steamboat trapped in the harbor, and on land an old airplane 'the Spirit of Harbor Grace' sits with a statue of Amelia Earhart. Once back home we had a huge Newfoundland supper with Andrew, Tarra, Andrews parents and grandma. The meal consisted of salt beef, turkey, potatoes, carrots, turnips, cabbage, beets, pea spread, blueberry pudding, stuffing and gravy followed by a huge slice of pie. It was delicious and very filling!

Tunnel

View from end of tunnel

Andrew and Tarra

Rocky Spot

Old Boat

Today we had a relaxing morning playing school with Andrews niece before being fed moose burgers and potato salad. We said our goodbyes this afternoon and started the long drive back to the west side of the island. We had a fantastic stay, and feel like we got the best Newfoundland experience that we could ask for. Thank you to Andrew, Tarra, Aubrey, Karen, Julie, Olive and everyone else we met who all made us feel welcome and at home!

We are staying in Gander tonight. Shortly after we started the drive the weather cleared up and we had blue skies and sunshine. We only made one stop before Gander and it was to walk along a river just off the highway.