Moose, Kayaks and Fjords, Oh My!

Oh my goodness, I love my country!

We are now in Gros Morne National Park. For the last 2 nights we stayed in Shallow Bay, one of the 5 or so campgrounds within the park limits. On the way into the park, over rolling hills and sun kissed mountains, we passed 3 moose, safely on the side of the road!

Yesterday we were up early and headed to Norris Point for kayaking. In true east coast form, we woke up with sun, and arrived in rain, the kayak tour was delayed an hour, then we got into the kayaks in the sun, sat in them for the instructions in the rain, paddled in drizzle and finally the sun came out for the last hour.


Having never kayaked before, Ang and I were amazed at how easy it was. Granted we had kayaks with rudders, which I've heard are similar to training wheels on a bike? But really, it was so amazing! We paddled in a fjord, around to different harbours, heard stories of Newfoundland history from our two awesome tour guides.

After the paddling, we had some quick lunch at the campsite then went for a boat tour on Western Brook Pond. Seriously, look this up. Google it, or do what you have to. It's incredible what secrets lie in our own country. It's a land locked fjord - so not really a fjord anymore - but its beauty is astounding! Plus we had the perfect conditions - the rain earlier had left paths of water running down the tops of the cliffs, and the recent sun glinted off of them so they shone. We met some awesome people on the boat - one gentleman who works in Bowmanville at the power plant! Small world!

Then back to the campsite for dinner......good old beans and wieners augmented with Passion Flakies!..... and a clear night filled with stars!

Today we drove to Trout River, also in the park. This place houses the Tablelands, and incredible stretch of peraditite....(spelling....?) which is normally found under the earth......here is one of the largest deposits above ground! Thanks Africa, for bumping into us during Pangaea!!
We hiked back into the land this afternoon, 4 kilometres downhill to a beautiful beach in crazy winds, but lots of sun. But of course.....4 kilometres downhill means 4 kilometres uphill on the way back......sigh.......

Now we are gobbling ice cream sundaes in the small town of Trout River before heading back to crash for the evening!

That's it for now! Tomorrow is the long drive back to St John's and then a flight on Tuesday afternoon!

Hey, did I mention.....I love this country!!

I'll try anything once....

I forgot to mention that the other night, during the George St. Festival and prior to the Screeching In, that we had cod tongues! Not sure what to think....the texture's a bit odd, but deep fried and dipped in sauce, they're not that hard to take. Anything else I need to try while I'm here?
-JM

What are ya at?

For those of us who have said how Ottawa feels like a small town sometimes, St. John's feels even more so. It's possible to get everywhere easily on foot (although it also boasts some of the steepest streets in the country, so maybe easily is a relative term...) We met two awesome gals from Toronto and Montreal, and have been meeting up periodically with them over the last 3 days, and we've noticed it's not really necessary to make specific meeting plans because we run into each other in town anyway!

Everyone here is more than happy to give directions and tell you about the favourite spots, or just chat about the weather (something all Canadians love to do!).

And finally, on the first evening we arrived, we went down street (because from hostels, hotels or houses, everything is down.....from the harbour, everything is up) to get tickets for the George St Fest. Found out that Blue Rodeo was the headliner for the night, so I got my ticket and Ang decided she would have a quiet night in. No sooner had I bought the ticket than we walked around the corner, and Greg Keelor (one of the two Blue Rodeo frontmen) was strolling down the street! He stopped and chatted for a moment - I asked if he was still living up Kendall way since it was always well known in Bowmanville where his house was, and jam sessions could be heard floating over the fields on summer evenings. It was awesome, and random and a key reminder of our Canadian sense of humanity - that our greatest stars are not just faces on billboards, but are our neighbours, our relatives, our friends, and not above a simple hello on the street.

(I was recently reminded of this also, as I discovered that a friend of ours from university, a member of a band that I knew well, is now lead guitarist for Justin Bieber. Crazy)

Anyway, today is a rainy day in St. John's (shocking!). Some shopping is in the plans and some planning for tomorrow. Last night we were fortunate to visit The Rooms - an incredible new building housing the Museum, the Archives and the Art Gallery - and free on Wednesday evenings! We learned about the Beothuk people, the influence of Irish culture and saw an amazing photo display by Edward Burtynsky.
Then down to George St to a micro brewery for some delicious beer. Ang turned in for the night after, and I ventured to some live music, which is primarily why I'm here. I can't get over how many of the songs I know! Those two awesome gals, previously mentioned were there, and while they chatted, I went up to dance, and made instant friends with some Nova Scotians who were also dancing along to the tunes. (This is the story of this city - if you're willing to say hello to the person next to you, or to sing along to the tunes that are playing, you will make fast friends).
On a random note, I also met Michael Ignatieff's Press Secretary and Executive Assistant. I guess Ignatieff was here for the Regatta as part of a 12 day tour of Canada, and after he retired for the evening, these gentlemen came out last night for a rare couple of hours off.

That's it for now!

Screeched in!!!

So since the Cambodian adventure, and the inception of this blog, I have found myself consistently dictating the retelling of all of my adventures and wonderments, in my head. So I thought I might continue to write them down, and if you'd like to read along, that'd be lovely.

I am, at the moment, in St. John's, NL. I have officially put it on my list of favourite cities - it is astoundingly beautiful here. I am here with my dear friend, and former roommate Angie.

Last night was the final night of the George St. Festival (for anyone who is unaware of the wonder that is George St., it boasts the title of most bars per square foot in the country, possibly even in North America) After watching the live bands and standing with hundreds of people singing along to East Coast tunes, we went down to Christian's bar, for an official Screech In. In a cramped sweaty bar above George St, a local dressed in fisherman's getup taught us Newfie words, songs and the phrase we had to repeat to be screeched in. Traditionally there'd be a scoff and scuff - food and dance - all the fixings of a proper kitchen party, but we had some meat, and chanted along to Come and I Will Sing You, before kneeling for the next part of the ceremony.
Yes, we kissed a cod. It was huge and frozen and smelly, but we all did it! Then we drank a shot of what I heard was Jamieson, and we were done. Certificates and everything!

Today was a brilliant day in St. John's. Incredible weather, 23 degrees, with a breeze off the water. It was also Regatta Day - where everyone gets the day off (save some working in tourist shops) to go to the Regatta on Quidi Vidi Lake. There are carnival games, jumping castles and food stalls stretching around almost the entire perimeter of the lake and lots of the games and raffles go to charities! Lion's Clubs, Rotaries, Autism and Diabetes Associations - everything!

Then, we walked to Signal Hill. We took the road up, the paved way, and took the path along the water on the way down. It's quite a trek and commands an amazing 360 view of the city. We could even see the crowds at the Regatta. There's the tower, with displays on Marconi's experiments and successes and lots of info chronicling the shifting ownership of the land from British to France and back again. The surrounding land is impressive, rolling and green and rocky with untamed purple and yellow flowers.

Now we're grabbing some dinner - I have leftover stirfry from the veggie restaurant, The Sprout - and then heading to The Rooms, the new building with a museum and the archives, that's free this evening!

Now that there's finally internet, I hope to be able to write again before we head out on Friday to the other parts of the island. Friday morning we get a car, and will be off to Gros Morne National Park!

Till then, long may your big jib draw!