St. John’s is the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador and the province’s largest city. It is located on the Avalon Peninsula, and is the easternmost city of all North America and is known as where the “sun rises first”. Vikings have said to have landed here over 1000 years ago, and the land itself is rich in history as well as natural wonders. St. John’s has been the site of several significant events, including Marconi’s first reception of radio signals across the Atlantic Ocean in 1901 at Cabot Tower on Signal Hill above the harbour, and the 1919 departure of Alcock and Brown on the first successful transatlantic flight. St. John’s is also the location where Terry Fox began his Marathon of Hope across our country, this is where he dipped his leg into the Atlantic Ocean.
Newfoundland and Labrador is both home to the oldest settlement in Canada while still being the country’s youngest province, joining Canada in 1949. However, it has become one of the fastest growing provinces in the country with a booming economy based on oil, gas and mineral industries. Above all this, this province is known for its unique geological landscape that includes boreal forests, ancient rock formations and sweeping coastlines.
This city is a perfect port of call for cruise ships and their guests. We were docked within steps of everything of interest for passengers, from churches and cathedrals, to pubs and restaurants, to shops and galleries, to nature trails and museums. Despite the rain, this day worked out perfect. We left the ship shortly after docking just when the rain started moving from a light shower to horizontal rain, hmmm. The original plan was to hike up to the Cabot Tower to take in the vista views. Well within a short few blocks this was not going to be an outdoor hiking day. Time to regroup under a cover. I recalled some information from one of our talks and that was a building called, The Rooms. The Rooms is located at the top of the town hill and is home to the Provincial Archives, Art Gallery and Museum. About 15 minutes later and a four block hill climb we were warm and dry in this wonderful site. Bonus, for my first time ever for an admission, I qualified for the senior discount, hooray?
We spent some 2 and a half hours here, looking at works including Emily Clark and the Group of Seven in the Art Gallery area. Museum items including a life jacket from the RMS Titanic (a jacket worn by a crew member, James McGrady, this jacket kept his body afloat for some 42 days before it was found) and stuffed animal display including a Polar Bear and a 30 foot giant squid. So yes a great way to spend a rainy visit. The bonus now was at about 3pm the rain stopped long enough for us to visit the Terry Fox memorial and to peruse many handicraft shops for some retail therapy. The rain began once again as we wondered into a local pub for a pint or two of Guinness. Such a good time visiting with fellow guests that we didn’t get back to the ship until about 6:30pm. A short rest before dinner and excellent show tonight. Looking forward to a sea day tomorrow but with that said, the cruise is coming to a close, meaning many activities planned tomorrow. Oh well, we will endure, lol.
Some pics of our day, hope you enjoy…
Quote of the day, “Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret.” - Oscar Wilde
We visited friends who live across the street from The Rooms. As you said, despite the rain (which they told us was desperately needed) it was a great day. We walked Market and George Streets during the rain break and also did some retail therapy.
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