First, I am obliged to correct an error in history I (John) made yesterday. I was positive the guide at Hawthorn Cottage in Brigus said the the house there was moved from Harbour Grace. George, our landlord at the Rothesay Heritage House B&B, corrected that error. The cottage evidently was moved from Makinson. I actually prefer my own revisionist theory of the two houses exchanging locales--between Harbour Grace and Brigus--much more romantic and original.
Today was another great day. It was hot and muggy--about 29 degrees. There are raging forest fires in Labrador, especially around Wabush. The resulting smoke/haze has pretty much blanketed Newfoundland, as far east as St.John's. The sun appears as an orange ball in the sky. It's actually good for photography--no harsh shadows.
After a leisurely breakfast (mushroom and goat cheese omelette, fresh fruit with homemade granola, cinnamon raisin toast and very good coffee) and some last minute tips from George about what to see, we set off for the northern tip of the peninsula--up the Conception Bay Coast on the east and down the Trinity Bay Coastline on the western side of the peninsula. Except for short stretches, the drive (on quite good roads) allows water vistas most of the way. There are an impressive number of interesting villages along the way. Villages in Newfoundland seem to be only a few km apart. They mostly consist of tidy, well maintained houses on either side of the road. Many of the villages have no facilities--e.g. restaurants, gas stations, grocery stores, etc. What they do have, however, are churches. There are often three or more of them: Anglican, Roman Catholic and United, with occasional Salvation Army Churches. Almost without exception they are lovely buildings--the tallest structures in the town. Many have something to make them unique. For example the Ocean View United Church near Carbonear has a very old cemetery with a few graves dating from the late 19th century.
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| Untended grave at Ocean View church |
We simply stopped on a whim and were rewarded each time with something new and unexpected. Bradley's Cove sounded interesting, so we pulled off the highway and after a short trip down a narrow road we arrived at an unexpected boardwalk that took us to a lighthouse and afforded a view of the harbour where whales were breaching a km off the shore. The boardwalk, which follows the curve of the shoreline, is almost 2 km. I was unable to get any pictures of the whales since they were too far out at sea, but the sound of their blowing was clearly audible--and impressive.
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| Boardwalk at Bradley's Cove |
A couple at breakfast this morning gave a glowing report of the harbour at Ochre Bay, so we stopped there and talked to some friendly and humorous fishermen (I guess the politically correct term is fishers). We had just missed the capelin catch being vacuumed into a huge tanker which takes them inshore to be frozen and sent to Japan. Capelin are slightly larger than sardines, but they have an entirely different taste I am reliably informed. This is the season for them; they move by the millions toward coves and bays, avidly pursued by whales who scoop them up by the hundreds. One of the fishermen showed us the difference between capelin and herring.
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| Capelin, tidbits for whales |
Closer to Dildo we stopped in Heart's Content (not to be confused with Heart's Delight) to visit the receiving station where the first trans-Atlantic telegraph cable (July 27,1866) arrived in North America. During its height in the 1920s over 300 people worked there, but other more modern means of communication resulted in the station's closing in 1965. The messages were received and forwarded by inland telegraph lines across North America, particularly to New York City. It was the forerunner of texting--only not quite as fast. It's an amazing place with huge equipment and wires all over the place. Obviously the folks at work there had not heard of computer chips and miniaturization.
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| Equipment at Trans-Atlantic Cable station, Heart's Content |
Winterton has a very good museum which traces the history of all kinds of boats, mostly wooden, from dories to 50 foot iron vessels. The advent of fibreglass put an end to the little appreciated and complex art of boat building. Cathy tried her hand at rug hooking under the guidance of a kindly woman. One of her "hookings" featured an attractive maritime scene suggested by her husband who passed away two years ago.
Our B&B in Dildo is perched on a hill overlooking the harbour. One of the owners told us he had seen dolphins in the water earlier in the afternoon.
If we overdosed on sugar last night with sticky toffee pudding, we raised the chlorestoral threshold considerably tonight at the Dildo Dory Grill where we had cod tongues (deep fried), fish and chips (Cathy) and fried cod (John). Both the appetizer and the main courses came with scrunchions (tiny cubes of deep fried pork fat--they sound ghastly, but are tasty as all get-out). Cod tongues are not actually tongues--they are delicate meat taken from the cheek and neck part of the fish.
Their consistency is a bit like scallops.
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| Deep-fried cod tongues |
It was our 28th Wedding Anniversary, celebrated at a window table overlooking the Dildo harbour. We could not help but contrast the meal with our anniversary dinner last year in Rome. What this meal lacked in finesse it made up for in the determinedly friendly and homey service. John was continuously referred to as "Darling" by the middle aged waitress. It's like the English who refer to people, even total strangers, as "love" or "pet." There is really something very charming about the uninhibited genuineness of Newfoundlanders. Everyone says hello with enthusiasm and will willingly engage in lengthy and often humorous conversations if given half a chance.
Our B&B, a Canada Selects 5 star property, (http://www.georgehousebnb.com) was built in 1885 and has recently been restored. It is furnished with period furniture but has all the amenities, including complimentary WiFi. It sits on a small hill overlooking the harbour. Comfortable adirondack chairs invite guests to sit and take in the sights. It's lovely and relaxing.
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| Dildo Harbour |
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