Friday, April 11, 2008

St John's - Day Six

Another cloudy, drizzly day today - the perfect day to take a drive out to Cape Spear, the easternmost point of North America! The Potter met me in the coffee shop next door to the B&B at noon, and we drove south about six miles to the Cape.

Signal Hill in the sunshine is one face of the coast; Cape Spear on a foggy, rainy day is quite another. There are signs everywhere warning of sudden large waves, and the walkways and fencing keep you well away from the rocks close to the water. All you can hear is the occasional seabird's cry, the sound of the sea crashing on the rocks and cliffs, and the foghorn sounding once each minute.



To the north we could see Signal Hill, and pulling out to sea was a tanker that had been in the harbour since we arrived here on Sunday.



There are two lighthouses on the Cape: the older one set back from the water (this is the one shown in the link above), and the newer lighthouse closer to the edge, below. It's all run by computers these days, so no lighthouse keeper resides on Cape Spear any longer.



We stopped in Deadman's Harbour on the way back to watch a flock of seabirds gathering offshore. We couldn't figure out what they were doing....



Back in St John's we stopped for lunch at International Flavours - a wee Indian restaurant disguised as a house where your choices are merely "chicken or vegetable". Off goes the owner, Talat, into the kitchen, and ten minutes later a boy emerges with a plate of the most incredible food....chick peas, dal, chicken, two kinds of curried mixed vegetables, rice, lime pickle and a little yogurt with a dab of green chile in it. No menu, just whatever she happens to have cooked that day. Divine.

After lunch we had time for a quick trip up the road to Quidi Vidi, a wee fishing village that is part of St John's proper, tucked away on a little bay the other side of Signal Hill.

Back at the B&B, I think it may be time for my mid-day nap. We are going to see Buck 65 tonight at Club 21, so I should rest up!

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