Land of the Viking

L'Anse aux Meadows (56 degrees, some sunshine, windy)

About 30 minutes from our campground is a beautiful L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site where the Vikings were known to have stopped about 1000 years ago. We arrived just in time to go on a ranger led tour. Kim told us interesting stories about how this place was the first settlement of the Vikings from Greenland and Iceland in North America.  They arrived 500 years before Columbus and set up sod covered huts which was probably a staging area for about 10 years for exploring the area. She showed us where the actual huts were located which have now been returned to their original state after being excavated. In another area several huts have been recreated to demonstrate their way of life.

Visitor Center

It was also very interesting to hear about how the site was discovered in 1960 by Helge Stine and later excavated by his wife Anne and a team of archeologists.    Medieval Icelandic sagas had written about this lost Viking settlement called Vinland but no one had been able to figure out where it was located.

Kim, our interpretive guide standing where the original huts were located

Recreated sod huts

John the Viking!

Sod bricks

Afterwards we had a nice lunch and visited Norstead. It is a recreated Viking port and there were interpreters in many of the buildings to tell you more about the their way of life. A replica of the ship Leif Erickson sailed on is there too. It was built in England and taken to Greenland. Twelve men set sail in 1997 along the same route Leif and his crew had taken (1500 miles) to L'Anse Aux Meadows. It took them 86 days and a documentary and book was written about their expedition. Our guide told us one member said it was a trip of a lifetime but he'd never do it again.

Statue of Leif Erickson

Recreated Viking Ship

Our interpretive guide - he was very funny and very knowledgeable

In the evening we attended another Iceberg Festival Event in Gunner's Cove at the Northern Delights Restaurant. Our dinner was great and around 8pm there was loud knock at the door. In came three mummers dressed in colorful clothing. This was a recreation of what happens all around Newfoundland during the 12 days of Christmas. The mummers wear masks and disguises and part of the fun is guessing who is behind the mask.  Everyone knows everyone in these small villages. They danced with some of the diners and there was a small band playing traditional music. We heard more about the ugly stick and how mummers  used it to ward off  mean dogs which protected the owner of the house. It was also used to rap on the door and add accompaniment to the music which was played.

Weaving was done by the women. They wove the sails used on the Viking ships

We've seen some more icebergs in the coves as we explore the small villages outside of St. Anthony. It's been a fun time. Stay tuned for more. We are planning a nice hike tomorrow.

Icebergs Dead Ahead

St. Anthony, NL (42 degrees, cloudy, chilly, occasional fog and rain)

After a brief stay in Cow Head and a quick glimpse of the stunning Gros Morne National Park (we will return here later) we are now at the top of Newfoundland in the small town of St. Anthony. We are here for the Iceberg Festival and within a few minutes after dropping off our rigs have seen ICEBERGS - lots of them - in the bay near the downtown area. We are over the moon in excitement and thrilled to see them so close to the shore.

Our campground for the next seven days is Pistolet, a provincial campground about 20 minutes from the downtown. It's a primitive campground without any type of hookups. There is WYFI but only at the ranger station. It's very pretty and our site is surrounded by fir trees and very private.  It's also very reasonable at $95 for a seven night stay.

We explored the town after setting up and found out where our boat tour will depart in the morning for an up close view of the icebergs.

 

The next morning we were up early to arrive at the dock for our Discovery Boat Tour. Our guide was very funny and did a great job of telling us all about 1) how the icebergs arrive here in St. Anthony - it's a two year journey after breaking off of glaciers in Greenland, 2) the ice is over 10,000 years old, 3) the blue color is caused by the snow melting and then running down into crevasses and refreezing. There is less oxygen in this ice and the light refraction makes it look blue, 4) they melt in less than two months, 5) only 1/8 of the iceberg is visible on the top of the water, 6) the little icebergs are called bergie bits, 7) they travel about 1/2 mile an hour unless they get stuck along the shoreline.

Barry and me in our Iceberg Watching Hats

One of the crew members caught a bergie bit in a net and broke it up for all of us to see and taste. Wow!  I hope 10,000 year old bacteria isn't a problem with my system. LOL! He also advised against consuming any yellow iceberg ice. It could be dinosaur pee. We are enjoying the Newfoundlanders sense of humor. Many of the restaurants use it for ice in your drinks. There is a beer, rum, and vodka made with the melted ice and a manufacturer also bottles it as a drinking water. We saw a boat hunting for icebergs while on the tour. What an interesting job to have on your resume - "what is your occupation?"..."I'm an iceberg hunter"

Iceberg Hunters

Most of our time was spent viewing the icebergs. He did attempt to find a whale but was not successful. It was a spectacular trip and seemed to go by so quickly.

In the evening we went to the Grenfell Center for a Kitchens Party which was part of the Iceberg Festival. They offered samplings of some of the Newfoundland dishes such as toutons (fried bread dough), codfish cakes, fish and brewis (cod and hard bread), and scallops wrapped in bacon. They had a larger crowd than expected and the meal was a bit chaotic. Afterwards, however, the entertainment was excellent. The band consisted of three members who were very funny and played well together. Our friends played an ugly stick and there was lots of dancing mostly done by women which was fun to watch. Many of the songs included crowd participation and we all really enjoyed the evening. Our first day at the festival is off to a great start. So stay with us and see what adventures await.

Viking Dinner Sod Hut

Our first Moose