23: Toodles, St. John's (10/8-10/9)

Who knew?  Lord Baltimore, founder of Maryland, tried to set up something beforehand in Newfoundland.  I learn something new every day.

So it’s our last day in St. John’s, a beautiful autumn day. Allen and I went our separate ways, he to a bookstore he discovered the night before and to watch harbor goings-on, and me to walk neighborhoods I hadn’t been in before and to hit downtown just once more.  Allen’s been having quite a bit of knee trouble on our trip, and spending a good part of the day walking isn’t his game just now. Doctor’s app’t. when we get home fer shure.

Allen came home with four books and satisfaction. I walked myself silly, touring Government House, the Lt. Governor’s home and manicured grounds....

...where many, many trees have plaques under them indicating which premier or member of the British royal family helped plant them.  This one was Queen Elizabeth's, for instance.

Glorious begonias, that's all.

Also got to the Victorian-era Bannerman Park, one of St. John’s first public parks, which is undergoing a renovation. The first fundraising paving stone was placed by John Cougar Mellencamp and Meg Ryan. I keep forgetting who's Canadian!

Some of the others I admired....

Then to Commissariat House, the 1820s late-Georgian mansion used by the supplies officer of the British military. The house has been restored to 1830s style and contains many period pieces. They were having some sort of “upstairs/downstairs” fundraising dinner that evening, so it was fun to imagine how the two rooms would later be set.

The evening meal was at a neighborhood Korean restaurant. Holm reviewed the menu on the web and made recommendations, all of which were spot-on. We really enjoyed the food we know he’s eating on a regular basis these days. Thanks, Buddy!!

Up and out Wednesday morning, destination unknown except we knew we had to be back in Port-aux-Basques Thursday night in order to catch the Friday morning ferry back to Nova Scotia. It was a looong day, a lot of road construction, but incredible scenery along most of the road.  Just one damned beautiful brook/cove/lake/whatever after another.

I just liked this white lichen.

I really wanted to stop in Gander to see what sort of commemorative things might be there from September 11th.

 From Wikipedia: Gander International Airport played an integral role in world aviation in the hours immediately following the September 11 attacks when all of North America's airspace was closed by Transport Canada and the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As part of Operation Yellow Ribbon, 38 civilian and 4 military flights bound for the United States were ordered to land at the airport—more flights than any Canadian airport other than Halifax International. More than 6,600 passengers and airline crew members, equivalent to 66 percent of the local population—third highest number of passengers, behind Vancouver International, which received 8,500, and Halifax—found themselves forced to stay in the Gander area for up to three days until airspace was reopened and flights resumed. Residents of Gander and surrounding communities volunteered to house, feed, and entertain the travelers in what became known as Operation Yellow Ribbon.

We were looking at tourist info in the totally deserted terminal when Jerry, a security guard, asked if we’d like the backstage tour. Of course I said yes. He took me into the international terminal, told stories of 9/11, and pointed out various retro fixtures still very much in use (ladies’ room vanity, the first escalator in all Newfoundland, for instance). He said school bus drivers on strike broke their strike on 9/11 in order to take stranded passengers into town to stay, and that schools closed so facilities could be used to house people. Anyway, it was a fun tour for me.

My tour guide/bored security guard, Jerry.

Because it was such a beautiful day, we decided we would camp for the night on the western side of Newfoundland, but couldn’t find any open campgrounds. Yup, all closed for the season. 

We ended up staying in a Corner Brook “housekeeping efficiency” we read about in the Newfoundland visitors’ guide (because the usuals, Priceline and Booking.com showed zero rooms), actually a converted garage in someone’s home, lovely spot, totally private, everything we could need, and cheap! We’ll look for those places again. A new lesson learned.

We looked out our cheap window to see this in the morning. Not bad.

And more dumb luck...we stumbled into the best restaurant in Corner Brook, NewFoundSushi, owned by these two Canadians.  First time I've ever had sushi not made by an Asian, a bit weird, somehow.  Good food!!