Day 8 – Land! Land! St. John’s, Newfoundland
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We were awakened this morning not by our 8:50 am wakeup call, but by my mother banging on the door of our room and shouting, "Land ahoy! Land ahoy!" at 8:20 am. (Note: I don't think that's exactly what the Vikings would have said, although I am sure they felt pretty much the same way after however long in an open boat on the North Atlantic.) Not to worry, I quickly got ready and went out to watch our approach to St. John's. Finally, after several grey days, the sea is calm and the sun is glinting playfully on the ocean. Rocky cliffs rise out of the water on either side, and soon we are entering the harbour.
The entrance to St. John's is narrow, with steep rock slopes on either side. I trust that the Captain has calculated and that we will fit, but it looks pretty close. On the right we recognize Signal Hill and the tower from pictures. We will be visiting there later. There are people on shore standing on their front porches waving to the boat. We wave back from our deck and they seem actually excited to have us there. I have never seen people be so welcoming to an approaching cruise ship.
As the ship docks, we head downstairs to disembark. On the dock are two gigantic, cuddly Newfoundland dogs and their owner. She invites everyone to pet the animals, and I don't think they mind at all. Kirsten and I took a good five minutes out to play with the dogs and get some pictures. Then I remember that our tour guide is waiting, and we move on.
Blair from McCarthy's Party tours is waiting with a van. He welcomes us to Newfoundland and helps us load up. We decide on an itinerary: first to Cape Spear, then back to Signal Hill, and finally to Quidi Vidi and the brewery. Then he will drop us in town to get some lunch at a local place.
Cape Spear is the most eastern point in North America. It also has an interesting bit of history attached. There's a lighthouse there dating back hundreds of years, as well as a more modern light tower. Cape Spear also has a World War II connection: there was a US military installation on the point to protect the northern, eastern, and southern approaches to the harbour at the time. The huge guns are still there, rusting with age and disuse. We pause for a moment to look out at the ocean from here, and then climb up towards the light tower.
The site is really well maintained, with wooden staircases built into the rock. We climb up these, and then go to look out from the southern edge. I love clambering up the rocks and then jumping off them. I think people got a little nervous watching me do so so close to the cliff's edge, so I climbed back down towards the van instead. Next destination…
All the way on the other side of the harbour is Signal Hill, a tower used by the town to display signal flags throughout St. John's history. As we stand at the tower's base, I am mostly struck by how the icy wind is ripping through my (again) too-few layers. There are several panels of text about the 1892 fire that destroyed two thirds of the city. It's scary to imagine the beautiful town below us ablaze, especially when viewing it so clearly from Signal Hill.
Suffering from the cold, we did not linger too long atop Signal Hill. We then retuned to the van and started the drive to Quidi Vidi, a small former fishing village. But that will need its own entry…
View interactive map of the voyage
Back to Travel Diaries
Read the other articles:
Day 12 - Air vs Sea
Day 12 - Homecoming
Day 10 - Battle of the Brews
Day 10 - A Taste of Halifax
Day 10 - Halifax: Ghosts and Breweries
Day 9 - The Cultural CV
Day 8 - Bird's Eye View
Day 8 – A Very Special Privilege
Day 8 – Quidi Vidi Brewery – Beer, with a side of history
Day 8 - Signal Hill and the Village of Quidi Vidi
Day 8 - North America's Far East
Day 8 - New Found Land
Day 8 – Land! Land! St. John’s, Newfoundland (you are here)
Day 7 – You Have Permission to Enter the Bridge
A Peak at the Inner Workings of the Norwegian Jewel
How to Pour Champagne in a Moving Vehicle
Days 5-6 Shetlands to Iceland
Days 0-4 Dover to the Shetlands
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