John and Cathy in Newfoundland 2013: Placentia

Tuesday, July 16

Today's drive was a lot more civilized than yesterday's. We drove from Grand Fall-Windsor to Placentia, about four hours, but had plenty of time to stop along the way. We had been told by friends that the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander is worth a stop. Overall, it was, except for the listless guide at the door who took our admission fee and continued to sit mute behind his desk.

From a flat, inaccessible bog in 1935, Gander rapidly became a major military airport during WW II, then a necessary stop-over for the first transatlantic flights to refuel, and most recently as a world-famous refuge for almost 50 international flights (and 6000 people) that were grounded in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center in September, 2001. The museum chronicles key events in the storied history of Gander Airport. At the height of construction, it is estimated that one-fifth of the Newfoundland labour force was involved in the building of the airport which boasted five runways and was the largest airport in the world at the time. American, British and Canadian airmen poured into Gander by the thousands as the airbase became a strategic staging point for the war in Europe. Churchill and Roosevelt met on a battleship in Placentia Harbour to plan America's entry into the European Front--a strategy that would rely on Gander in a major way.

Later, as steamships lost their appeal to air travel, Gander became the refuelling stopover of choice for many international airlines. If some planes had the capacity to fly non-stop to Europe, they had to have so much fuel onboard that the number of passengers who could be accommodated was severely reduced, cutting into the profit margin. Many famous people walked through the international lounge as their planes refuelled: Frank Sinatra, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Fidel Casto (who is photographed frolicking on a toboggan, having never seen snow before)--among dozen of others whose photos are on display.

A moving display relates the events of September 11. There are copies of hundreds of letters from Americans who were taken in and cared for during the enforced shutdown of North American air space. The citizens of Gander--indeed, Newfoundlanders from all over the province--pitched in to make the temporary refugees feel welcome and comfortable. You can listen to conversations between the control tower and pilots of planes that were ordered to land, although they were never told why for security reasons.

There are also accounts of tragedies at Gander Airport, most notably the crash of a DC-8 on December 12, 1985, which killed 256 people, mostly American peacekeepers on their way home from Sinai for Christmas. It is the worst airline tragedy in Canadian history.

Placentia is at the tip of a lengthy bay. It is quite a pretty town spread along several kilometres of shoreline in the fashion of so many Newfoundland communities. It has a rich history. The area attracted Basque fishermen as early as the 16th century. They joined the British and French who fished cod in the waters off the coast. The French established the first settlement here in 1662; it was called Plaisance--later changed to Placentia when the British took over. Not content to restrict their constant feuding to Europe, the two countries duked it out here as well. The French built a complicated fort on what is now called Castle Hill. They successfully repelled the British, who laid siege to the harbour. The French lost out in the end when the Treaty of Utrecht, 1713, awarded Newfoundland to the British.

The views from Castle Hill, the site of ruins from the original fortress, are breathtaking in the scope they provide of the large harbour. The Government of Canada has a National Historic Site which is well worth a visit. Just today, the site inaugurated a new app which provides information that can be downloaded on smartphones. Cathy, so the guide informed us, was the first person to scan and download the app on her phone.

There is a small, eclectic museum called the O'Reilly House Museum two doors down from the B&B. Two high school girls took us on our own private tour (actually there was no one else in the building and it was almost closing time so they just hit the highlights). They have a real interest in the history of Placentia and did a good job taking turns explaining things. One room, in particular, is very interesting. It has information on the sad relocation history of thousands of people from the outports--a theme that is echoed several places where we have visited.

Rosedale Cottage B&B is quaint and cute after a certain fashion (meaning we could not swing a cat by its tail in our bedroom, even if we were inclined to do such a daft thing). It was built in 1893 in the Second Empire or dovecote style with three dormer windows. We are not experts on styles of architecture--that's what the brochure at the B&B calls it, and who are we to argue? The parlour is a very comfortable place to write this blog, although there is something totally incongruous about being on the internet in a house built so long ago. Ah... progress.

We ate at the Three Sisters Restaurant and Pub just down the road from the B&B. The fish and chips were good.