John and Cathy in Newfoundland 2013: Alas, Last Day In Newfoundland

Sunday, July 21

Much of our last full day in this wonderful province was spent walking in downtown St. John's. We woke up later this morning than on any other day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the lounge. Happily, a very loud, ill-mannered child who had been present on other occasions was absent.

Our stroll began down at the waterfront below the Sheraton where there is a lovely tribute to and statue of Terry Fox who dipped his artificial leg into the Atlantic Ocean at this spot and set off on a history-making journey.

We made our way down the waterfront to the War Memorial that occupies an open area between Duckworth and Water Streets. It has to be one of the most beautiful war memorials anywhere. The design is semi-circular. The five figures were designed by two English sculptors and were cast in bronze by E.J. Parlanti from England. These figures represent Newfoundland's involvement in World War I.

At the top of the central pedestal is a figure of a woman, symbolizing Newfoundland's willingness to serve in the war effort. She is holding a torch in her left hand. In her right hand, she holds a sword. From the sides of the central pedestal, two wings of granite protrude. On the west wing, representing the Newfoundlanders who joined the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve, is a sailor holding a spyglass. On the east wing, representing the men of The Royal Newfoundland Regiment, is a soldier in full battle gear, loading his rifle, and looking ahead.

Out in front, on the lower pedestal, are fishermen and a lumberjack, symbolizing the Newfoundlanders who served with the Merchant Marine and the Forestry Corps. Over their heads is a granite cross. Below, is a bronze plaque stating that the memorial was erected by "a grateful people to honour its war dead". Similar plaques were added on both sides of the pedestal to commemorate the Newfoundlanders who died in World War II, the Korean War, and the War in Afghanistan. We noticed that in the evening the flat area in front of the memorial is a favourite place for skate boarders to show off their prowess. No one seems to mind, and they are respectful not to leave litter.

There are some very colourful houses on Gower Street. You see them on several streets in the downtown area, but the greatest concentration is along this particular street. Unlike neighbourhoods in some over-regulated communities where all the houses must be the same boring colour and style, in St. John's anything goes! Green, blue, purple, red--all side by side--make for a lively street scene. Some of the houses have been renovated and look quite upscale--others not so much.

Because it was Sunday, the two largest churches in town were serving their parishioners; therefore, we did not have an opportunity to go inside and study them closely. The Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist had its cornerstone installed in 1847 and is now a Heritage Site. It suffered damage in the catastrophic 1892 fire, which left one-third of the citizens--10,000 people--homeless. Major reconstruction had to be done. It is described as one of the finest examples of ecclesiastical Gothic architecture in North America. Also busy, was the Basilica of St. John the Baptist, a Catholic church with two twin towers. A National Historic Site, this church was built between 1841 and 1855 in the Romanesque style. Both churches have spectacular stained glass windows.

Over the years, St. John's has been the victim of three great fires: two in 1817, and one in 1892. The latter fire started in a hay stable. At its height, the heat was so intense that it melted glass in windows throughout the city.

Quidi Vidi is a former fishing village just outside St. John's. There is a lake which attracts walkers and joggers and can be circumnavigated in about one hour. The highlight was a visit to the Quidi Vidi Brewery. Cathy and John had the guide to themselves for the 1:00 pm tour. Chris is a personable young man, who sketched in the history of the village and told the story of the origin of the brewery. It seems two engineering students, Dave Rees and Dave Fong at MUN, were keen to save money so conspired with the janitor to brew beer in a storage closet in the dormitory. To no one's surprise, they were caught by the authorities and expelled from the dorm in their first semester. They graduated but always had a penchant for brewing beer. In 1996, they started a micro-brewery, the first in Newfoundland. The building was a former fish plant that closed after the fateful 1992 cod moratorium. Quidi Vidi Brewery has been a phenomenal success. They could sell more beer (after all, Newfoundlanders drink 10 million dozen bottles of beer a year! That seems a huge amount, but Chris assured us it is true.), but the building has no room to expand. The result is that their very good beer can only be purchased in Newfoundland. They produce seven types of beer--all good--including their trademark beer, Iceberg, which is sold in distinctive blue bottles. It is actually made from water harvested from icebergs near St. Anthony! Two of their beers have won international awards: a gold medal for British India Pale Ale, and a silver for Eric Cream Ale. Visitors on the tour can sample all seven brands--only an ounce or two of each! It was really a delight to have the tour guide to ourselves. There are only 20 employees at the brewery, who become jack-of-all-trades. Chris conducts tours, works in accounts, delivers beer around the province, etc. One gets the impression that there is great employee loyalty at Quidi Vidi Brewery.

A late lunch on Water Street at Nautical Nellies, then off to the airport hotel to relax before an early morning flight home to Saskatoon, via Toronto.