I think, aside from coming home, we talked about being up in Twillingate. We took another boat tour as a last attempt to see an iceberg. We were kinda rolling the dice as it's a little early in the season for them.
We left from the wireless lodge, Bluewater Lodge and Retreat, a little earlier than suggested by the owners and were glad we did. We stopped in Lewisporte to fill up the car for the day and I took the opportunity to ask the gal working there for a good place to eat. The locals always know where the good restaurants are. We were directed to a hotel and were not disappointed. More good food, friendly service and wifi! What more could you ask for.
We touched base with the kids, checked the weather for the day and took off on the hunt for icebergs.
Twillingate is one of those picturesque fishing towns in a harbour with at least four coves. It all looked like one big U shape to us, but our tour guide explained all the nuances involved with fishermen naming the different coves even though they are pretty much side by side.
Nonetheless, we took off on a bright sunny day, breeze coming off the North Atlantic wasn't all that cold. We were treated to more rugged coastline and an explanation of some of the Newfoundland dialect.
Our guide was pretty lively and kept us entertained with details of the area and what life was/is like for fishermen in the area. She herself, worked with her family on a large fishing boat out in the Atlantic with swells as big as mountains for a number of years. They now do the boat tours, her telling the stories and her brother piloting the boat and spotting whales.
On the boat with us was a family from Sweden. It appeared to me the parents were much more excited to be there than the kids lol.
Finding things for tourists to see is a big deal to them. They feel just as bad if they take you out and no whales are found. We were just enjoying being out there in the sea air imagining the early explorers first thoughts at the sight of the rocky coastline and marvelling at the water thick with cod.
For such large animals, they certainly look graceful in the water. Gliding up and down without making much of a ripple when they dive for more food, capelin or krill.
After a few passes, we headed in for a lunch on the deck of our restaurant overlooking the harbour.
Unfortunately, no icebergs save for one way out on the horizon about 25-30 miles out. We weren't about to go chasing that one.
Next stop, Harbour Grace. We figured another 4-5 hrs of driving (some of the side roads are 60-80 km/h). We sent a message off to the place we were going to just to let them know we'd be late getting in, then hit the road.
Now 4-5 hrs of driving sound like a lot, and honestly it can be, but I love driving. And it's not like we don't stop from time to time to just take in something we've seen along the way. Combine that with the slower speed limits on anything that's not the T.C.H., what would normally take 3 hrs here is like time and a half. But you never know if you're coming back so we decided to take the opportunities as they came to stop and "smell the roses" as it were.
We reached Harbour Grace and our next B&B around 7-7:30 pm. The Rothesay House Inn is a certified heritage house run by native Newfoundlanders who quit their rat race jobs in Toronto, moved back to Nfld and have never looked back over the last 10 yrs they've welcomed guests into their home.
George and Lynn do an amazing job of making you feel like part of the B&B family for the time you are there. Lynn is a self taught chef who cooks up amazing dishes for breakfast and supper. George does the meet and greet and serving. Both are committed to accommodating their guests. Numerous times when requests were made, the first words from George were, "Of course." And if at all possible, he would deliver.
As mentioned, we showed up late. Meaning we missed the supper call, but then, we weren't expecting to have supper there. The way it works is you need to let them know if you're staying for supper as they prepare everything fresh and need to know how much food to get.
George looked flustered to us, in that he didn't have a supper for us. "No worries" we told him , we could easily find some place to catch a bite. I told him we'd seen a Chinese place on our way to their Inn. "You've come all the way to Newfoundland, you're not going to go eat at a Canadian Chinese restaurant for goodness sakes!" was his reply. We couldn't help but laugh. He then went about giving us directions to a nice restaurant about 15 minutes away.
What we didn't know at the time was that just before we got there, another couple that was supposed to stay the night had shown up, but George had forgotten to book them. He was beside himself feeling badly for the inconvenience. But, true to form, he found them a place to stay for the night, at a different B&B AND took full responsibility. Kind of refreshing in this day and age of blaming others.
To me, it's one of the things that impressed me the most. Down to earth professionalism, if that can be used as a term. No putting on airs, no shifting responsibility and committed to serve.
After returning from a very nice supper, we got settled in our room. Being a heritage home, it's not fancy shmancy like a 5 star hotel, but that's not our style anyway. It's quaint, cute and rustic. Clean as a whistle too.
Next morning we were introduced to the rest of the "family" for that day. At the table, it was pointed out to me that a member of the 1967 Stanley Cup Champion Toronto Maple Leafs was in our presence. I didn't believe it at first, but then I was shown the Stanley Cup ring of one Larry Jeffrey. A defensive forward who would in today's terms be called a grinder. The type of player that goes to the dirty places and sets up the goal scorers.
He was very funny and sharp as a tack. I couldn't believe it. Growing up a Leafs fan in an area with nothing but Habs fans wasn't easy as a kid. And '67 was kind of the last hurrah for the Leafs. So this was some kind of special for me.
Back in those days, they didn't have the training facilities or medical facilities we have today, so needless to say the NHL dream took it's toll. Larry has metal rods in his back and at least one replacement knee. It's hard for him to stand for any length of time so I was very grateful for our conversation about how things were back when he played and his take on things today. But that's a blog for another day...
We spent the day doing a loop of the area which took us along another coastline and many changes in topography. From forest to barren, hilly winding roads kept us busy for most of the day.
We had a quick lunch at a place called Bay De Verde. Beautiful spot overlooking a, well you know, a bay ;-). This picture in particular gave me the willies because it's a straight drop off that ledge. In Manitoba, there would be ropes, railings, warning signs and what not to protect you from dropping off the ledge. In Newfoundland, they expect you to use a little common sense and stay away from the edge. Novel idea to say the least. Not that many guard rails around the curves on the hilly highways either. I think the idea is to maintain a speed that won't send you hurdling into the rocks or sea below.
When we got back to the Rothesay House, we were treated to a fantastic seafood crepe prepared by Lynn. Shrimp, lobster and scallops for the filling. So tasty! Served with rice and turnip tops.
After supper, everyone just stayed at the table. Two Drs from Chicoutimi, a retired air force navigator and his wife, us and of course, Lynn and George. Fascinating time trading stories and listening to others life experiences.
I had mentioned to George that I still wanted to get a sunrise from the east side of the continent, thereby seeing it before anyone else in North America. So George volunteered to join me at 4:15 am, coffees in hand setting up on a look out just down the street facing the harbour which opened up to the North Atlantic. We didn't get an actual sunrise, but it didn't matter. The visit between the two of us was building a bond. We were becoming friends. That is really their motto. Come as guests, leave as friends. It's a formula that seems to be working for them. After getting a few shots of some interesting morning sky shots, we walked around the area and I received a history lesson in some of the characters that make Newfoundland so interesting.
I'm not quite finished the rest of the pics, and sadly we had to leave that day for our final night in St John's before flying home. I hope that someday we can return. Still so much to see and do.
I'll create a link to pictures once I've got them done. Hopefully this Canada Day weekend. Kind of appropriate eh?
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