Da fog

We returned our rented car, and approached the WestJet counter to find out that all flights have been cancelled due to a low cloud ceiling or fog.  Not that we see a fog !  But that the clouds are too low and too thick for most planes to land safely.

Of course, we are not the first to hear these news, and there is a Rod Stewart outdoor concert in town tonight.  So most hotels are booked !  We found a wheel-chair accessible unit at the Super8 down the road and we are happy to have it.

Our holiday has now extended one day - stay tuned for more.

Samedi le 11 juillet

On quitte notre amie Loretta ce matin pour se rendre à une visite guidée par autobus.  On était les deux seuls pour la visite de 2-1/2 heures.  On en connaissait déjà un peu des places, mais ça fait accroître nos connaissances davantages.  On a visité le village de Quidi Vidi encore une fois mais avec de différentes histoires des alentours.

 Michelle se retrouve avec le guide afin de recevoir des informations.

On se demande le nom de cet arbre qui produit cette fleur.

Pouvez-vous nous aider?

Ces 3 trois photos viennent de Government House 

une belle résidence et un grand parterre réservé pour la visite de la reine.

 Ces deux photos sont à l'intérieur et l'extérieur de la Basilique de St-Jean Baptiste

pour lequel la ville a pris son nom.

Notre dernier arrêt fut Cape Spear, le point le plus à l'est de l'amérique du nord.

Juste à faire un clique sur l'image pour avoir un agrandit.

Day 2 in St-John's - Quidi Vidi Brewery Tour

You may recall my beer review of a few days ago, well, we had the opportunity to tour the brewery and sample some beer.  As it turns out, the village of Quidi Vidi is just minutes from Loretta's place.  We sampled Iceberg, Honey Brown, and 1892 (an IPA) which I also had with seafood chowder at Oliver's restaurant.  We sampled QV Light a great 4% beer, and Eric's cream ale - which I consider better than Sleeman's.  They are a small batch operation in a small warehouse that you can see in the photos.  They have 2% of Newfoundland's beer market.  The sad part is that they do not sell to other provinces.  You can only have these beers here.

Day 2 in St-John's

We are staying at Loretta O'Neil's while in St-John.  She is Brian's sister.  We had a great supper last night and also met Brian's sister Patricia and her husband Joseph.  This morning we continued our tour of St-John's walking in the downtown and having lunch at Portobello's, another interesting restaurant that has a great view of the working docks where goods are unloaded and trucked away.

St-John's

We arrived in St-John's yesterday morning.  The streets remind me of Quebec City with narrow paths, and steep inclines.  We ate lunch at Oliver's a great little place on Water Street near the harbour.  We went to Signal Hill as our first tourist stop.  It appears as a castle way atop the highest hill and just drew us to it.  From that vantage point, one can see the whole harbour and its narrow access to to ocean.

Newfoundland beers

I had a Black Horse Ale with my moose meat stew in a Rocky Harbour restaurant on the east coast.  It was light and excellent with food.

I am especially impressed with the Quidi Vidi Brewery which has a great lineup of beers.  Louis offered me a Quidi Vidi Premium ale which I enjoyed while at his place.  I later tried the Iceberg beer which is made of 25,000 year old ice.  It has a distinctive taste for a 4.5% beer.  I later bought a 6-pack which sells at premium beer prices, but I just love it.  Not sure if I can get it in Ontario !

I also tried the Honey Brown which is not as good as the Sleeman's version.
 The is a light, Eric's cream ale, and 1892 that I hope to try out before leaving.

Terra Nova National Park

Our townhouse in Port Blandford is just outside of Terra Nova National Park.  We had a look around yesterday on our way here.  But we returned to the park for a nature walk this afternoon.

A better view of the little townhouse in Port Blandford (tiny little area)

Here is a map to indicate Gander, Terra Nova National Park, and Port Blandford.

Clicking on any of these images will give you a larger view.