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!