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Newfoundland
Newfoundland is a huge province so we only saw part of it. We were five and traveled from St. John’s airport by a rental van. In our 11 nights, we traveled from St. John's, to Twillingate, Woody Point near Gros Morne National Park, St. Anthony and L'Anse Au Meadows, Rocky Harbour (in Gros Morne), Tilting Harbour on Fogo Island, and then back to St. John's for two more nights.
Our St. John’s time was split in two since we flew in and out of St. John’s to accommodate the flights from the UK for our friends’ niece. It would be better to fly into and out of different airports - perhaps Gander International or Deer Lake Regional Airport - in order to cut down on driving. And it is useful to have two drivers if you are doing a driving holiday. (We had three.) Be sure to stop for gas when you still have plenty left. We used Gas Buddy to find them. We also used both paper and offline maps. There were areas in Gros Morne and further up the peninsula where there was no mobile phone signal. However all of our accommodation had free wifi.
There are lots of moose in the province and we saw many, but luckily, we didn’t run into any. There are lots of graphic warning signs in the National Park about the damage they can do to you and your car. We also saw caribou (fewer), many birds including eagles, and whales in the distance. Bring binoculars if you have them.
The weather was cool and fairly rainy, but we had brought sufficient layers. And there were no biting bugs since it was too cold! The higher peaks in Gros Morne still had snow on them and near L’Anse aux Meadows, there were some shaded snowbanks that haven’t melted yet.
Newfoundland and Labrador became part of Canada in 1949 and has an interesting time zone, an hour and a half earlier than Ontario. Many people have a distinctive accent and idioms, which we enjoyed. And they are famously gregarious and friendly.
We also enjoyed a lot of local delicacies and recipes. Fish and seafood is plentiful and we had lobster a few times since it is so reasonably priced. Our group also had cod tongues, whelks prepared like escargots, moose sausages and burger, rabbit, partridgeberry (lingonberry), cloudberry, cold water shrimp, snow crab, figgy duff, and toutons (fried dough served with molasses, maple syrup or partridgeberry jam).
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In St John’s, we did the usual tourist route - Signal Hill, a walk around the hilly downtown, a late afternoon meal at Yellow Belly brew pub, a drive out to Cape Spear via Petty Harbour where we saw an iceberg fairly close to shore, as well as another at Cape Spear.
Cape Spear national historic site is the easternmost point in North America. There is a lighthouse and remnants of a large WWII military installation. Evidently it was an important protection for the convoys of ships that carried supplies to the allies. But, boy was it cold and windy! Earlier, we had gone to Bay Bulls for a boat trip to see the birds in Witless Bay Ecological Reserve with puffins, kittiwakes, a few eagles and many other sea birds.
We enjoyed the provincial museum “The Rooms” which has a rich archive and is well laid out, and quaint Quidi Vidi (pronounced kiddie vidi) for a meal at Mallard Cottage. The area is just a few minutes drive from downtown St. John’s, just the other side of Signal Hill. The Rooms had interesting displays about pre-Confederation Newfoundland during the World Wars, about the indigenous populations especially the Beothuk, and Europeans who visited to fish, trap or trade, as well as “livyers” - the permanent European settlers of Newfoundland who lived there year round. We think the word comes from “I live here”. https://www.therooms.ca/
We also saw a modern opera about the last Beothuk, called “Shanawdithit” which was very contemporary in style and theme. It was fun that the queen’s provincial representative, the lieutenant governor of Newfoundland and Labrador was in attendance. Our UK travel companion was amused to hear God Save the Queen played.
Evidently overlooked by many tourists is the Johnson Geo Centre on Signal Hill ( https://www.geocentre.ca/ ). It is excellent and has great explanations of tectonic plates, geology of the province, and more. There was also an eye-opening small display on the wreck of the Titanic, focussing on the bad decisions behind the accident.
We went to Twillingate which says it is on iceberg alley, but alas, the bergs were early this year and we only saw one, but fairly far out. We did enjoy a delicious lobster dinner with a show afterwards. Some of the skits were hokey but good humoured and the traditional music was good. https://vacationintheisles.com/dinnertheatre/
We spent a few nights in Gros Morne National Park. Go there! It is amazingly beautiful and a UNESCO world heritage site. We took the free 2 hour tour with National Park staff to see the Tablelands which is an unusual geographic / geological feature. Essentially it is the earth’s mantle poking through due to action in the tectonic plates. There are no normal nutrients in the soil so there are several carnivorous plants that make their own nutrients by capturing insects and larvae. No reservation necessary, just turn up at the meeting point.
We also enjoyed a boat trip on a landlocked fjord, Western Brook Pond. Gorgeous scenery and a fun trip. We got to try playing the spoons to traditional tunes. There is a longish walk from the parking lot (3 kilometers) to the boat dock. Dress for the trip! https://www.bontours.ca/tour/western-brook-pond-boat-tour/
The driving time in Gros Morne is misleadingly long. In some places you need to drive around headlands or peninsulas since there are few bridges or ferries. Here’s a community to community driving time calculator: https://www.stats.gov.nl.ca/DataTools/RoadDB/Distance/
On our way to Gros Morne, we stopped in Grand Falls / Windsor to see a provincial museum and a salmon interpretation centre. The Mary March Provincial Museum has artifacts of ancient Maritime Archaic Indians, the Palaeoeskimo and Beothuk, and of the European and Mi’kmaq who came next.
https://www.therooms.ca/museums#Mary
We learned about the way that salmon are helped around dams and natural obstructions on the Exploits River at the Salmonid Interpretation Centre. The Exploits is now important for salmon fishing.
On our way from Gros Morne to St. Anthony’s and L’Anse aux Meadows, we stopped at Flower’s Cove on route 430 to see an archaeological wonder, huge thrombolites, the remains ancient primitive microbial creatures and left bun-shaped formations in the cove. They are about 650 million years old and highly unusual. They are just a short walk from the parking lot.
On our way to Twillingate, we visited Beothuk Interpretation Centre at Boyd’s Cove. Nicely done. This indigenous group was wiped out entirely and it was interesting to learn about the little that is known about this group.
On the west side of Newfoundland's Great Northern Peninsula, you’ll find the crossroads of 6000 years of human history, including the Maritime Archaic people and the Dorset people at Port au Choix National Historic Site. Near the lighthouse, we saw whales. Best seen with binoculars though. This area is known for its cold water shrimp and our lunch at the Anchor Cafe included them.
In St. Anthony, we visited a centre that focused on Wilfred Grenfell who provided medical and spiritual care to the outports in Newfoundland and Labrador. I knew the name but it was interesting to see the archival photos of the era.
Of course, our primary objective was L’Anse aux Meadows where the Vikings spent about 10 summers. The centre had some archaeology but the highlight was the recreation of a few houses in the Viking settlement. The costumed guides were keen to demonstrate crafts of the era.
Our last stop before our return to St. John’s was Fogo Island. Getting there required an hour long ferry ride, with all the hassles of getting in line early enough to be sure to get on the next ferry. No reservations possible. (We had a car picnic.) I believe they now have flights from Halifax, Nova Scotia if you are a high roller. And staying in the famous Fogo Island Inn requires deep pockets. We stayed nearby in Tilting Harbour in a charming house. The island’s population resurgence is due to a woman who made money in the tech sector and returned home to create a foundation (Shorefast) to help startups and to develop the inn. There are also artist studios, an artist residency program and many other projects. Surplus revenue from the inn goes back to the community. Fogo is a rugged rocky island with great views, great food to be had, crafts, and lots of local events. And if that isn’t enough, the Flat Earth Society has designated Brimstone Head as one of the four corners!
If you are interested in visiting somewhere not too far away geographically but far away in landscape and culture, consider Newfoundland. We only saw part of it and will need to go back to see more.