Newfoundland Chocolate Café

  Linking up at Marg at The Intrepid Reader

Weekend Coffee Share

Sunday Salon

Sunday Post

September 2022 - Signal Hill NL

Saturday September 24 and this was our view. No sign of a hurricane that was devastating parts of the Atlantic provinces.

It turned out to be a lovely warm but very WINDY day.

I started a tight sore throat yesterday, nothing major, but providing a very annoying tickle.

You can see these rows of houses, known as Jellybean rows, with their brightly painted exteriors sprinkled throughout the downtown.

Click here for more of our day.
 

National War Memorial

We tried again today to find parking at Quidi Vidi to no avail, so no photos. It is a tiny fishing village practically in town. It also has the Quidi Vidi Brewery which we would have liked to visit.

How did Quidi Vidi — the tiny fishing village with a protected harbour tucked away in the east end of St. John's — get its name? No one knows!
The area, which was settled early in the 16th century, has many different names and pronunciations: "Quidi Vidi," "Quidi Vidi Village" (or simply "the Village"), "Quaida Vaida," and "the Gut." A blogger friend also said some old timers call it Kyda Vyda.

My first guess upon seeing the name was Latin. Others have claimed it comes from Italian or Portuguese, for sounding possibly like "quey de videy," meaning, "what a beautiful sight" or "here is the divide for the land."

Some claimed to have known a woman who owned a hotel and bar on Quidi Vidi Lake, by the name of Kitty Vitty. We can look at the maps going back to the beginning of the 18th century, it's spelled 'Kitty Vitty.
You will also hear it pronounced Kiddy Vidi.

This image is from Wikipedia. Quidi Vidi as seen looking west from the top of Cuckhold's Cove Head.

On to Signal Hill.

In the Newfoundland Chocolate Café.

Cabot Tower stands marking the entrance to St. John’s Harbour and has become an iconic landmark of the city's skyline.

Built between 1897 and 1900, Cabot Tower was constructed in honour of two important historical events: Queen Victoria’s Diamond Jubilee, and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot’s “Voyage of Discovery”. Apart from its use as a commemorative structure, Cabot Tower was designed and used as a flag signaling tower, serving that function from 1900-1958.

The guide warned us that they would be firing the cannon at noon, so if you were driving down from the tower, don't worry, you haven't blown a tire!

It happened we were just getting into our car at the lower visitors' centre at noon and John thought someone had hit our car!

Lunch at The Salt House.

No Boats on Sunday cider for John.
No Boats On Sunday pays homage to a time when Halifax was once Canada's busiest gateway port. With the hectic day-to-day routine this brought about, the hardworking locals decided they deserved some time to unwind, pull up their oars, and get back to the things they loved – like enjoying time with family and friends.

Burgers! We have been mainly eating fish. John has had ribs and turkey, we both had moose, and I've had chicken once.

John had a gluten free bun.

Mummering, or mumming, is a Christmas-time house-visiting tradition practised in Newfoundland and Labrador, Ireland, City of Philadelphia, and parts of the United Kingdom.

Also known as mumming or janneying, it typically involves a group of friends or family who dress in disguise and visit homes within their community or neighbouring communities during the twelve days of Christmas. If the mummers are welcomed into a house, they often do a variety of informal performances that may include dance, music, jokes, or recitations. The hosts must guess the mummers' identities before offering them food or drink. They may poke and prod the mummers or ask them questions. Once the mummers have been identified, they remove their disguises, spend some social time with the hosts, and then travel as a group to the next home.

Have I mentioned how I hate these steep streets? Hill O' Chips is a notoriously steep street with a traffic light at its steepest. That light is always red when we get to the top!

Before the Great Fire, it was the home to several woodworking and furniture factories, such as the Newfoundland Woodworking Factory and the Empire Woodworking Factory, and while it’s said that the factories and their piles of wood chips gave the Hill O’Chips its name, the true origins may never be known as it is quite possibly the oldest street name in the City.

We also did some clothes shopping at the best Winners I've ever been in, some groceries for dinner, and even eventually found a car wash. We also did a big load of laundry at the hotel!

Sunday September 25 from our window and I realize I can see Cabot Tower.

Hurricane Fiona caused incredible damage in the Atlantic provinces and especially Port aux Basques where we catch the ferry.

Cape Spear is the most-easterly point in North America, the first place where to sun rises in North America.

We also headed to Petty Harbour population 950, nestled in  the heart of Motion Bay.

Then back into town. Once again, parking is a challenge.

Lunch at Yellowbelly. Sitting where George Street intercepts Water Street in downtown St. John's (one of the oldest cities in North America, if not the oldest), YellowBelly Brewery & Public House is a testament in stone and masonry to a time long gone. Reconstructed after the fire of 1846, it is one of few such mercantile buildings to survive the Great St. John's Fire of 1892.

The 'colourful' name harkens back to the Irish immigrants who entered Newfoundland between 1750 and 1830. The "Yellowbellies" were an Irish faction hailing from County Wexford who once famously tied strips of yellow cloth around their middles in a hurling match against the Cornish champions. Following their victory, King George III was heard to remark, "Well done the Yellowbellies!"

Designed and painted by Sarah O’Rourke-Whelan in 2016, this mural is located on the George Street East stairwell that connects to Duckworth Street. George Street is a small street known for having the most bars and pubs per square foot of any street in North America.

Once again, lots of gluten free options. I had the gluten free fish and chips because I wanted to try the salt and vinegar chip coating. Delicious! Here's a recipe done in the oven.

I went with the works on the chips, a local dish, Newfie Fries. Fries, gravy and stuffing (or dressing as some call it. Think turkey stuffing.

The gay parade was taking place after it was cancelled in the summer when it was too hot.

It started to rain so we took a drive and then went back to the hotel.

Monday September 26 - the ferries have resumed regular schedules. I also called the hotel in Port aux Basques and confirmed they are up and running. She did advise that we bring water with us as they under a boil advisory.

We checked out around noon to drive to Gander, beginning our homeward trek.

Click here for a recap of Day 23, 24, 25 driving from St. John's to Gander to Corner Brook to Port aux Basques..

Tuesday September 27 we take a look around Gander. There is not much to see but I finally posted two postcards to collectors.

Quite the day! I will share at another time.

We made a planned stop in Botwood, mural capital of Newfoundland.

Botwood claim to fame is as the North American terminus for the first transatlantic flights.

Entertainer Bob Hope, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and British PM Winston Churchhill have all lain their heads here. Click here to read so much more about Botwood and its flying boats.

Welcome to Botwood Home of the First Trans Atlantic Flight!

Not a planned stop - as we missed the entrance to the highway at Bishop's Falls.

Back on the road and what should we encounter? It was dark and overcast. John saw them first, two others had reached the other side.

We settled into the Hew and Draw Hotel, and had a drink before dinner!

Why the name?

Hewers of wood and drawers of water – that phrase was once meant as an insult to Canadians.
But here at the Hew & Draw Hotel, we don’t see it that way.
We are proud of the fact that our families have worked on the water and in the forests of Western Newfoundland for generations. Our name pays homage to the area’s abundance of natural resources, wilderness and hardworking people. And as a family-owned, independently-run business, we are some of those people. We’ve dealt with our fair share of fish guts, splinters and black fly bites, but in between we’ve always known the Bay of Islands to be one of the most spectacular locales on earth.

Fridge was stocked with some of their Brookstick Brewery beers.

Umani wine. 

We were so excited to be both having steak we forget to ger a photo. It was delicious! Good chimichurri too.

Lobby.

Wednesday September 28 and breakfast is included. It was hot and tasty.

Some books in the hotel lobby.

John then took the car of an oil change and returned at 11 and we checked out. And he got my head cold.

We did some food shopping for dinner tonight and on the ferry tomorrow.

The drive to Port aux Basques was two hours and uneventful, just how we like it.

Out our window. We are settled in for the evening. We have salads for dinner with wine.

Thursday September 29 - we have breakfast (not included) in PAB and then drove to the ferry on a very grey day. 

We checked in 9:45 and waited, this time we started boarding at 10:45 for departure at 11:45. We had a cabin again and brought lunch, cheese and crackers. Had a nap. 

We went from grey to blue skies.

Nova Scotia

We docked on time, were in the car for a five minute drive to our hotel. I also booked us another night just to chill and they had my night light from our last stay!

Dinner was in their dining room, standard burger and a pan fried cod.

Friday September 30 - we took the extra day here so John could sleep in for his cold.

We headed out around 10 hoping for Tim Horton's. We didn't want to eat in the hotel.

Frost on the car, but it was parked in the shade. It turned out to be another warm fall day.

This was a tree beside the motel, uprooted by Hurricane Fiona, by the time we came back it was chopped up.

No joy finding coffee in North Sydney as the power is still out in most places. We headed to Baddeck, 

Click here for our last stay in Baddeck at this inn.

We had coffee and a scone for me and a gluten free brownie for John. They had a large selection of gluten free products.

We then walked down to the water before deciding to go to the Alexander Graham Bell Museum.

Get a rare glimpse into the extraordinary heart and mind of a world-famous inventor whose genius helped shape the modern world. Pull the curtain back on Alexander Graham Bell’s interests and inventions, spanning airplanes and kites, to deaf education and artificial respiration. Feel his legacy come to life as you explore remarkable artifacts, photos and full-scale replicas that mark his masterful career as an engineer, inventor, scientist and humanitarian.

It was so gorgeous we took some time to just sit in the sun in the Park red chairs.

Before heading back into Baddeck for lunch where we sat on the patio.

I finally had a lobster roll. although it was marked as MP market price. Well. as John says, if you have to ask you can't afford it. He had mussels with a very good sauce.

Soooo I have seen lobster rolls at $29, this was $35!

We drove back to the hotel. We are moving on tomorrow to Halifax for two nights.

BOOKS

Not much reading done since left home but I did finish a few.

Wish You Were Gone - I really enjoyed this domestic thriller, I didn't see the ending coming but it worked for me.

Arranged was also good.

Day 1 Toronto to Victoriaville QC

Day 2 Victoriaville to Edmundston NB

Day 3 Edmundston to Moncton NB

Moncton NB Murals 

Day 4 Moncton NB to Sydney NS

Day 5 Sydney NS to North Sydney

Day 6 North Sydney NS to PAB NL

C'est La Vie Week 1 Recap

Day 7 PAB NL to Deer Lake NL Viking Tour Day 1

Day 8 Viking Tour Day 2

Day 9 Viking Tour Day 3

Day 10 Viking Tour Day 4

Day 11 Viking Tour Day 5

Day 12 Viking Tour Day 6

Day 13 Viking Tour Day 7 

Auk Island Winery

Signs from Auk Island Winery

Day 14 Grand Falls - Windsor to Twillingate

Day 15 Twillingate

Day 16 Twillingate to Eastport

All Around the Circle

Day 17 Eastport to Trinity

Day 18 Trinity/Bonavista

Day 19 Trinity - Dildo - Brigus - St. John's

Day 20 St. John's

Day 21 St. John's

Day 22 St. John's

Day 23, 24, 25, 26 St. John's to Gander to Corner Brook to Port aux Basques NL to Sydney NS

Day 27 North Sydney NS

Botwood Murals