Man From La Manche Goes To Ferryland

So here we are, another week in St. John's and getting more settled.  We have been working a lot in the office and that takes up time but is pretty pleasant.  There are four of us here at the hostel - me, Krissy, Felix, and Martin, and we work on a rotating schedule.  One works in the office from 9-3, one works in the office from 3-9, one does all the cleaning (usually between 10-1 or so), and one is off.  The office in the morning can sometimes be busy, processing check-outs, check-ins, phone bookings, and walk-in guests.  And there is a bit of laundry too which has been tough because both the washer and dryer have been on the fritz, but we should have new ones installed tomorrow so that is all good.  Even with it being busy there is plenty of time to sit at a computer and muck about.  The evening shifts are more relaxed.  A few late check-ins and maybe the phone will ring a couple of times but that's about it.  Cleaning all depends on how much turnover there is.  You gotta change bedding, sweep and mop and all that business.  Deal with laundry and clean the kitchen and bathrooms and take out trash.  The sweet life.  Fortunately it doesn't take too long but it is hot in this place, especially on the top floors.  That's about it.  The rest of the time we either kick around the city, go on day trips, or laze around in our room.  There is currently no common room here, because they have been renovating, but there will be one tomorrow.  Unfortunately it is going to be where the office is now and we don't really know where the office is going to wind up being so it's...ahh, whatever.  

I must also comment on the weather here.  Pretty much every day we've been in St. John's it's been in the mid-upper 70's, usually sunny, but humid as all get out.  It is often quite windy here but that cools you off so it's usually okay.  The funny thing is, because we left home when it was still kinda cold, and dealt with the cold for so long after that....this feels hot to us.  I mean, it is the perfect temperature but it almost feels like I start to reach my limit sometimes.  And to think of what it is like at home this time of year.  Temps in the 90s with terrible haze and humidity and thunderstorms all the time.  I feel like I have gladly forgotten about that. Sorry, y'all!

So the last time we were here was a week ago.  I suppose much has happened.  Thursday morning I worked in the office and Krissy did the cleaning, then I took a nap and Krissy took her hammock to the park and read for a while.  We were feeling a bit stir crazy so we drove out to the sprawl.  We tried (canadian icon) Pizza Delight for the first time (i mean, it's no munch, but it was tasty enough) and saw Grand Seduction for a second time.  Seeing it now, after spending so much time in the Trinity area and having been to all the places where it was filmed (as well as being in st. john's and recognizing the setting for a couple of scenes in the film)....oh it makes us miss that place.  We spotted Michael Jordan (who was an extra, along with many other locals) several times as well.  We very much enjoyed that.  If you lot haven't gone to see this wonderful film, do it.  It is playing in many theaters in the States...check your local listings and thank me later.

We were both off on Friday so we took advantage of it and a) slept in, and b) headed out of town.  We visited La Manche provincial park, which is about 45min south of St. John's.  The park itself turned out to be nothing more than a big campground but just down the road (and then way down a long bumpy road) there is a really awesome trail.  So we packed a nice picnic lunch and hiked the trail, which winds through dense forest as well as rocky areas, along the coast, and leads to the ruins of the abandoned village of La Manche.  Situated with a narrow cove, I am sure it was a really cool spot, long ago.  But, like so many other outport communities in Newfoundland, this place was resettled in 1961.  Fortunately, however, because just a few years later there was a minor tsunami that hit that cove and wiped out most of the remains, including a suspension bridge that spanned the cove.  Except for a bit of one collapsed wooden structure, all that was left were foundations.  It was a bit sad to see but also nice to have the chance to see it. 

The bridge has since been rebuilt and connects to a section of the East Coast Trail, so we hiked that down to a point called Doctor's Cove that was a nice spot. 

Triumphant Krissy, Conqueress of The Rock.

This girl's aura is green. 

The cove at La Manche

The bridge.  It swayed, it wobbled, it was a good time.

Andersons like being on the other side of the bridge.

This park features some of the only swamp land in all of Newfoundland.

And that swamp comes complete with bullfrogs.  Just like home.

Soon the swamp gave way to some more familiar scenery.  This is doctor's cove.  Good spot for rock scrambling and there is a small black-sand beach there (though i would probably not recommend swimming in there).

Another view of Doctor's Cove, before Krissy climbed up on the rock.

From there we came back to the hostel and made dinner and hung out on the stoop with about ten other guests.  It was one of the only times we've hung out with a group of guests at this hostel and it was fun but not something we're up for every day, like we were at Skerwink (it makes it easier since we have our own room and can hang out there if we want to).  Anyway, we were up later than we should have been, since we both had to work on Saturday.

Krissy was in the office in the morning and I spent my time walking around the city.  Stopped at Fred's Records and resisted the urge to spend all my money in there.  Got out of there with a sale copy of the "Flunky Minnows" vinyl single by Guided by Voices which was a nice score.  I do intend on visiting that place many more times before I leave.  The vinyl they carry is not wall-to-wall but is a very impressive collection, more than many of my usual haunts.  Local music is emphasized there on a level seen by probably no other record store on the planet.  Basically, sorry Gerosa...I have a new favorite record store.

To all my music-nerd friends - Click HERE For Fred's Records

I worked the afternoon/evening in the office while Krissy went to the Duke Of Duckworth with Gini (maybe this is how it's spelled, she tried to correct me but she wasn't clear on the correct spelling....this is the guest that we hung out with towards the end of our time at the Skerwink, about four blog posts ago...she's here now) to watch Brazil lose yet again in the 3rd place World Cup final.  She had a good time and the office was totally dead.  I barely did more than listen to music.  Came across a listing for a show that night and listened to the bands' various Bandcamp pages and decided that I had to go.  The venue is the Rose & Thistle, this little dive down on Water Street, three bands for ten bucks.  I got there early and was the only one in there, while the bands were soundchecking, so I was just this weird dude in the bar until more people showed up.  There weren't more than about thirty people there for the show and it seemed like everyone knew each other.  It was cool to be a fly on the wall in a new scene.  I talked to some of the folks between sets and after the show and everyone was cool.  There were three bands playing - Tom and the Tomcats, who reminded me a lot of Crooked Rain-era Pavement (which is a good thing); The Connexions, who play really solid garage rock; and Matthew J Thomson, who kinda sounded like what you'd get if Neil Young sang with My Bloody Valentine.  It was a most excellent evening of music and it was so awesome to get a glimpse of a different sort of St. John's music scene aside from traditional music.  I spent a lot of time talking with Steve, who plays drums for the first two bands.  He is a cool dude and a great drummer as well.  I would totally try and jam with him but he plays in like four different bands.  One of his other bands is called Green & Gold and they have made some waves here, toured some, and recently filmed a segment for CBC.  They are playing at the Ship Pub on Friday night, which is just down on Duckworth, a few blocks from here.  I will most definitely be at that show.  The main guy in that band, Len, also played guitar in the Tomcats and bass in the Connexion.  It is a very integrated scene, a busy place to be a musician.  Anyway, that was a fantastic evening and it was nice to be able to do that within walking distance (and a sobering one at that, as much of it is uphill). 

Krissy was off on Sunday and I was on the cleaning shift which was tough since I didn't get to bed til well after 3am.  There was a lot of turnover and I was moving pretty slow.  Eventually got it all out of the way and pretty much slept the rest of the day.  Krissy went back to the Duke with Gini and watched Germany win the cup final (congrats!) but I was pretty well zonked out so I got nothing else to report.  Moving...ON!

On Monday, Krissy worked the morning shift in the office and I went on a big walkabout, from one end of the downtown to the other, twice, and then trekked up the hill to the neighborhoods near the Rooms, and that area.  Probably walked six miles total, at least.  The weather was a little cooler and the sun was behind the clouds so it was good walking weather.  Stopped at some place called Stoggards and got a slice of decent pizza.  I am craving awesome pizza and I have yet to find it in St. John's.  There is a place around the corner from here called Venice Pizza and I've been there a couple of times but it's pretty low on the scale.  One thing I do miss about home is the awesome pizza.  And I don't even live in a place that has awesome pizza.  But compared to here, it pretty much rules. 

There is another place around the corner from here, on Wood St, called Pi that actually is amazing.  They do crafty, weird pizzas (so it doesn't satisfy my craving for awesome regular pizza) and are very expensive (a large pie is well over $30).  One of our guests, this sweet old lady whose name escapes me, brought us a few slices from her dinner last night.  It had a habanero-orange base and had lamb chunks, water chestnuts, roasted grape tomatoes, and some kind of chutney and it was one of the greatest things I've ever eaten.  We will soon splash out for that place.  Apparently they recently won some sort of "best pizza in the known universe" contest.  Deservedly.

Enough about pizza.  I'm getting hungry.  That evening was pretty quiet.  We had a picnic in the park and spent the evening walking around the neighborhood, taking pics of some of the houses.

Big Bird lives in the house on the right.

Tuesday morning I worked in the office and dealt with some of the cleaning and Krissy went on her own walkabout, stopping at the Anglican Cathedral and the Basilica along the way.

The Basilica Cathedral of St. John The Baptist

Inside the Basilica.

Mary, in the Basilica

Inside the Anglican Cathedral of St. John the Baptist

Inside the Anglican Cathedral.  This place does high tea in the crypt during the afternoons.  We intend on going there soon.

Krissy worked the office in the afternoon and I just kinda hung around.  Walked around for a bit and then helped clean out the office for this supposed move that is taking place.  Went in search of food after Krissy finished up but places tend to close early in the first part of the week.  Wound up on George Street, grabbing a slice of pizza from this shack called Sal's Pizza that was highly underwhelming.  Listened to a crappy cover band for a little bit and then kept on walking.  It was a perfect evening for a walk, as they often are here.  One of the many things I love about this place is the walking.  Sure, much of it is uphill and a total pain in the ass sometimes but it is also very pleasant on the eyes and it's a nice challenge. 

We were both off today so we slept in late and hit the road, heading south.  We drove around most of the day, ending up all the way down in Trepassey, which is on the southern coast of the Avalon Peninsula.  There is an ecological reserve down there called Mistaken Point and it is supposedly full of fossils and such but the fog down that way was so thick that it was not worth stopping.  On our way down we stopped in Ferryland. Ferryland is notable as it contains the Colony Of Avalon, which was founded in 1621 by George Calvert, better known as Lord Baltimore.  He only focused on this colony for a few years, before he got run off by the French, and then set his sights on what is now Maryland.  There is a strong connection to MD in Ferryland and they even fly the Maryland flag (which is based on Calvert's family crest) along with the other usual flags.  There is also a very strong Irish presence here.  I mean, much of the province is Irish, and most of the folks in Newfoundland speak with a Irish-influenced accent, but this area is particularly thick.  Which is why the drive is called the Irish Loop.  And, man, it even looks like Ireland.  Green fields as far as the eye can see, drenched in mist and fog.  Irish flags fly proudly here as well.

The Holy Trinity Church, in Ferryland.

In the harbor at Ferryland.

The view from Ferryland is pretty impressive.

The Ferryland Lighthouse.  The lighthouse is now a pretty cool restaurant.  They give you a flag to plant, anywhere on the grounds of the lighthouse, and they bring you a nice gourmet picnic.  We hiked to the lighthouse and tried to get in but it turns out you need a reservation and they are all full up til August so no picnic for us.  It was a nice hike though.

I can totally picture this as the cover of next year's Newfoundland and Labrador tourist guide.

The Ferryland Lighthouse.

We saw a bunch of orca whales off the coast.  Our first orcas of the trip.

And there were a couple of humpbacks closer in to shore.

All this green you see in these photos is not regular grass but is this soft evergreen shrub, with occasional weeds poking out.  This is fun for traipsing around on, at least until it grows high enough to get scratchy.  And even then it's okay.

Krissy at Ferryland.

Hans at Ferryland, with the lighthouse.

The coast at Ferryland.

More beautiful scenery at Ferryland.

One of many islands off the coast of Ferryland.

And then, in true Newfoundland style, we head a little further down the road and this is what we see.

Which is why we chose not to stop at Mistaken Point.  Hopefully it will clear up down there some time before we leave this part of the island.  We did stop at a nice little spot in Trepassey for lunch where I got some tasty fish & chips and had the chips "Newfoundland style", which is with gravy and bread stuffing.  It was fantastic but a bit more filling than I really needed.  We then started making our way north, stopping every now and then in some picturesque spot or another.

We came across this bridge somewhere on the way back.  It was set back from the road quite a ways.  Not quite sure where this bridge leads but it looks to be quite old, and kinda spooky.  I was all set to skip across the shrubby field to the fence, in true frolic style, but then some RV with a family stopped and they all got out to take photos too and that totally killed my groove. 

Beyond this old fence you will see a typical Newfoundland village and the main road which winds through it.  Can't remember the name of this place but it is very typical of what we see all over the island.

The Road To What

We came across this moose on the way back tonight.  This is actually the first moose we've seen on the Avalon and the first one we've seen in weeks.  There are plenty of moose here but sightings are rare enough to be a treat.

That is about that.  We headed back to the city and to the hostel and to our room and to this.  Tomorrow Felix and Martin are taking off to the Skerwink Hostel, to chill out for a couple of days.  Which means that Krissy and I will be the only ones running this show while they are gone.  Not entirely sure what I think of that but they do deserve a break because they have been working very hard here.  I'm sure it will go okay, so long as the office move thing doesn't wind up driving us mad. 

Oh, before I go I want to talk about the wild flowers here in Newfoundland.  We are in the height of the season and these flowers are everywhere.  They grow in fields, on the side of the road, in gutters, in vacant lots, sometimes even through the cracks in the sidewalk.  It is pretty wild.  I don't know what any of these flowers are called so I am not even going to caption them.  They speak for themselves. 

Even more reasons why, at least in the Summertime, this is the best place ever. 

That is about it for this go-round.  I will try and get the next blog done sooner, so the entry won't have to be so long.  Thanks for sticking around.  You shall be rewarded with photos of Jarjar, the cat who hangs around the hostel and sleeps in our room, in the window well.  She is the most affectionate cat in the world (or, at least, a close second to Frankie) and she's made our stay here all the more enjoyable.

That is her spot.  I wrote much of this blog in this very spot and she kept coming in the window and then leaving and getting antsy to get her spot back.  As soon as I got up for a bit she popped in and reclaimed it.  I can't fault her.

Go ahead and try to swipe my spot again.