Newfoundland - St. John's

Today is the second last day we have in St. John's. It has been nice to kick up in one place for a few days. A person doesn't always feel so rushed to get going each day when you have a number of days to explore the area.

The weather is reasonable today, a bit cool and misty but no real rain as such. We started our morning with a walk down Water street and around the downtown area. It is always nice to wander around the old part of town and check out the action of things. On our way back we walked the entire waterfront until the we came across the St. John's

Port Authority and the end of the piers. It, as many maritime provinces, has a very busy port. It is lined with container ships, oil and gas supply ships and a wharf area with ships that are being restored, fixed and painted. At the end of the waterfront and located within the St. John's Port Authority gardens is the Terry Fox Memorial.

On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox dipped his artificial foot in the Atlantic Ocean off St. John's, Newfoundland, to begin his journey across Canada in aid of cancer research. His “Marathon of Hope,” a 5,373 kilometre run, or nearly a marathon per day for 143 days, on one leg, is an outstanding feat of athleticism. The many elements incorporated into the Terry Fox Mile 0 Site work together to pay tribute to Terry’s legacy, spirit and determination. These elements include a lifelike bronze sculpture of Terry dipping his foot in the water at the site

where he began his Marathon of Hope in 1980; interpretive panels; interpretive landscaping. Until today he remains a Canadian Hero.

After wandering around town a bit we decided to take Roxy home and go explore the hillside from where we live. St. John's has a surprisingly large number of churches in this small area of town. The largest of them all is the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The early roman Catholics built the building back in the mid 1800's, making an impact on the skyline of St. John's. It is now considered a national historic site. It is very beautiful inside.

Our next stop was over to "The Rooms". The Rooms is a building that combines a provincial museum, art gallery and archives all under one roof. It is styled in the simple ocean front "fishing rooms" where Newfoundlanders would process there catch. The complex is build

on the site of a 1750's fort, however, the ultramodern "rooms" rise above the city, with amazing views of the harbour and city below. The museum displays the natural and human history of Newfoundland and Labrador. If you are a history buff you could spend hours in the archives visiting over 500,000 historical photos, government shipping records, maps and atlases, family histories and personal diaries. What an amazing place to visit.

After a wonderful day of exploring we headed back for a bit before heading to a hockey game - Newfoundland Growers vs. Adirondack Vikings, with a finish of 5-4 for the Vikings. It was a great game, fast paced and with great puck handling. It's nice to go out to a game where families can take in great hockey and it not break the bank.

After the game we headed down to George Street to see if there was any action or live music going on. We had been down to George

street one other early evening and it was pretty quiet. We thought after the game things might be winding up, but once again it was pretty quiet. Only a few places were open and there was no live music to speak of. I imagine in the summer months the place is bursting with tourists and locals alike. I imagine most people are starting to stay in now with the cold weather and slow tourist season. Perhaps another day.

Another great day in St. John, only one more to go before we start heading back to the other side of Newfoundland.