Day 32 - St. John's, Newfoundland

It’s 8:30 am, July 24 and we Adventure Caravaners are headed out of our cozy nests and into our tour bus to see the hills, dales and harbors big and small around St. John’s, Newfoundland.

Lucille, our cheerful guide, shared her extensive knowledge of her homeland - spiced up throughout the day with a bit of humorous conversation and some local candy treats.

Despite occasional RDF (rain, drizzle, fog) conditions, there were plenty of opportunities to be tourists. 

After a stop at the original Governor’s House (where sadly RDF cancelled our garden party) we visited a church with magnificent stained glass windows and the adjoining convent which houses a unique “Veiled Virgin” a one-of-a-kind bust sculptured in white marble.

In the parlor, we were treated to a performance of an old Scottish ballad, played on an ancient recorder using an LP size metal disc with holes punched in it, much the way a musical box works.

Next, we headed uphill, to set foot on North America’s easternmost point, check out the rumors of a lighthouse somewhere on the fog-enshrouded hillside, and then stand nearby at the spot where Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless signal in 1901.

Back on sea level at Petty’s Cove, we met some hard-working cod fishermen –doing perhaps the toughest job in the world - before heading off to dine on their catch in a well-appointed restaurant downtown. 

Afterwards, a bunch of us shopped among the colorful residential streets (AKA jellybean row) for some “Ugly Sticks, a Newfoundlander hand-made musical instrument made from recycled materials, to bring home and demonstrate to the folks back home.

Once back in our cozy nests tucked in the high forest countryside, we reviewed our photos and the day’s events and decided that after this tour, anything else might very well be anti-climatic.

Submitted by:  Winifred and George Meiser

Adventure #12