Day 8 - New Found Land
Many people - most even - are under the impression that America was first discovered by Europeans in 1492 by Christopher Columbus and settled by them in 1607 at Jamestown, Virginia. The few who know otherwise are aware of the role of Erik the Red and his son Leif Erickson, two Viking explorers who discovered Greenland and North America, respectively. These events are recounted in the Saga of Erik the Red and the Saga of the Greenlanders, the two Icelandic sagas that mention the discovery of "Vinland the Good" in 1000 AD.
Sailing into the protected harbour of St. John's, it's easy to understand why Viking explorers were so enthusiastic about settling here. The members of our party thought the weather was beautiful and balmy compared to what we had been experiencing in Iceland and on the North Atlantic. We were surprised to hear our guide, Blair from McCarthy's Party, say that we had arrived on the coldest day of the season so far.
Scholars are divided on the exact location of Vinland, but it's known to be somewhere in Canada's Newfoundland province. L'Anse Aux Meadows is the only identified Viking settlement from this time period, though unfortunately it was far from the port of St. John's and therefore not on our itinerary for the day. Still, as its name would suggest, Newfoundland has many other sites related to the rich history of discovery and exploration.
Signal Hill, which overlooks the harbour, is one such site. The tower sitting atop the hill is known as Cabot Tower in honour of the explorer John Cabot. It was built in 1897, the 400th anniversary of Cabot's landing in North America. It is popularly believed that he landed in Newfoundland, though Halifax, Nova Scotia is another possibility.
Cabot's story is an interesting one. He traced the route of Leif Erickson, who was following in the footsteps of another Viking explorer, Bjarni Herjolfsson. Herjolfsson sailed from Norway, through the Shetland Islands, to Iceland, then on to Greenland and upper Canada. Cabot sailed from the port of Bristol, England to Iceland and Canada. It's wonderful to be following such a storied route on board the Norwegian Jewel.
Cabot's landing is not the only historic first commemorated at the Signal Hill National Historic Site. It was here that Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in the December of 1901. As Blair reminded us, we owe Marconi a debt of gratitude for the existence of the many forms of wireless communication that exist today. The telegraph laid the groundwork for the wireless internet signal I'm using to submit this very article!
Signal Hill is also known as the location of the Battle of Signal Hill, the final battle of the Seven Years War in 1762. The French surrendered St. John's following the decisive victory won by British troops. After seeing the hill and the surrounding cliffs sloping dramatically into the ocean below, I can only picture this battle being rather spectacular.
The French left Newfoundland defeated. After 11 years at their settlement here the Vikings also made their way home. John Cabot returned to England. We will not be doing so, though I suppose we are returning home. First we'll sail on the Halifax, Nova Scotia to visit Cabot's other possible landing spot. Then it's on to New York City.
The sign at the top of Signal Hill says we're 1,169 miles away from New York and 2,320 miles from London. Almost there!
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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 (you are here)
Day 8 – Land! Land! St. John’s, Newfoundland
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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