The name of this blog post is courtesy of Sharon who gave me the nick name as we were enjoying our dinner theatre last night on Ferryland. The play was put on by local actors who dramatized the hey day of Newfoundland in the 1950s. The red face nick name came about as a result of the slight sun burn I received as a result of a full day out in the lovely Newfoundland summer. I will get to the one eyed part of the nick name later.
My day started off with a run. I need to keep up with the running to counterbalance at least a bit of the effects of the beer (slight hint about the one eyed nick name here). Luckily my run was entirely uphill with beautiful views of the ocean. Pretty sure I saw a moose print. So far, besides signage and guarantees that they are out there, that is my sole moose sighting.
So, our day began with a visit to the interpretation centre in Ferryland. Ferryland is the site of an archaeological dig that has been under way for 20 years. We participated in a guided tour with Randy as our excellent leader. The site is the oldest settlement in North America, dating back to the 1620s. We walked across history as we crossed the oldest cobblestone street in North America. This site has also uncovered two gold rings, a rare and exciting find for the times. Archaeologists were working on the site and we were told there is at least 40 years more of digging to be done. So far, 2 million artifacts have been discovered. As we were touring, an archaeologist handed Randy two pieces of pottery that had just been discovered! The site has original and reconstructed aspects to it demonstrating where different parts of the settlement were orininally located. These included the forge, the ale house, Lord Baltimore's mansion house, the tavern/stable, privy, well, and the garden. The garden currently grows vegetables and plants used for medicinal purposes that the settlers would have grown. Our tour took us to a kitchen house where we met up with another guide who told us about different pottery and treated us to some fresh bread. A quick stop at the gift shop and we were done.
We headed back to the B&B to stock up for our afternoon of hiking. We packed a lunch and made the 2.5K hike, uphill, to the lighthouse at Ferryland. The lighthouse is now automated but some ingenious entrepreneur has turned the house into a place where picnics can be ordered and lemonade can be drunk. The lighthouse picnics, being a rather popular attraction, are fully booked until late August. Having brought our own food, Sharon treated us to a glass of The Best Lemonade, and we settled down to enjoy lunch and some truly spectacualr views. We were treated to a visit from a humpback. Props to Kim for spotting this whale just off shore. All of my sightings have been birds that I mistake for a whale.
A day can sure fly past in this province. We returned to our B&B to revive ourselves after all of the activity and prepare for our dinner theatre experience.
So, the one eyed nick name? Let's just say Kim told me that this province makes her want to drink for some reason. I told Kim that she must be my Newfoundland then. It is our patriotic duty as traveling Canadians to sample local brews whenever we can. So we have. We are nothing if not true patriots. Iceberg beer has turned out to be our favourite so far. While enjoying these brews I sometimes find it a bit easier to focus when one eye is closed hence the first part of the nick name. Shortly, I am sure, Kim and I will be able to invent a ni ck name for Sharon as she has demonstrated a propensity for Bailey's and wine in the same day. Stay tuned.
The Dunnes was an exceptional bed and breakfast with fabulous hosts Maxine and Charlie. We were treated daily to stories that were filled with humour and helpful advice. Kim and I may have managed to drum up some interest and possible business for The Dunnes through our "Honk At The Stunning Gals Sitting In Front of The Dunnes While Enjoying an Iceberg Beer" campaign. They will likely thank us later!
Today we are spending quite a few hours driving as we head north to Twillingate for the next stop in our adventure. The landscape of Newfoundland is reminiscent of the Scottish highlands, bits of Ireland, and parts of Muskoka all combined.
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