From one side of the continent to the other. We've done that a couple of times, but not to Canada. What a great place this is! There is so much to enjoy, but not in the usual way.
We flew into St. John's via Portland to Vancouver to Toronto to St. John's. It was an all day travel day. We got to the Portland Airport about 4am on April 13. We arrived in St. John's a little after 1am, April 14. By the time we got our bags and a car, it was close to 2 o'clock. Then an hour and a half drive to our "hotel" as it's really much more like an apartment. More about that later.
Obviously it was dark when we arrived and as we drove so there wasn't much to see. It was very overcast, might have even been raining, so we couldn't even see the stars or the moon. The owners had left the door unlocked so we could just walk in. We unpacked just a few things and got some sleep.
Eric went to work around 10AM. I don't remember when I got up. My guess is that it was close to noon, not only due to the lateness of the arrival, but also the 4 1/2 hour time zone difference. I walked into our living area and looking out over the deck was greeted by this lovely body of water. It's a bird refuge across the street from our apartment. The first photo is a pano so it looks a bit distorted. The second is just after sunrise and a thin layer of ice is visible.
When I said there was much to enjoy, but not in the usual way, that's because I find this place to have a beauty all it's own. There are lakes and ponds, rivers and creeks everywhere. Perhaps some dry up during the summer as some appear to be shallow. Evergreen trees are abundant, but they are not like the trees in Washington. They don't grow tall. Here's a photo of Eric standing by some trees. He's 5'9" to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. By the way, he hates having his picture taken!
It is cold here. As in many places this year, the winter has been harder than usual. Eric was in St. John's for a couple of weeks back in February. One morning the class he was to attend was cancelled. There had been 20" of snow overnight. Apparently, it wasn't much of a winter until January, then it hit hard. It's now May 8 (as I write this) and it's still cold. Some nights are still around freezing. Most days are overcast and/or raining. There was even some snow flurries a week ago. Snow can be seen in higher hills. I can't call them mountains, as I am originally from Utah and I know what a mountain is!
Just a little about some history. This is an island off the eastern coast of Canada. It is the 16th largest island in the world. Evidence of the first immigrants points to the Norse. There were tribes called Dorset and Beothuk on the island, though these tribes are now considered extinct. Then came Portuguese, Spanish, French, Italian and British explorers. It is considered to be one of the first places of European colonization. It became a British crown colony in 1855, a Dominion in 1907, along with New Zealand and Australia. From what I could find, a dominion is an independent country but still has ties with the British Crown. In 1949 it became the newest Canadian province called Newfoundland and Labrador. Labrador is on the mainland.
Having been a British colony, with many Scots, Irish and English settlers, I enjoy hearing the British twang. There were many on the island who were up very early on Saturday the 6th to watch the coronation. A bit of history may pop up as I continue to share about Newfoundland, which by the way, I hear more of the accented newfoundLAND part of that name here. That may not be the case in other parts of the island. It's almost like 3 separate words.
More to come as my explorations continue!