Travel Log - Day 13

St. John's, Newfoundland - Bonavista, Newfoundland - 300km

After we shook off some of the grumpy bugs, we picked up some Tims for breakfast (mmm how I love the tea here), cleaned out some of the garbage in the car, ate some food, drank some more tea, got some gas, put in oil and we're set.

We began on the east side of this province yesterday, today we're heading out to two different peninsulas, then over to the west side of the province. Once on the west side, we'll catch the ferry back to Nova Scotia, only this time it will take 6 hours instead of 14 hours. This is the first cloudy day since we started the trip. All along we've had beautiful sunny weather. It's actually supposed to rain during the night.

We stopped at many little villages along the two peninsulas. The villages have interesting names like: Heart's Content, Heart's Delight, Trinity Bay, Harbour Grace and there are many, little coves. There's even a place called Dildo.

Newfoundland has very interesting landscapes. It's very rocky throughout this drive up and down elevations, the vastness of land here is incredible. The small fishing villages are as I imagined them to be with cute colourful houses, old churches and quaint, but few, shops. We drove about 6 - 7 hours in total today. We're up at the top of the second penisula. Here we are staying at an Inn. First time I've stayed in one. There's a restaurant on the bottom of this heritage building and I think about 8 - 10 rooms, in all, on two floors above.

On this peninsula we thought we'd drive to Bonavista (which is the tip, where we're staying) as I was hoping to see the puffins. I would later discover that they're done with their nesting season and have gone to sea. There are icebergs that float by here and out to sea while melting during the summer; we missed that as well. That would have been amazing to watch and hear.

We stayed at this Inn which was most comfortable and relaxing. This place is exactly what I needed. The food at this restaurant was scrumptious. I had shrimp and scallop bubbly bake.....mmmm...it came with rice. It was ohhhh soooo good. For dessert partridgeberry and bake apple pie, which I ended up eating at another table when an older couple we had been chatting with a bit (during supper) suggested we join them and swap stories.

About the pie, I was thinking that the partridgeberries came in a baked apple pie. Wrong, bake apple is a berry too - cloudberry. Both are sour, but have an interesting aftertaste. Not my favourite kind of pie, but glad I tried it.

The folks we met tonight, Judy and Dennis say that the owner of the B&B where they're staying, knows of a 30 minute drive, that when driven at 5 in the morning, is a place to see moose. In fact, the last people he had sent out saw 22 of them! I so badly want to see one, but getting up at 5am would be hard to do after very little sleep the last couple of nights (according to the roadside sign....Fatigue Kills), I think I'll pass unless I spring up wide awake at 5am. Dennis and Judy also advised us on staying in B&B's(which is where they prefer to stay), all the places they have enjoyed while visiting Newfoundland and some places to see on Prince Edward Island where they live and where we're going in a day or two. Full of stories and information they were. An enjoyable day and evening.

I now know of a little place, a step back in time. A place with no metropolis as a main vein. No need, this place has a heartbeat all its own. It's peaceful, serene, full of nature, quaint yet rugged. It's a place that has touched my heart and overwhelms me with emotion. Had I been able to see the puffins and icebergs here, I think my heart would swell for sure and I just might call this my favourite place on earth.