July 15–17, 2001

On a scale of 1 to 10 on this particular trip, the breakfasts at the McCaubrey Manor were up there in the vicinity of 10. Delicious. A typical morning included a choice of eggs benedict or pancakes; a wide variety of fruits, muffins, croissants, and breads; cereal; jams and jellies; coffee and tea, etc. You certainly didn't need to worry about lunch!

The first morning, there were two other couples at our table — a younger couple and an older one, both there to attend weddings. McCaubrey Manor is that kind of place — one where people come to pamper themselves. The description on their web site says, "McCoubrey Manor specializes in romantic getaways and wedding nights. Our three Jacuzzi suites offer queen-size bed, fireplace and stereo/CD player for a relaxing atmosphere. Complimentary wine or champagne makes the evening a special event." A really nice place.

Let me say here that St. John's is a charming and comfortable city that presents an interesting blend of old and new. Not people who are all that comfortable in a city environment for any great length of time, George and I found this particular city very different. The architecture is colorful, jumbled, and eclectic, and the people every bit as charming as in the outlying regions of Newfoundland we visited. The city noises disappear at night — it is not a city that stays awake all night.

Saturday, July 16 was an overcast day with rain predicted; but none having shown up so far, we decided to do outdoor things while we still could. Our first destination of the day was Cape Spear, the farthest eastern point of land in North America. But first, we got sidetracked on Water Street, the oldest street in Newfoundland. We were wandering along the wharf admiring the view when we came across a small dog who suddenly disappeared behind a trash dumpster. Hearing a rustling inside the dumpster, we assumed the dog had jumped inside to scavenge. George tapped on the bin to get his attention & see if he was all right, when the dog suddenly reappeared again, coming from around the back of the dumpster. At the same time, a head popped up from inside the dumpster, startling us! It was an old fellow who was collecting cans for the 5 cent return deposits.

We got a bit lost on our way to Cape Spear and ended up driving the "long way" up there along a winding, narrow road through a picturesque little fishing village. We encountered a crusty and toothless old fisherman walking along the road who gave us directions to the Cape. Cape Spear is, like most coastal areas in Newfoundland, rugged and beautiful. A battery of guns was set there to defend Newfoundland during W.W.II, and the mostly intact remains are still there.

Our next stop was Signal Hill where Marconi received his first transatlantic wireless signal from England. There's an interesting museum there, and if you time it right, you can catch the Signal Hill Tatoo, an English military drill performed by local high school students. They have a fife and drum corp, as well as a drill team that performs its marching and gun/canon firing exercises. We timed it right.

Our not-so-new rental car was on its last legs — having been on a grueling trip to Labrador and back, it was leaking oil and groaning — so we decided to turn it in early and forego the last minute hassle since we really didn't need it anymore. The rain had moved in to stay, and it was time to explore the city anyway.

Having had good experiences with the performing arts in Newfoundland thus far, we decided to try a dinner theater that evening. We were not disappointed. The show, called I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, was a delightful comedy about the differences between men and women as they met, dated, and got married. We ended up sitting with the older couple from our B&B and had a very enjoyable evening.

Monday, July 16, our last full day in Newfoundland, was rainy from start to finish. It was a lazy day for us — we got up later than usual, enjoyed our luxurious B&B, and enjoyed a relaxing and social breakfast in the common dining room. We spent the rest of the day wandering around the city — did some shopping on Water Street (bought some CDs of traditional Newfoundland music, which we love), spent a couple of hours in the Newfoundland Museum on Duckworth Street, and visited the Anglican Cathedral and the United Church. Both churches had strikingly different architectures. The Anglican Cathedral had gothic stonework, while the United Church had Romanesque woodwork — both were beautiful. Apparently both of these structures were relatively new, the older buildings having been destroyed in a fire circa 1892.

We walked down the "infamous" George's Street with all its pubs, located in very close and saucy proximity to the churches.

Since it was our last night in Newfoundland and the end of a very memorable trip, we decided to splurge for dinner, and went to a somewhat expensive little place, recommended by our hosts at the B&B, called The Cellar. It was a small, intimate establishment, tucked into a side street, where we had what was probably the best meal we'd had during our two week stay in the province.

And we were up before the chickens the next morning for our flight out of St. John's, through Montreal, and back to Virginia, ending one of the best trips to Canada we have ever taken.