To the ones who have come from away,
Welcome to the Rock
-Come from Away
When the ferry docked in Newfoundland, I drove off the boat, singing, very appropriately, Welcome to the Rock from the musical Come from Away. Come from Away is about the small town of Gander and their connection to 9/11. If you haven't looked up this story, please do and if you have never heard any of the music from this musical, then you NEED to do that.
Day 1 of our Newfoundland adventure took us to Woody Point in Gros Morne National Park to hike the Look out Trail and officially made me a CFA (Come From Away; it's what you're called here if you're from anywhere other than NL). I guess the view from the top was pretty nice. haha. After our hike, we were off to the Arches Provincial Park. This reminds me a bit of Hopewell Rocks in NB which made the Arches one of my favourite stops on our road trip. Supper that night was in Cow Head (yes, that's a real place) and obviously included fish and chips, but this time made with cod.
The morning of day 2 was spent in the cold northern part of the province at L'Anse-aux-Meadows, a Viking settlement from the 1000s which was only discovered in 1960. The people that lived in this settlement were the earliest Europeans to come to North America and is the only known (for certain) Viking (Norse) settlement in North America.
The afternoon of day 2 was spent searching for thrombolites in Flower's Cove (which is near Nameless cove...I seriously cannot make this stuff up). Thrombolites are huge colonies of ancient microorganisms that look like rocks which are found in only two places in the world: western Australia and Flower's Cove, Newfoundland. Obviously me being the science nerd that I am, I was pretty darn excited.
We even made a new friend along the way!
These are thrombolites, my friends.
Me being the huge nerd that I am.
We ended day 2 at the beach to watch the sunset.
Day 3 we called the boat day. In the morning, we did a little hike to Western Brook Pond where we then took a boat tour which was absolutely stunning.
After boat tour #1, we headed back to Rocky Harbour (where we were staying) to have partridge berry cheesecake for lunch. (Partridge berries are a Newfoundland thing and I have to admit, I'm a bit obsessed.)
After dessert, I mean lunch, we wandered around Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse before heading to Bonne Bay for our evening cruise.
The evening cruise did have some nice scenery but once it got dark and the screech got brought out, the boat got a little rowdy which had mother and father Wallace cringing a bit (and in their defence, it was pretty loud).
Day 3 took us to a Beothuk settlement and interpretation centre. The Beothuk people were hunted by Europeans until the last Beothuk woman, Demasduit, was captured in 1910. This was a genocide that happened on (now) Canadian soil and very few people even know this happened. Obviously I feel pretty strongly about this topic, so I had requested that we visit this site during our tour of NL.
The site is really quite beautiful and, when it was being designed, included lots of consultation with indigenous peoples so there are many traditions incorporated into the site - like the spirit garden.
Our next stop was also requested by me and came with a "...........but why?" I had requested that we stop in Gander. While Gander may not be a top tourist spot, to me, it was important to see since I had spent so much of my summer listening to the Come from Away soundtrack. (Again, you really need to look up the story...or call me and I'll tell you about it.)
On the North-East tip of North America
On an island called Newfoundland
There's an airport
It used to be one of the biggest airports in the world
And next to it is a town called Gander
-Come From Away
Okay so I guess as I'm writing this I have realized I requested pretty much every part of day 3 since after Gander we headed to the Dover Fault. I wanted to see the Dover Fault for a couple of reasons, one because there is a song about it in Come from Away and two, because it's where, millions of years ago, the continents collided. Here there are rocks from Africa/Europe as well as rocks from the Appalachian Mountains. Oh, and the view is actually breath-taking.
Stop the world Take a picture Try to capture To ensure this moment lasts We're still in it, but In a minute - That's the limit - And this present will be past And here we are Where the world has come together And she will be In this picture, forever
Take a picture Of the scenery Of a lookout Of a moment Which is over Of the ocean Of the river Of the trees Stop the world Please
-Stop the World, Come from Away
Day 4 had us exploring the adorable town of Trinity where we met up with my Aunt Cathy and Uncle Peter. (They're not actually my aunt and uncle but first cousin once removed is close enough.)
In the afternoon, we left Trinity and headed to the Bonnavista Peninsula to see the Cape Bonnavista Lighthouse and to Elliston to see....PUFFINS!!
The puffins were too far away to get a good picture, but the three of us sat on the grass for awhile watching them fly around and catch fish. They are the cutest little things!! They remind me so much of summers spent in Grand Manan.
That night we headed back to Trinity to have supper with Cathy and Peter to celebrate me starting a new chapter in my life - the next day was the day I moved into my apartment in St John's.
Newfoundland really is beautiful . . .in the summer . . . ice pellets are falling from the sky right now so, if you are going to visit, I highly suggest the summer. And if you do come, please stop by and see me! I love having visitors!
You are here
At the start of a moment
On the edge of the world where the river meets the sea
Here on the edge of the Atlantic
On an island in between there and here
- Come From Away
H.