A beautiful afternoon sail-away from St. Johns, Newfoundland

 

I love when the ship does a 180o turn in place.

After the 180, the ship moves toward "The Narrows" of the inlet to the harbor.

The guide earlier today said that we would have lots of folks watching our sail-away.  She was right.

It was interesting seeing where they had taken positions to watch the departure.

Don't get too clase to the edge!

So long, Signal Hill.

The homes are colorful and seem perched on the side of the hill.

People in the square watching as we turn in place.

After the turn-around I can see "The Rooms" museum.

I can now see the Anglican Church, too.

Hey, it's the US Coast Guard in Canada.  

The pilot boats monitor our progress during the 180 performed for exiting the harbor.

Homes perched on the side of the hill.  

It was a beautiful visit in St. Johns.  The city was filled with friendly folks who seemed interested in these visitors primarily from the USA and other parts of Canada.

Visiting St. Johns, Newfoundland and Labrador

I visited Signal Hill and The Rooms

St. Johns is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador Canada.  It’s
my kind of city when they have statues to their originating dog breeds.  I didn’t get a picture, but there are several sculptures to the Newfoundland the Labrador Retriever. 

There’s some debate as to the oldest city in North America.  It’s between St. Johns, Newfoundland, and St. Augustine, Florida.  The guide was willing to give it to St. Augustine since it was incorporated first. 

St. Johns once was the site of an American Army Air Force base, Fort Pepperrell, that was established as part of the "Lend-Lease" Destroyers for Bases Agreement between the United Kingdom and United States.[11] The base included several US-manned coast defence guns.  It was a strategic location for the Allies.  The other thing that happened is 24,000 local women married American soldiers.  So, there is a connection with Newfoundland and Labrador in most places in the USA.

“The Narrows” is the only way to enter St. John.  It is a narrow passageway into the harbor.  “A skilled captain is required to navigate large ships through the Narrows, known as ‘threading the eye of the needle’.   The channel has a least depth of 36 feet and at its narrowest point near Chain Rock is 200 feet wide.

The entrance to the harbor in St. Johns is called "The Narrows."

The ship positions itself and is docked right downtown.

The building that looks like it is sinking is the geological museum for the area.

I took this picture from Signal Hill of the downtown and the ship.

Another shot of the Nieuw Statendam.

A closer look at "The Narrows" from Signal Hill.

The lighthouse as you enter "The Narrows" of St. Johns.

It must be obvious that I'm a former educator.  This lady approached me so that I could touch the iceberg.

Part of "The Rooms" is designed to be interactive for kids.  here'a cod that you open up and remove the cloth innards.  

The Rooms is a culture, history, art, and science museum.  

"Threading the needle!"  The entry is only 200 feet wide by 36 feet deep.  Signal Hill protected the entry with armaments.

The Vikings in Newfoundland

I visited the two archaeological areas of Newfoundland.  The first park was by a Canadian park with a walk on the boardwalk-covered paths of the meadows.  The second park included reenactors of life in earlier times in this area.  Here are a few of my photos of these historical sites.

This friendly guy greeted the visitors as everyone exited the tenders.

These Viking explorers are on the top of the rocks at the L'Anse aux Meadows.  This is the only confirmed Norse site in or near North America outside of the villages and settlements of Greenland.

I'm not sure if this was a Viking "condo," but you can see multiple smoke stacks coming out of this historical reconstruction.  Click here to find out more about this reconstruction with professional slides of the site and structures..    

They had markers indicating where buildings had been found and excavated.

It was a beautiful day to walk along the boardwalks through the meadows to see the exhibits.

A Viking longship under contruction in one of the buildings.  This is probably a skeid type of ship.

This woman is creating a type of fried bread eaten by the early explorers.  Note her mask.  I'm not sure Vikings had to take precautions against Covid-19.

This guy explains the blacksmith process used by the Vikings. Note the flying sparks.

A large sod covered home that houses a Viking longship.

Arrival in St. Anthony, Newfoundland Canada

The ship has arrived in St. Anthony which is a tender port.  I will be going to L'Anse aux Meadows which means “the bay with the grasslands.”  This archaeology site is believed to be a base camp for Norse/Viking exploration of North America, including regions to the south.

The weather is much warmer.  It is expected to be in the 60s today, and the temperature is comfortable as I step out to make the photos.  It is so much warmer than in Iceland and Greenland.

The lighthouse is beaming its light as we move into the harbor.

Next to the lighthouse is the "Fishing Point Emporium and Sovenir" shop.

It seems that livestock and cemeteries have the best views in most communities.  This one is next to the lighthouse.  Another one sits on the other side of the bay.

The first tender boat goes ashore to set things up for the day.

Help! They had me on the Covid-19 Ward.

An interesting thing happened when I returned to my room at lunchtime today.  There were rooms with little stools/tables sitting in front of the door.  The captain made an interesting announcement about Covid at his normal message time; he seemed a little more explicit for us to continue to follow the necessary protocols.  

It seems they had reserved the 5^th floor for those who became diagnosed with Covid during the journey,  That was part of their prevention protocol.  They ran out of rooms on the 5th floor and didn’t bother to tell the other residents on the 11^th floor of the need to use our deck.  I immediately knew what was going on along with two ladies residing down the hall (the small table was for the staff to leave food from dining services).  A new Covid patient was being escorted from the elevator to his new room on our floor.  We were confronted with the housekeeping director who wouldn’t answer questions.  He referred us to Guest Services.

I was going to lunch, but I stopped by guest services first.  They promised to have an answer to our dilemma by 4 pm.  I went to lunch and attended the two-afternoon lectures.  They ended at 4pm, and I went back to guest services.  They moved me to the 10^th floor and had a room key waiting.  There was a problem:  I didn’t plan to go back to my room.  They told me I would have to do so to pack my belongings.  Long story short, they packed my belongings and brought them to me in my new room.  

This would have been unnecessary had they been honest and let those on the 11^th floor know what was going on.  They corrected the situation for me, and I appreciate that.  However, they should not expect guests to figure out what is going on on the ship with the rooms around them.

Well, I have a nicer room.  It’s strange that I had just posted pictures of my room this morning.  Here are my new digs for the final week of the cruise.  I am unpacked in the new room.  The housekeeping staff had done such a good job of packing the suitcases that I hated to unpack again, but I did.  I left the cold weather clothes, however, in the suitcase.  

I've been Covid19-free for three years, and I plan to remain Covid-free on this ship! 🤞

My new cabin is a little bigger, but it now has a balcony.

The entertainment system is about the same, but I had to watch the safety video before it would get anything else to work.

The desk is the same, but it now has a chair instead of a stool.  I also have a couch in the room.

The party is over in one week…

 The grim reality is setting in.  The cruise ends in one week today.  I will have to pack up all my stuff and get ready for my trip home.  I hate packing!

Today is a sea day, and it’s a “foghorn” day so far.  The ship is surrounded by the fog of the North Atlantic, and the foghorn seems to be blowing every few minutes.  The Nieuw Statendam is equipped to handle it since it is one of the newest ships in the fleet of Holland America.

My room is nice, and I’m including a few shots for my blog today.  The food is absolutely delicious, and I eat most meals in the dining room.  However, when there’s a fast lunch my go-to place is the “Dive In.”  I love the hot dogs they serve.  I know it’s not a healthy lunch, but it is so good.

The cruise has required me to be very active, and I am meeting my activity goals at the 200% level.  Each day I walk over five miles and 10,000 steps.  So, there’s a good side to being on a cruise ship.

Tomorrow, I have a tour in St. Anthony, Newfoundland.  The tour is called L’Anse aux Meadows:  A Viking Experience.  The area is an archaeological site that has been excavated since the 1960s.  There are remains of Viking explorers from one thousand years ago.  It should be interesting.

Well, I’m off to hear two lectures this morning.

Here's my home away-from-home on the Nieuw Statendam.

Each cabin has a large flat screen entertainment system with access to live TV and to recorded movies.

My room is a small interior room, but I like that.  The ship holds over 2666 and was christened by Oprah Winfrey in 2019,

In addition to the bar area, I have a wall of closets and draws.  The drawers are of the soft-close variety.  I wish I had soft-close drawers in my cottage.

My favorite lunch when I must do lunch in a hurry.  It's the "Dive In Dog" with fries.  It may not be healthy, but it is said that Betty White ate a hot dog each working day for lunch prepared by the caterers.  She almost live to be 100.

Bidding adieu to Greenland

 It was a beautiful afternoon as we sailed away from Greenland.  The 24-day voyage on has one more week!

Sometimes polar bears are trapped on icebergs and end up here.

This large iceberg looks like it has a cave.

The island is beautiful, but I don't think I would like it in winter.

A local boater approaches the ship.

I bet they are going fishing.

One last look at the village of Nanortalik, Greenland.

The mountains still have snow and ice in August.

The ship makes its way to the North Atlantic.