We headed out this morning for a bus tour around not just the city center, but also surrounding areas. St. John’s is a huge city, by area, with some nearly unpopulated rural areas.
One area has two lighthouses, with the taller one being described by our step-on guide, Bernadette, as the pepper mill. They sit on the furthest east point of North America (if you don’t count Greenland). It was a major watch station during WWII as German u-boats lurked offshore, hoping to destroy the allied supply chain convoys on their way to Europe. On this August day, it was fiercely windy and felt very cold. Perhaps it was a better deployment for a soldier than being in a trench, but not very pleasant all the same, though vastly important.
We boarded the bus to travel to Signal Hill, the highest point in St. John’s. After a longish drive with road construction delays, the bus began to climb some switch backs to the top parking lot, amidst the crowds. On a curve, the transmission died. We were stuck.
The panic that ensued was, fortunately, not ours. We disembarked, the bus was able to limp off the bad curve and get towed, and the humans on foot got to choose how to get back to town. Taxi, sidewalk or hiking trail? We chose the trail, with another couple, our helpful Road Scholar guide pointing the way, and had a fantastic hour’s descent back into town.
The trail ended in a old fishing neighborhood part of town call Battery.
Once back downtown, we set off in search of fish & chips, the one dish neither of us had sampled on the whole trip. On the way, we stopped at a park to pay homage to two of the province’s greatest celebrities: the Newfoundland and the Labrador. From the interpretation signs I learned that Labs were bred from Newfies. Labs are the most popular breed for pets in Canada, and second in the States. (They’ve recently been eclipsed by the French Bulldog.)
Our pub choice was Duke of Duckworth. There were two cruise ships in port– one with thousands of passengers, and we had a short wait to be seated. It was worth it. In Newfoundland, fish & chips is served with a crumbly sage stuffing (dressing, like for poultry) and gravy. Mark ordered those on the side. The fish was excellent! I’ve had the best fish & chips of my life in New Zealand and now here, in St. John’s. I don’t know why, but I just haven’t been satisfied in the States. In NZ, I thought maybe it was better because the fish was not Atlantic cod? But here, of course, it is Atlantic cod. Somewhere in the Northeastern US, there has to be fish & chips as tasty as the ones at Duke of Duckworth? As for the gravy and dressing: A fry dipped in gravy is ok. I like a sprinkle of malt vinegar on fries, but if that’s not available, tend to eat them plain, when I eat them at all. The dressing, I definitely didn’t think was worth the calories, given the rest of the meal’s abundance.
We strolled around Water St. and Duckworth St., popping in and out of the shops. Shopkeepers were excited about the ships in port, but said that it had been quiet downtown, considering the passenger numbers. This is the trouble with cruise ships. They cause a big stir, but because the passengers don’t eat or sleep in town, and have excursions, the boon isn’t as great as it might seem. It does provide guides and drivers some income, of course.
One consequence of the hike and heavy lunch was that I was not full of “photo safari,” energy. St. John’s iconic image is of the Jelly Bean rowhouses.They are brightly painted and against the blue sky, they sparkle. Our step-on guide said that houses used to be painted with marine paint, which was not taxed like house paint. So your house was the same color as your boat. Once that changed, people felt free to go wild with paint colors. Another story is that sailors wanted to be able to spot their home after coming into the narrows of the harbor. Whatever the case, they are inspirational. If my photos are not enough, here is a link to some travel bloggers who did the houses better service.
We had our farewell dinner, and like everyone, reflected on a well run trip with quite a number of experiences over the weeks of travel.
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