Newfoundland

We left our nest in Rocky Harbour and drove north along the west coast of Newfoundland to St. Anthony. For most of the drive the road was fringed by a narrow tangle of stunted, wind-swept spruce,alder, juniper and tamarack. The locals calls it Tuckmore. Beyond this on the left, the waters of the gulf stretched endlessly grey and on the right almost equally flat was a boggy land, some streams and ponds. The settlements were small and few, the houses also and mostly close to the shore, as were the cemeteries. Our main destination was L'anse aux Meadows. We also wanted to take a boat from St Anthony to see whales. The former was a complete success, the latter not.
Our guide at L'anse aux Meadows was an entertaining local who played on the mounds before they were first looked into by archeologists in the late 1960s, worked on the site after graduating from university in the 70s, was part of the crew that recovered the area in peat to preserve it, lives and builds boats within view of the site and works as a guide. Before and after the tour we wandered around in the wind. It was great.
The whale boat ride the next day started well too, wind and big swells. I was excited. We spotted a few blows and a large fin early, then the captain swung the boat around, a wave hit us broadside, some water poured in over the deck and I started to feel queasy. I made my way to the bow and stood gripping the rail until I knew I was going to hurl. I made it back to the head just in time and then returned to spend the rest of the two hour trip back on the bow wishing it were over. I slept for most of our drive back to Deer Lake before I felt stable again.
We had a good sleep in the Deer Lake Motel, returned the rented car to the airport, lugged our gear across the four lane highway to the big Irving's gas/transport truck/bus stop and are now heading to St. John's in a bus that even the woman who collects the money admits reeks of the room that is at the back for our convenience.


The flags flapping in the wind at the lighthouse where we watched the memorial show.




A reproduction of a house at L'anse aux Meadows that reminded me of the places described by Hannah Kent in "Burial Rites".




One of the memorial markers that are placed over each spot where indigenous peoples remains have been left.




The only picture I took on the ill fated whale watching trip.




My travelling companions waiting for the bus in Deer Lake, or is it Seoul?