Friday was the get the last things done day, get to know St John's day, and a small but wonderful surprise day.
We started with a wonderful breakfast that Stephen cooked for us. Stephen took a day off to share with us. After breakfast and the usual getting ready, we headed to St. John's downtown, primarily the Harbor and Water Street which is the traditional trading and commercial center of St John's.
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| We found a parking spot near the Cotton Club... yep, it's a Sailors' Delight! |
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Downtown St John's is an eclectic mixture of old, new, and old made new. So much history!
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| We went to the Merchant Center restaurant for Lunch! The food is indeed delicious and memorable! |
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There is a very strong and distinct Irish heritage to go along with the English and French history
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The front entrance to the Merchant restaurant.
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We found The Rocket Bakery, which a native had so warmly recommended in the WestJet magazine.
It was as described, although we did not get anything, we went through it and found it to be a very cozy and nice place. |
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| We will stop by next time we go to St John's! |
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| Adriana and I went for a walking tour of the harbor and found that there were several military ships tied up along the wharf. this is a Canadian patrol ship with what looks like a 100 mm gun in front. |
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| A placard explaining some of St John's fishing and sealing history. |
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| Most of the buildings are old, older and yet well kept with good paint and upkeep. Very little evidence of any decay or neglect, with most buildings showing lots of TLC. |
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| Some of the traditional signals used by ships. |
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| View of several commercial ships. One on the right seems to be for maintenance and supply of the offshore oil rigs. |
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| View from the harbor up to Signal Hill. The harbor's mouth is just below Signal Hill |
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| You can see my Sweet Lady in front of the Atlantic Kingfisher, with it's set up for oil rig support and maintenance. |
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| The cove near Quidi Vidi... one of so many picturesque and beautiful places. |
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| Larissa and Stephen |
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| A wider view of the cove |
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| The last out point in the distance is Cape Spears |
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| Where the Transatlantic cables came ashore in Newfoundland in the late 1800's |
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The proud and hard working Canadian Coast Guard!
We got back together and headed to Quidi Vidi, a small fishing village near St John's. It has a perfect little harbor and another cove that has quite the history. We also got to see a bald eagle's nest.
Quidi Vidi is a quaint but modern little fishing village which is being gentrified very rapidly
A map of the trails that connect Quidi Vidi to Signal Hill
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And, so what a wonderful visit it was. Adriana at St John's airport as we waited for our flight back to USA. They said it was supposed to be gate 3, but they loaded at gate 1! One last curve ball! We made it though.
The flight back, about 4 hours and 35 minutes, due to the head winds, was good. We sat next to Neil and Carolyn and their family which made for some interesting moments. They were foster parenting two sweet little girls. They were in the process of adopting them. Sweet, kind, nurturing Mom and Dad! They were headed with a family clan of 12 for 10 days in Orlando doing the Disney and other visits.
After landing, the customs and immigration process was pretty quick for us and Canadians. Others had a long line! The screening is tough for sure! Glad we didn't lose track of our passports!
Orlando airport is a disappointment. It is not user-friendly. We had to wind our way through several mazes. I remembered that we had to do the cheese hunt from the main terminal area, down two flights, through a maze of baggage claims and corridors, then an elevator down to a tunnel that crosses under the road between the terminal and parking garage, then another elevator to the parking lot... but all without proper signage or clear directions. Heaven help those who get lost or need a rest room!
We found the car exactly where we left her, found the exit, paid $136.00 in parking for the week ($17/day!), and got on the road toward home. We stopped at Sarione Korean restaurant in Tampa for a much-needed fill-up!
After that, it was about an hour to home and tada, back home again to our quiet and "normal" life!
Can't thank Larissa, Stephen, Marina, and sweet Samson for their warmth, hospitality, time, and efforts on our behalf. Ferryland lighthouse and a wonderful picnic! The visits to Cape Spear, the eastern most point in North America, the Puffin and whales tour, and quaint Quidi Vidi where we celebrated Stephen's 40th birthday! All that followed up late Friday night with a visit to Newfoundland's Ocean Research Center where there are Harp seals!
It was a whirlwind week of wonders and wow!
Thank you so much, for your love, generosity, and goodness.
May God bless us all. May God bless Larissa, Stephen, and Marina as they live in a magical land and may they thrive and find great health, happiness, success in all endeavors, and above all, love always.
And, so we two wanderers are back home, with fond and lovely memories to hold us through the heat and humidity of a summer in Sarasota.
See you again soon!
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