Once arriving, we went through the 3 floors of exhibits, art galleries and of course the observation deck. There was a lot to take in and read... and I am likely not the best person to blog, as I don't absorb a lot of the information and don't read all the information. But here it goes... Lola's highlights and interpretation.
The most interesting exhibit was the "Beaumont-Hamel and the Trail of the Caribou" which Lola originally thought would be about Caribou.... she was wrong. This was the history of the Newfoundlander and Labradorians at work from 1914-1949. Since they were not part of Canada yet, they had their own group that helped fight in the first world war. They had many stories and artifacts about this time.
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| Getting ready to go to war. |
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| Learning to calculate the trench maps! |
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| only Caribou we have seen on the trip. |
There were 2 art gallery exhibits, that showed off Newfoundland artists. Meryl McMaster had a collection of self portraits (photographs) that were very different. "Her work is predominantly photography based, incorporating the production of props, sculptural garments and performance forming a synergy that transports the viewer out of the ordinary and into a space of contemplation and introspection". My favourite section was portraits section including the one that completed with one stamp that said "sold out", the man with the glasses.
The last exhibit we went through was titled "From this place our lives on land and sea as well as Here, We made a home" It had artifacts from the 3 cultures that have all settled in Newfoundland. Lots of neat things in this exhibit including "the Boyle Trophy" which is the second oldest hockey prize in North America, the Stanley cup being the 1st.
2 funny things happened while in this exhibit. Lola thought there was a mirror, reflecting the exhibits behind her, didn't realize she couldn't see her reflection as walking by, but once going to the other side, realized it was just a hole to see through. Other funny moment was when B began talking to an elderly gentlemen thinking he was his son (AA). The man could have been his father, rather than his son.
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| Thought it was a mirror. |
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| oh I can see B through the hole... |
We also enjoyed a great lunch at The rooms, Lola having Smoked salmon and rice, while AA had Moose Chilli, and N having Screeched Pulled Pork. B didn't get a photo of his lunch, because it was a chicken sandwich...boring.
The Rooms architecture and observation deck were very impressive. The high ceilings and stair case in the middle made it very open and cool just to see all the different floors of the building. From the observation deck we watched as ships moved about the harbour, as well as tried to figure out what buildings were what.
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| Having fun with our reflections |
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| Kind of a selfie? |
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| St. John's Harbour |
After about 4 hours and a visit to the gift shop, we made our way back to the house to get ready for the whale/puffin watching tour we had signed up for with the Peddle/Teasdale Wedding group.
We drove about 25 minutes south of St.John's to Bay Bulls and the Gatherall's Puffin and Whale Watching site. Along the way we passed by some farms, where there were fields of crops just starting out, the season has a much later start than we are used to in Manitoba. The corn is likely only 1 foot tall.
We arrived with plenty of time to check out the gift shop, and board the boat. The tour was not disappointing. We saw so many whales, and millions of birds. Found out that the humpback whales will breach, but they don't sing until they are breading (so not until they go down south for the winter do they sing under the water). We all can't believe how many whales we saw, and the birds. There were mainly 3 types of birds, Kittiwakes (small seagulls), Murres, and of course Puffin's. AA can check that off his bucket list. They were smaller and so fast at flying and swimming. The photos show you how great the tour was! It was only 1.5 hours, but it was sure worth the money!
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| Lola got pooped on. |
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| Puffins through the binoculars |
After the tour we said goodbye to all the Manitoba people on the boat and headed for supper at The Captain's Table. Where we all had cod, and it was prepared in 3 different ways. Grilled for Lola, Pan fried for B and battered and deep-fried for AA and N. We all enjoyed it! Just as we left the small village there were tiny boats in a little body of water, and Lola ran across the highway to get a closer look. They had all the miniature ships that we have been looking at in the water, including the fishing village with traps, and lighthouse!
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| AA also had seafood chowder |
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| Cod done 3 ways. (and a cool Gluten Free Flag for Lola's) |
Back at the house, we are checking out the great photos that were taken, watching some tv, and trying to drink up the last of the beer. Tomorrow is home day, sad to leave this great piece of Canada, but ready to sleep in our own beds. The weather has been wonderful, with a little rain today and yesterday, but hasn't dampened any of our plans.
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| It was a Puffin Good day! |
Lola.
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