Woke up to cloudy skies with a good chance of rain. It was our plan to check out St. John’s including the colorful ‘Jelly Bean Row’ houses and the harbour. Our motel is a little bit out of the city and we were delighted that the sun finally succeeded in its valiant struggle to break through the clouds. Sunshine just makes everything better!
We parked the car and walked to check out the town and the stores. We had paid for 3 hours of parking and spent the first hour in the most amazing quilt and fabric shop. We were drawn in by a window display featuring a fabric depicting the jelly bean houses. We thought to just buy a bit of that fabric and then move on. But first of all the fabric was out of stock expecting to be in stock in September. We thought about ordering some so Sue could bring some to me when she visits in October. As we deliberated we checked out the rest of the store. Wow!!!! I just loved being there. There was a time in my life when I did a lot of sewing and although it has been some years now I could feel my creatives juices begin to flow. I ended up buying a remnant which will likely become a table cloth as well as some precut small squares of various colors which I believe will nicely work with some other fabric I have saved. At least I hope I still have it.
I remarked to Sue the other day as we were driving and seeing the great beauty in the clouds that I was beginning to feel the tight box surrounding my creativity crack and dissolve. I am beginning to look forward to being back home and digging out some of my past unfinished projects. I hope I can keep my momentum when I do get back home.
Water Street was closed off to traffic as the local pubs and restaurant had built outdoor seating. It became a pedestrian walk which we enjoyed. There were some fun shops mixed among the pubs. We stopped at a cute shop for a yummy sandwich lunch. A few young men dressed in uniforms spoke to us and allowed us a photo op. They were walking around town since Signal Hill was not open for a tattoo which would have so much fun to see. I think actually attending a Tattoo has moved up on my bucket list.
Jelly Bean Row was kind of hard to find but we did and the colors are great. St. John’s and Newfoundland have done an amazing job of marketing the colors and houses. We have seen this iconic scene portrayed in so many different ways. I have enjoyed the mailboxes, bird houses, recycle containers, art work, etc
Next up was Cape Spear a short drive from the city. It is the Eastern most piece of land in North America. Since my heel was quite painful I sat on a bench enjoying the view while Sue explored and took some photos.
Sunday we found the chapel and I really enjoyed being in church meetings again. They had a 5th Sunday ‘Linger Longer’ potluck to which we were invited. What a nice alternative to Denny’s with good food and good company. The rest of the day we actually rested hoping my heel would be in better shape for our trip to Mistaken Point the next day.
The next day dawned cloudy and rainy but we drove the 2+ hours south hoping the hike would still be happening. It was the Irish Loop drive which should have been beautiful but there were too many clouds and too much fog to see anything.
The record for foggy rainy weather in the area was 160 days annually. Mistaken Point came in a close second so they were not daunted and told us “of course” when we asked if the hike was still on. The description had stated a 3 km walk each way plus a 30 minute drive to and from the parking area and it said we should bring extra socks and expect to “scrabble’ over rocks. So, it was with some trepidation that I began the hike.
However, my foot felt good when we began our hike and I was optimistic. Almost to the fossil area my foot became a problem so I did not feel able to join the group when they took off their shoes and walked onto the fossil beds. And walking the 3 km back in the rain, even with my trekking pole, became almost painfully impossible. But it was awesome to see the vegetation and the fossil area. And the best part was seeing the absolute joy on Sue’s face as she viewed the fossils. It was definitively on her bucket list.
It was strange to realize that our vacation was almost over. The next morning we woke to sunny skies on our drive to Argentia where we would catch the ferry back to North Sydney.
It was hard to say “goodbye” to Newfoundland. We had spent over 2 weeks in that province and had so many amazing experiences. It is a very beautiful place with such kind and interesting people,
We had been advised that the earlier we arrived at the ferry terminal the greater the chance to get a cabin with a window. Since it was a 16 hour ferry ride we decided to forgo any other activity and drive directly to the terminal where we were first in line and we did get a window cabin!
The ferry ride over was calm with no turbulence, the dining room was nice with good food. We had nice bunks in which to sleep and we both rested pretty well. Then we were off the ferry to drive 4+ Hours to Halifax where we turned in our car. We had driven 5250 kilometers [3262 miles] in this car. It was a good car with comfortable seats and I was so spoiled as Sue did all of the driving. We had such a good rate for renting our car because I had reserved it back in July of 2021 when we first decided to take this trip. It would have cost us 4 times as much at the current pricing.
A taxi ride to the hotel in Halifax and we were down to 4 nights left on our trip.
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