Day 9 - Part 3 - Bonavista

And we're off to spend the afternoon in Bonavista, Newfoundland, landfall of John Cabot in 1497 (Giovanni Caboto was his real name).  You have probably heard of it through a song "This land is your land, this land is my land..."  In fact, our tour director Linda managed to print off the lyrics for us.  Everyone on the bus sang this (with gusto and tons of heart) on our way to Bonavista. So without further ado, here are the words for you to sing along:

This land is your land, This land is my land,
From Bonavista, to Vancouver Island
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
This land was made for you and me.

As I went walking that ribbon of highway,
I saw above me that endless skyway;
I saw below me that golden valley
This land was made for you and me.

I roamed and I rambled and I followed my footsteps,
To the sparking sands of her diamond deserts;
While all around me a voice was sounding,
Saying this land was made for you and me.

The sun came shining, and I was strolling,
And the wheat fields waving and the dust clouds rolling;
As the fog was lifting, a voice was chanting,
This land was made for you and me.

This land is your land, this land is my land
From Bonavista to Vancouver Island
From the Arctic Circle to the Great Lakes waters,
This land was made for you and me.

Today was a scorcher and I think it was close to 30 Celsius.

Another lighthouse...we didn't go inside this one, although some in the tour did.  They had to pay extra for this as it was not part of the package.  There were so many other things to look at here.

The red building just stands out on the landscape.  My photo friend Ron zoomed in on this house with his 300 mm lens and got a great photo of the door knob.

Those little black specs are puffins!!!  Wishing I had a zoom lens here.

More warnings about the cliffs.  People seem to ignore them and to out beyond the gates anyway.

On top of this cliff is an isukshuk (about 1/3 over from the left).  The only way I could see how this was done was that the rocks and person who built it had to dropped down from a helicopter. I wish I knew for sure!

Someone's home in town.  The fence was really beautiful with the stone underneath.

Part of our tour included a visit to the Ryan Premises where we could learn about inshore fishing techniques that have allowed Bonavista to thrive for hundreds of years.  These three fellows were performing in one of the buildings of the premises.  They had passed out song sheets and people were asking for songs by number.  It was very entertaining and they put on a great show.

This is a rack for drying cod.

Here are a few boats in dry dock.  We went over and took a closer look.

Some fishing boats in the harbour.

You can really appreciate how big these fishing boats are when you get up close and personal.

One of my new friends, Katherine, from Waterloo, Ontario.

This boat has been painted a few times!

And you can't have a visit to the dock without seeing some fishing nets!

A neat looking door with some great rust!

Our lunch spot today was Skipper's Restaurant.  The theme of the place was very sea-worthy.  Tables and lampshades were made from these barrels.  I did not buy the rhubarb pickles (mainly because I am not a fan of rhubarb).

We were just sweltering after walking around for a couple of hours so we came back to the restaurant to have a drink and cool off.  The air conditioning never felt so good!  We headed back to the golf club resort for our second night.

Tomorrow's adventure will find us whale watching.  Stay tuned!

Day 9 - Part 2 - Cape Bonavista aka The Dungeons

We left Trinity feeling really good.  The fog off in the distance was lifting and the day was becoming bright and sunny.  Next stop "The Dungeons".  If you have seen the Newfoundland commercial on TV, where the Grandma is hanging quilts on a line with her two grandchildren, with the cliffs as a backdrop, then you may recognize the site.  Linda, our tour director, told us a story about one of her friends...when they were 5 years old or so, they used to come over to the cliffs and play.  I would just cringe at seeing a small child playing around here without supervision.  Hard to believe.

Anyway, a few more pics of this area:

They are not just kidding about the high cliffs!  Warning signs definitely needed.

Looking down...way down...started to get dizzy.  I didn't get too close!!

Just a spectacular view!

More amazing rock formations.

Some of the beautiful landscape around the Dungeons.

Here is our gang at a lookout post!  Hannes is right in the middle, wearing his Tilley hat!

Wow, is all I can say!

More wow, and I am glad to be standing way far away from the edge of the cliff.

My very brave friend Cindy who is getting ready to sit on the cliff and have Art take her photo.  I was very nervous watching Cindy!! (and very far away).

Next stop, Bonavista...that will be the next post.

Day 9 - Part 1 - Trinity

Trinity, Newfoundland - my favourite spot on the trip.  It is a gorgeous fishing village.  Many houses are nestled up in the hills.  They have awesome views. The colours on the houses are spectactular!  I only wish we could have spent more time here.  It's a place I definitely want to come back to!

Here are a just a few pics:

The local post office.

I posted this photo earlier in the blog.  About 30 seconds after I took this, the kayak instructor and students came in and started turning them over to go out for a paddle.

A sample of one of my many rust photos.  I am thinking I will post a separate posting with just rust.

Down by the waterfront, so pretty!  This is where Dennis met someone who was on a boat and when the fellow found out Dennis was from Vancouver, he invited him onboard for a coffee.  So Dennis and Naomi had coffee/tea with this person and they discovered they had a lot in common, with their love of wood boats.  It was a special moment.

I call this one "Little House on the Prairie", even though it's high up on a hill. Somehow it just reminded me of it.

The town has beautiful churches and the graveyards are pretty interesting as well.

Someone's cool storage shed/garage!

Fog rolling in, seemed to be a common occurrence throughout the trip.

Another view just walking down the road.

Came across this licence plate.  Obviously these people love Newfoundland!!

This house needed some work done around the property.  Still it was very interesting.  I loved the arched gate in front.

The colour of this house was spectacular.  Such a rich shade of blue.

Now for an orange house with red door, some green and cream trim.  Loved it too!!

A simple white house with beautiful blue, red and cream trim.  I seem to recall this place was a B & B,of which there were many in Trinity.  That would be a great way to spend part of a vacation too!!

An interesting window, love the colour combination here!

And here was my score at a local gift shop:

Ladies and Gentlemen, The Beatles!!

The lady at the shop was just unpacking these Beatles boxes when we were in the store.  I was looking at something else and I heard Hannes say "wait until my wife sees this!"  So of course I had to come over and see what he was talking about!  She had three different sizes, small, medium and large.  And you know I had to have one.  I chose the small size as I was starting to get concerned about how much stuff I would have in my suitcase on the way home.

Day 8 - part 2

Early afternoon photos in Twillingate and late afternoon photos in Gander:

On the grounds of the oldest wooden church in the province.  Amazing, the headstone is dated 1861 and still in pretty good condition.

I handheld this photo, no flash.  It's not 100% clear but you can see the beauty of the stained glass.

Just up the hill, we visited a house/museum.  I loved the red geraniums against the white windows and the gorgeous background.

One of my artsy shots, simple and kind of cool, I think!!!

I remember seeing photos of these bikes when I was a kid.

An outside view of the geraniums and the window.

Looking at the wooden church from the house/museum.

This is what the roads were like in Twillingate.

The sign says it all.  This sign has welcomed a lot of interesting people over the years.  Inside the airport is a wall showing many celebrities who have arrived here.  Number 1 in my books are and always will be The Beatles!!!

Here is the tarmac where 32 jets were kept during 9-11.  It was quite a site to see this!  Hard to imagine.  I did buy a postcard with a photo of all the jets.

Here is the old arrival/departure lounge.  It is now completely behind glass, just for display.  Our tour guide Linda said they used to play in  here as kids, climbing all over the sculptures.  Once again, I hand held this, no flash, shot through glass and again it's not 100% in focus; it's to give you an idea of the look, totally 50's or 60's, can't remember.