JUNK BOAT TRAVELS: Day 10 Newfoundland Labrador Viking Trail 2022

Friday, September 16, 2022

Day 10 Newfoundland Labrador Viking Trail 2022 - Day 4

Sep 13 Day 4: L'anse au Clair to St. Anthony, NL

WEATHER TEMP

Return to Newfoundland and travel to L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site, the first cultural discovery in the world to receive recognition as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Hear of the Vikings who walked here over a thousand years ago before continuing on to your St. Anthony accommodations for the night. (Breakfast, Dinner)

Day 4 Haven Inn - St. Anthony, Newfoundland & Labrador

We woke in Labrador and headed back to the ferry.

But first we stopped for a photo op at the welcome sign and Karen took everyone's photos.

The ferry had musicians, Karen said she had never seen that before. The ferry was also early so she added a side trip.

Flower's Cove (or Flowers Cove), located on Route 430 in western Newfoundland, is a pretty but unassuming coastal town with a very special attraction—thrombolites. These formations, found along the coast, were created when microbes in the ancient Iapetus Ocean photosynthesized their food. Because the water near the shore contained calcium carbonate from limestone rocks, this photosynthetic process created the unusual formations we call thrombolites.

Thrombolites are typically several feet across and look something like an Italian panini rosette roll made from rock. Scientists describe thrombolites as "clotted" structures because thrombolites lack the layered structuring of strombolites, which are formed in a similar way and date back to approximately 3.5 million years ago. As you look at a thrombolite, it can be difficult to imagine how living organisms could absorb enough minerals from the water to create such a large, rocky formation.

Thrombolites exist in only a few places on Earth. The thrombolites of Lake Clifton, Australia, are similar in appearance to those found at Flower's Cove.

L'Anse aux Meadows (The Bay with the Grasslands) was our next stop, and definitely a highlight of the tour.

It was brisk out but we were dressed for it. We were shown this video on the bus.

At the tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula lies the first known evidence of European presence in the Americas. Here Norse expeditions sailed from Greenland, building a small encampment of timber-and-sod buildings over 1000 years ago Against a stunning backdrop of rugged cliffs, bog, and coastline, discover the fascinating archaeological remains of the Viking encampment, declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1978. You’ll meet costumed Viking interpreters as you tour the recreated base camp and discover original artifacts from this internationally renowned archaeological find.

The one nice thing about bus tours is the convenience. The coach dropped us at the parking lot and would pick us up at the lower level. Otherwise you would have to walk all the way back to the visitors' centre!

In the past four to five thousand years, many people have lived at L’Anse aux Meadows; some stayed longer than others. Among these people was a small group of Norse sailors. The remains of their camp, discovered in 1960 by Helge and Anne Stine Ingstad, is the oldest known European settlement of the New World.

From the visitors' centre we took a 40 minute walking tour with a Parks Canada guide.

What a gorgeous area, looking across at Labrador.

Kevin had a big bushy beard and was wearing his shorts. The staff do rotating jobs so he could be dressed in costume tomorrow so all the men have bushy beards.

Curious about how the Vikings lived and worked? Visit with navigator-adventurer Egil, weaver Thora, the blacksmith Ragnar or other members of the crew and hear tales of trade, Norse society, how to turn bog iron into a nail and cloth into currency. Check out their weaponry, tools, cooking utensils and reproductions of many artifacts representing everyday living.

Hence the busy beards! We were given a test back on the bus. It turns out Kevin, above and these two gentlemen appeared in the first video. And the white haired one would be our musical entertainment that night. Everybody in NL wear multiple hats to make a living.

We made a short stop at a jam and chocolate shop for a jam demonstration (AKA spend money).

In Newfoundland English, a tickle is defined as: “A narrow salt-water strait, as in an entrance to a harbour or between islands or other land masses, often difficult or treacherous to navigate because of narrowness, tides, etc; a 'settlement' adjoining such a passage.”

From there we drove to Fox Point Lighthouse that overlooks Bonne Bay where we will be going tomorrow. However the highlight wasn't the light house because whales were spotted!

That's me!