My work took me to the furthest east you can go in North America. St. John's in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador is full of history and dripping with charm. It is both the oldest city in North America as well as the most easterly point in North America. I had a few hours after work each night to explore, so I tried to make the most of the time I had. The first place I explored was
Signal Hill. Here you will find spectacular views and so much history. Signal hill overlooks the harbor so it was heavily fortified.
I also took a quick boat tour around the harbor and out to Cape Spear and back. I didn't see any whales or ice burgs, but did get to see several Puffins flying along the cliffs which was really cool to see.
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| View out from the top of Signal Hill. |
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| Signal Hill |
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| This section of town built on the cliffs is called Lower Battery. St. John's has charm for days. |
The next day I headed over to the Cape Spear Lighthouse. The wind was whipping which made it really cold. I walked around to take in the sights and old World War 2 bunkers until I got cold enough to call it a day.
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| The sea was angry on this day. |
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| Eastern most point of North America. |
As I walked around, I started asking some of the locals where I might have luck finding someone to go fishing with. They all recommended going to
Quidi Vidi so I made my way over. Quidi Vidi is a little fishing village located on Quidi Vidi Lake. I asked around until a guy with a boat said he could take me out for an hour. I made it worth his time, and we headed out. Where this was completely unplanned, he asked what I wanted to catch, and since St. John's was built on the Cod fishery, I figured I'd like to try catching some. With that we were off.
While heading to some fishing spots He asked if I wanted a rod or if I wanted to fish like the locals (hand-line). I chose the latter for a different experience. I had an absolute blast for that hour hearing local fishing stories and making a new friend. I landed 2 Cod which happened to be a double during the hour.
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Left: My Cod double I landed while hand-lining. Top right: Quidi Vidi
Bottom right:Middle Cove Beach. |
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| Delicious Cod tongues. I love trying the local foods of the places I travel. |
St. John's is known for its colorful houses and shops which I read about prior to going. Pictures simply don't do the city justice as to just how charming it is. I also wasn't expecting the food to be as good as it was. I tried blood pudding, fish pie, salt cod and cod tongues for the first time along with other seafood I've had before. I also had the loaded chips which was my favorite. Needless to say, I gained an extra pound or two.
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| The real estate around St. Johns has so much character. |
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| More views while exploring. |
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| Fresh mussels, cod, scallops and shrimp with fries smothered in gravy, hamburger and grilled onions. |
