Safe ashore! We dock right in the heart of town at 1pm. This is a weird call, we don’t leave until 10pm, but we’ll be back aboard well before then. We don’t have any specific plans for today, except to try to take the trolley (which is actually a bus) all along the coast and up to Signal Hill, the site of the first transatlantic wireless transmission by Marconi.
We’ve grabbed a bunch of maps from the customer relations desk (they are GREAT about giving you tons of information about the ports), and head out into the rain, wind and drizzle. Ick. We’d just as soon not go out, but the trolleys don’t run that often, so we want to be on the first one we can (oh, and PS, Ed is leading the charge here…not the Guernsey-challenged one today!).
Once on the pier, we ask one of the tourism folks about the trolley, but she says they stopped running a few weeks ago. Huh? Bummer! That’s not what the website said (but then again, we checked out ages ago, so we didn’t have the most current information). She helpfully suggested we take a tour by taxi and have them leave us at Signal hill, then we could walk back down. Thanks! But no way Jose. It’s a couple of miles – and no way we’re walking down that hill – it’s huge. So we embark on our own little walking tour.
We head down the main street to the TD bank building to hit the ATM, and we run smack dab into some military parade. Clueless as to why – we never figured out if it was a holiday or what, but it was a nice little diversion to watch them march down the street.
After hitting the ATM, it was still raining, so we meandered down the street, sticking close to the stores and cafes to shield ourselves from the rain. We pass Mochanopoly, a great “board game cafe” where everyone in there is playing board games at big tables with their coffees at their elbows. How cool is that? That’s a franchise opportunity waiting to happen.
We soldiered on through the wetness until we finally came upon the Yellow Belly Brewery. Ok, we’ll stop for refreshments. Turns out to be a great little hang out, with an adorable bartender who likes to travel and is just recently back from Cambodia. We spent a great while chatting with him about traveling, comparing notes and sharing suggestions. Finally we decided to take our leave and head back out into the damp to continue our walk.
Immediately outside the brewery, we start our climb up the hill, passing one of the many statues that dot the streets and little parks here in town. This one is oddly interesting with musicians and dancers/aerialists set upon a wave? Not sure, but it was something to look at.
We walked up through town, passing the colorfully painted wood sided houses with beautiful flower boxes and hanging plants (very reminiscent of Richmond, actually)…
…past the sturdy brick and stone built buildings and churches…
…across the longest cross walk ever, and past many more statues, now seeming to pay honor to the police and military.
…to reach our ultimate goal - the Basilica of St. John the Baptist. And it is closed! On a Sunday! Wow..would have not guessed that. But, it still makes for pretty good picture taking.
And, it leads us to The Rooms – which is a huge museum filled with exhibits ranging from art to environment to local living to the war. We’re at a loss as to what else to do – so we decide to take the plunge and go in. For only $14 US, it turns out to be a huge bargain – and we end up spending well over two hours there wandering through the fascinating exhibits.
The museum is on four floors, and at the top is a great viewing area where you can see down into town, the harbor and Signal hill (in the distance on the left– see…its really far away!).
We eschew the cafe, and after perusing the gift shop, head back downhill (mercifully) to the ship. Passing more statues and the magnificent looking Masonic temple along the way.
Back aboard, we have dinner, then go to the show – the first of which is a local music/comedy duo who are pretty good. Then before the 2nd show, which is Russ’ variety show, we all go out on deck to listen to the “Newfoundland Harbour Symphony”– which is a symphony comprised of ships’ horns. All the ships in the harbor participate, including the Azamara Quest and Captain Jose. It’s really quite fun (and funny) and gives us all a lasting memory.
After the show, we head off to the cabin to watch the harbor slowing fading away as we sail out toward the St. Lawrence river and our final few days of the crossing.
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