Here I am, sitting in the Crow's Nest B&B in Saint Anthony, in the northern tip of Newfoundland... and I have no idea where to begin!
A some famous person said, the best thing to do is start in the beginning.
The VIA was late - as usual - by three hours. The Ocean train cars were not nearly as comfortable as the Canadian cars out west, more like plane seats and not a reclining foot kick in sight. That was a rough 32 hours. What didn't help? The ugly parenting we saw that turned two perfectly well-behaved kids into sugared-up brats. We were happy it was over. (Side note: Montreal train station? boring. Winnipeg is still the front-runner for the most impressive train station in the country.)
- Dave at the car rental place informed us that we would be upgraded for free to a slightly bigger car. Imagine our surprise when he picked us up in a Lexus!
- The drive to Sydney was a little like the beginning of a horror-movie... or at least like an X-files episode. The minute I voiced this, of course, Foo Fighters' Down In The Park came on (thanks a lot XFM!). The hotel, when we got there, was quite cute and I enjoyed a very very long shower.
Next morning, we made it out to Louisburg and I checked off one of my life goals. I did not want to leave and we, sadly, did not leave enough time to explore (again, as usual). I believe I will have to return to do a proper Cabot trail trip and and a return trip to Louisburg.
- We ate at the Fortress View Restaurant: while I expect more from a Maritime Lobster Roll, the "popcorn" fish and chips were delish. Yum!
- We boarded our ferry to NFLD and it was super-fancy: two restaurants (buffet and a-la-carte), a bar, a casino and a swank lounge. No wonder we paid so much money for this crossing! It's nothing like the BC Ferries at all.
- The ferry was an hour or so late - we've realised that if we want to be on time we will be late. That's apparently the new rule.
- The drive to Cape Anguille Lighthouse Inn was really creepy - we learned very quickly that almost nothing outside a National Park is properly labelled in this province.
- Sleep.
I woke up to a most spectacular view! Nothing but water and cliff. Nish and I were the only ones around for miles - miles! Not even the B&B people were there. We thought very hard about never leaving, but left anyway, starting our eight hour trek to Saint Anthony's. We made two major pit-stops:
- The Arches: huge rocks are being carved out by the water, creating arches that you can walk through to the water.
- Port-aux-Choix: a 5500-year-old burial ground for the Maritime Archaic Indians (mounds that were not marked in any way... we attempted to ward off any Ancient Indian Burial Ground Curses by apologising the whole time we walked all over the mounds); the French Shore monument that marks the end of French occupancy in NFLD - it was a beautiful place, complete with lighthouse.
Gros Morne: what can I say? It is breathtaking, inviting one to pull over every few seconds to take pictures or just drink in the sights. I am happy we will be returning through the park at a more leisurely pace.
Saint Anthony: this town made up for its distance within the first few minutes of being here: on our way into town, we saw ICEBERGS! Just hanging out in the harbour, chillin'. We went for dinner to the Lightkeeper's Cafe, where we ate the local nosh: bacalhau, cod-au-gratin and peppered moose. Yum Yum! While polishing of the cod, our dining neighbour calls for a pod... and it isn't until two whole second later I realise he is referring to a "pod" outside the window - a pod of whales, that is! Right in front of our window, slapping tails and blowing spray... it was amazing. My camera-reaction was far too slow... but this bodes very well for the Boat tour we have planned for tomorrow.
Now, I'm exhausted. We have an early early start - since we're on the east coast, we're going to try and catch sunrise - and much to do tomorrow. I doubt we'll get another Internet-enabled B&B, so until later, poppets - I'd lurve ta see ya!
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