Here at Sophie’s World, we enjoy visiting Canada. It looks like home, so it feels familiar. But it is different enough – and quirky enough – to be interesting. Also, it’s so… well, civilised!
We especially enjoy road trips in this enormous country, and we have covered a couple here on the blog. When Cat was 7, the girls and I road tripped through Atlantic Canada, and discovered all kinds of cool places and fun spots in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Out west, Leigh McAdam of HikeBikeTravel – herself from big sky country, has loads of suggestions for a road trip from Vancouver to Calgary. I’ve wanted to do that road trip for a long time. But it will have to wait. You see, I have discovered Newfoundland. Through random glimpses on the TV screen.
Why Newfoundland?
When Ali was little, she and I used to watch Kommissar Rex, an Austrian police drama. It’s about Inspector Rex of the Vienna police, an exceptionally clever German Shepherd, and his human partners. Well, recently, I noticed Canada had gotten inspired to make their own version, called Hudson&Rex. So I switched it on – and ended up watching all of it. Or watch… that’s bragging. I had it on in the background whilst doing other things, so don’t ask me about any of the plots. But whenever my eyes shifted from whatever I was doing to the TV screen, I saw St John’s – all those colourful wooden houses, the harbour, Signal Hill, the surrounding landscape – and I was enchanted. I simply had to see this place for myself. Now! (I also want a German Shepherd, but that will have to wait, too.)
And since I would be in Newfoundland, I also wanted to see L’Anse aux Meadows, of course. Where my Norse ancestors landed as the first Europeans in America, some 1,000 years ago. So St John’s, then – and a road trip!
Days later, there I was. Just me, a whole lot of driving ahead, and not really enough time. But where there is a will, there is a way. In 5 days, I drove just under 2900 km, with a few short(ish) hikes thrown in, cause you can’t not hike in Canada. Like Norway, that’s just the way it is.
St John’s
I start out in St John’s, walking all over town for two days, along street after street with colourful houses…
– through lovely green spaces…
– to this terrific sculpture of the local dogs…
Bosun was Byron’s Newfoundland dog.
– and in the harbour, past ships with Viking names (told you it felt like home)…
– through even more colourful streets…
– also very steep streets – and stairs, much like Valparaiso…
No need for leg day at the gym.
I walk to Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador…
– which looks a nice place for a semester abroad. I especially like the glass Bruneau Centre building, which happens to be the fictional SJPD headquarters in Hudson&Rex. (Bit of geeky trivia there.)
I’m on a workation, so I find a few cafes where they don’t mind people working. If you like quiet, I can recommend Jumping Bean on Water Street; if you’re in the mood for noisier surrounds, Bannerman Brewing Co on Duckworth Street is the place to open the laptop.
Breakfast at the brewery is pretty good, too.
St Pierre et Miquelon
As September rolls around, I head south. To Fortune, a 4-hour-drive from St John’s. Not the most exciting landscape along the main road there. But Fortune is the place to go if you want to cross over to France. Not French Canada, but France proper.
South of Fortune is a group of islands called St Pierre et Miquelon, the last remaining part of France in the North Atlantic. You cannot mistake this for anything other than France. The difference is palpable. That’s all I’ll say here. That, and that the scallops are to die for! I’ll tell you more in a later post.
Newfoundland road trip Day 1: Fortune – Gander – Deer Lake
Early morning ferry back to Canada, and the road trip begins in earnest. The journey from the southernmost to the northernmost point on Newfoundland is long, about 12 hours, so I’ll take a few days. Otherwise, I’ll go cross-eyed from driving. Today: Fortune to Deer Lake.
Fortune, Newfoundland
Gander
About halfway to Deer Lake, is Gander. I mean to stop for a quick leg stretch and a coffee, but end up staying much longer. Why?
Well, have you even heard of Gander? Most probably have not. And I hadn’t either, until 9/11. Gander, you see, is where almost half the airborne planes were re-routed to, when the airspace over the USA was closed on that fateful September morning. This is where thousands of people found themselves, at first not knowing why, or for how long. Must have been a surreal experience.
In fact, Gander is about aviation in many ways, and the town is home to the North Atlantic Aviation Museum. I’ve been intrigued with flying ever since reading about Amelia Earhart as a kid, so of course I have to stop by.
During World War II, 10,000 military personnel – British, American, and Canadian – lived here in Gander. Fighters and bombers stopped off on their way to the war grounds in Europe. The aviation museum tells their story.
Here’s a PBY-5a Catalina/Canso and a Beech ISS Expeditor, both from the 1930s. Cool, eh?
There is also a fab flight simulator – a DC 3 from the 1930s.
Gander has also been an important refuelling stop for transatlantic flights, since it’s near the great circle route between London and New York. Bit of a cross-roads of aviation, this. And whilst that might not be as important these days – planes rarely need to land to refuel anymore – it is still used as a landing point for emergencies, urgent on-board medical incidents, and security. And so we’re back to 9/11.
The museum has a small section dedicated to this, where you can read letters from airlines, companies, and the ‘plane people’, as they were known here, thanking the town and its people for their hospitality. Evocative reading.
Gander also received a partial steel beam from one of the fallen twin towers.
Another dramatic incident related to flying took place in Gander nearly 40 years ago, when Arrow Air flight 1285 crashed (rather spookily) on 12/12-85. With 256 casualties, mostly US Army personnel, it was the deadliest air crash on Canadian soil. Fortunately, we know more about the effects of ice on the wings now.
The Silent Witnesses Memorial to Arrow Air flight 1285
OK, time to move on. Good to get to Deer Lake before midnight.
Newfoundland road trip day 2: Deer Lake – L’Anse au Claire
As I arrive after dark, and leave at the break of dawn, I don’t have too much to say about Deer Lake. Pretty surroundings, but you can say that about practically everywhere in Newfoundland. Other than that, it doesn’t strike me as an overly exciting place. But that could be unfair, so I’ll stop by on the way back.
Deer Lake, just something about that name, isn’t it…
Gros Morne National Park
Heading north, the landscape becomes increasingly stunning. After driving for about 45 minutes, I’m in Gros Morne National Park, with conifer forest, fjords, waterfalls: beautiful to drive through, and beautiful to hike. Unfortunately, I haven’t enough time for a proper hike, but a short one is better than nothing.
It would be fun to come back for a longer exploration of this area sometime. Spend a night or two in one of the little towns along the coast here, in a cabin. Don’t think I’m brave enough for tent camping in Canada. Meeting a moose, I could handle, but a bear – not so much.
I haven’t really planned how far I’ll drive today; always good to leave room for spontaneity. Well, today seems to be the day. Continuing northwards, I stop at a random view point, with a sign saying St Barbe. A quick search on my phone reveals there’s a ferry from here, across to Labrador. And what’s more – it leaves in an hour. Hm, Labrador! That does sound exciting. What’s nearby, over there in Labrador, I wonder…
An old Basque whaling station, that’s what. It’s only 1 hour or so from the ferry stop – and it is a World Heritage site. That does it! After a 1.5-hour crossing, I drive ashore in Blanc-Sablon, in… Quebec! That’s right. Blanc-Sablon is a small town – or village, really – in the easternmost part of Quebec. And so I drive in Quebec, for all of oh, 5 minutes, before arriving in Labrador.
Red Bay Basque Whaling Station
By the time I arrive at the whaling station, the visitor centre is closed, but it’s possible to wander around. It’s early evening, and the wind is whipping my hair around. I suppose it will have been frequently windy in the late 1500s, too, when 2,000 men and boys left Basque Country in France and Spain and travelled 4,000 km to hunt for whales. Back then, whale oil was sold for a good price in Europe – think lamp oil, soap, lubricant for leather and in machinery… in short, a very useful product.
The sun is about to set. Time to find somewhere to sleep for the night, so I head back towards Blanc-Sablon.
Driving through L’Anse au Clair, a little fishing village on the Labrador side, I see a sign for the Northern Light Inn. They have a room available. And a pub with an attitude.
Newfoundland road trip day 3: L’Anse au Claire – L’Anse aux Meadows – Cow Head
Canadian time zones put Newfoundland and Labrador 1.5 hours ahead of Quebec. Fortunately, the hotel receptionist tells me the ferry operates according to Newfoundland time, even though it leaves from Quebec. Good to know!
Jet lag is hanging on, so I’m up early and have time to poke round Quebec for a bit before the ferry leaves.
Crossing the Strait of Belle Isle once again, I kill time wandering around the Qajaq W – and discover a large photo of Ålesund Harbour in the lounge. Turns out that is where this boat began its life.
For the second time this year, I’m on a Norwegian-built vessel at the other end of the world (the first was the ferry between Buenos Aires and Colonia). One of life’s amusing little quirks.
OK, on to the goal of this road trip.
L’Anse aux Meadows
Back in Newfoundland, L’Anse aux Meadows is 1.5 hours from St Barbe.
And there it is!
L’Anse is a name I encounter frequently here in Canada. It means cove. So this is Meadows Cove, excavated by Anne Stine and Helge Ingstad, the Indiana Joneses of the 60s. I remember learning about this in primary school, so this is exciting stuff to me.
Glad to see Anne Stine and Helge getting the credit they deserve. Canadians are fair like that.
Vinland – and Helluland and Markland
According to the sagas, the Norse discovered three sites in America: Helluland, Markland, and Vinland. Hellu refers to stone (I have heller – stone slabs – in my driveway), mark means fields and forest (the forest surrounding Oslo is Oslomarka), and vin means wine.
Helluland is possibly Baffin Island up in Nunavut; there is evidence the Norse were there.
…they sailed away from Bjarneyjar with northerly winds. They were out at sea two half-days. Then they came to land, and rowed along it in boats, and explored it, and found there flat stones, many and so great that two men might well lie on them stretched on their backs with heel to heel. Polar-foxes were there in abundance. This land they gave name to, and called it Helluland.
The Saga of Erik the Red
Markland is a bit more elusive; some scientists suggest it is in the northern parts of Labrador. And Vinland, the most famous – and where they stayed the longest – is most likely Newfoundland. Where I am now standing.
Archaeological research indicates this was their base for explorations further south. You can see the remains of a complete Norse settlement from ca. 1,000BCE, the lower walls of 8 buildings, built with sod on wooden frames, just like the ones they built in Iceland and Greenland back then.
Lots of iron boat nails have been found, and there is evidence of iron and wood being worked, both necessary to repair boats. Spindles have been found, too, and knitting needles made of bone. These were tools used by women in the Norse world – showing it is very likely both women and men stayed here in Vinland.
What were they doing here? How long were they here? How many were they? Why did they call it Vinland? How did they get along with the locals?
Well, no one is around who remembers, and stories have been told by word of mouth, and we all know how a story changes with each telling. That said, the discoveries here at L’Anse aux Meadows are in line with the Vinland Sagas, written ca. 200 years later, about the westward voyages of the Norse explorers.
We do know they didn’t stay on here in America. Why? Climate has been suggested. And it is rough up here. Although Iceland and especially Norway are much further north in the world than Newfoundland, the Gulf Stream causes the north-western part of Europe to be warmer than other areas of similar latitude. Did it simply get too cold for them in America?
In 1978, UNESCO designated L’Anse aux Meadows as worthy of special protection for the future, one of the 12 original World Heritage sites.
A few kilometres from the historical site, is Norstead village, with a 3-metre-tall bronze Leif Erikson at the wharf.
I want to drive as far as I can before dark, to give myself an easy day tomorrow, and so I end up in Cow Head for the night, a somewhat unassuming village in Shallow Bay, population ca 400.
Newfoundland road trip day 4: Cow Head – Gander
The next morning I leave early, eager to move on, so I miss seeing one of Newfoundland’s longest sandy beaches, sand dunes, a rusty light house, and fab views of the mountains of Gros Morne. Sorry about that, Cow Head.
Short(ish) distance today, most of it along Trans-Canada Highway 1. A rather uneventful day, or maybe I just wasn’t paying attention. Deer Lake turned out to not be especially exciting. Night in Gander.
Newfoundland road trip day 5: Gander – Terra Nova National Park – Heart’s Content – St John’s
Today, I’m heading back to St John’s. I had better, as I have a flight out tomorrow. I plan to arrive fairly early, and maybe sit down at the Jumping Bean and write up my scribbles in a more legible format. But I don’t.
On an impulse, I make a detour to Terra Nova National Park, for a short hike and fresh air.
Bear proof – and sometimes human proof – rubbish bins
Heart’s Content: the history of telegraphy
Final stop before St John’s, is the cable station at Heart’s Content. Interesting name, isn’t it? Lots of those around here.
Heart’s Content cable station tells the story of the first successful attempt to link Europe and America by cable, from Valentia in Ireland to Newfoundland, in 1866. In fact, this little town in Newfoundland was a hub for global communication for more than 100 years.
The little museum is a complete set of the station as it was, with original equipment, and tells the story of the workers.
I really enjoy industrial sites like this, about human ingenuity and what brings the world forward. Not surprisingly, Heart’s Content Cable Station is a contender for the world heritage list (on the tentative list, for now). It’s an interesting stop if you’re in Newfoundland, about a 1.5-hr-drive away from St John’s.
Back in St John’s…
… I have one final little hike, up to Cabot Tower on Signal Hill, all about defence and communications through history.
– and a final wander through the streets of St John’s.
Monument to Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who have sacrificed in service to their country.
Newfoundland sleeps and eats
Along the road, I mostly find accommodations as I go, since I never know beforehand where I might stop for the night. None were bad, most were OK (but nothing special), and a few were unusual in a cool way. My favourites are in St John’s. This B&B with 4 rooms, all decorated differently – and beautifully, with great attention to detail, gets a mention. So much to look at and discover, you could almost forget to sleep: books, music, vintage memorabilia… Bill, the owner, restores historic homes and antiques, and the B&B showcases his work.
Gower Manor Historic Bed&Breakfast on Gower Street in St John’s
My favourite eats on this trip is also in St John’s: Bagel Cafe, the only place I go twice: great food, and very cool decor. Only thing wrong with it is the misleadingly modest name.
In conclusion: Newfoundland is an amazing place for a road trip, even for a slightly jaded Norwegian used to stunning nature. And St John’s is an easy place to feel at home.
2895 km – the same as the number of words in this post. One word for each km. How’s that for geekdom!
Goodbye, Newfoundland
Disclosure? Nope, nothing sponsored here. Nothing at all.
L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, Gros Morne National Park and Red Bay Basque Whaling Station are all UNESCO World Heritage sites in Canada.
Here are more UNESCO World Heritage sites around the world.
Newfoundland road trip is a post from Sophie’s World