We were saddened to learn of the shootings at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church on Sunday morning. It is hard for us to
believe that anyone would object to a UU congregation and its “liberal” stands enough to go on a shooting rampage. Our hearts go out to the victims and the families and friends of those involved.
We had another lazy morning this morning. This is looking like a theme for us, unless we have a reason to be somewhere quickly. We both enjoy having some time in the morning to reflect and relax before getting on the bikes and going, and it is helping us to slow down.
The riding today was hot, over 28 degrees C. We didn’t expect Newfoundland to be this warm, and it’s a bit of a surprise to the locals too. Apparently, this area hasn’t seen rain in July. It looks so lush that you wouldn’t know it. The morning fog must help to keep everything hydrated.
We followed the road north towards L’Anse-aux-Meadows,
a Viking village and the first sign of Europeans landing in North America, over 1000 years ago. It is hard to imagine people that long ago. It’s a UNESCO world heritage site, and quite interesting. They have reconstructed a few sod huts and allow you to go inside them, which was a definitely highlight for
Becky. We also got a chance to talk with the “Vikings”, a number of locals in
period costume who have studied the history and the sagas, and act as
interpreters.
L’Anse-aux-Meadows is about as far north as the roads go on Newfoundland, although Marie Cove on the other side of the bay may be a bit further. For our purposes, we’ll call this the northern tip of Newfoundland though.
We decided to live a little of our former life, and had dinner at the Norseman Restaurant in L’Anse-aux-Meadows – although we did limit ourselves to soups and starters. The restaurant was ranked as “one of the top 100 restaurants in Canada” a few years ago. The meal was good, but not outstanding – the butternut squash soup was very good, but the roasted root vegetable soup a bit overpowering. The “Macaroni and Cheese” had lobster, orzo and mascarpone cheese witha hint of blackberry and raspberry. Not quite your standard Kraft Dinner, and it was excellent! The restaurant definitely caters to the tourist market, serving a Lobster and Caribou surf-and-turf, but that was beyond our price range even for splurging. We suspect the locals are more likely to go to Northern Delight down in Gunners Cove for dinner – where we had a delightful lunch of crab and cod. Very tasty, more filling, and half the price of dinner.
With a late night, no campgrounds in site, and Becky’s desire for a bed for tonight, we called up the Viking Nest B&B. For $48 we get a nice queen size bed, Internet, and a full breakfast. Not a bad deal and it doesn’t kill our budget – at least not yet!