Day 75 Exploring St. John's NL Last day before returning to Tennessee

 

 

Unwinding in St. John's for a day before I am homeward bound!

 

Breakfast at Tim Horton's.  Socks sold at his restaurants support camps he has established for Canadian youth from low income families.  I tried to purchase some for souvenirs, but they were out of stock at this restaurant. I searched several other Tim's restaurants, and eventually found some.

Proceeds from the sale of these socks depicting camp activities help fund the camps.  

The women cyclists in our tour supported the cause by buying socks to wear on the final day of the tour.

Tim Horton's restaurants are busy all the time.  They offer very good value, and in a way, they demonstrate Canadians' love for their hockey hero as well as the game itself.  For breakfast, the Farmers Wrap included eggs, sausage, veggies, hash browns and a large coffee for $6.72 American.  Couldn't leave without a double double coffee!

 

 

Their drive-up, as you can see, compares to Chic-fil-a in the US and is always busy.

Newfy people are very nice.  Outside of St. John's, delivery of a food order at a fast food restaurant was delivered with the greeting  "Luv"  or something  similar, as one often hears in England.  

 

 

St. John''s is known for its colorfully painted buildings like this one.

 

And a colorful Victorian home.

 

Most of the action in the city happens just north of the Harbor in the area around Water Street.  Atop the Newfoundland War Memorial stands Victory holding the Torch of Freedom with her sword at the ready.

 

 

 

 

 

This display outlined the symbolism depicted in the memorial, and you can view the entire memorial in its photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

The display below explained the significance of the Narrows in protecting the harbor.  It played a major role in protection of shipping and naval forces during WWII.

 

 

 

 

The Narrows today with Cabot Tower at the summit of Signal Hill in the upper left corner.

 

 

 This statue proclaims St. John's as the culture capital of Canada.

This statue pays tribute to the Newfoundland Dog.  Children can touch or even climb onto the statue. 

 

"The Newfoundland is a large working dog. They can be black, brown, grey, or white. However, in the Dominion of Newfoundland, before it became part of the confederation of Canada, only black and Landseer (white-and-black) colo
red dogs were considered to be proper members of the breed.^[2] They were originally bred and used as working dogs for fishermen in Newfoundland.^[3][4] Newfoundlands are known for their giant size, intelligence, tremendous strength, calm disposition, love of children and loyalty. They excel at water rescue/lifesaving because of their muscular build, thick double coat, webbed paws, and swimming abilities.^{"   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newfoundland_dog}

 

 

 

 

 

 

^{The statue does not do justice to the heavy, thick coat of the Newfoundland.  Here is a photograph that presents a better idea of the fabled coat.}

 

                                                             

 

What is not to love about the personality of the Labrador Retriever, bred from the Newfoundland dog?  The Labrador is a favorite in Tennessee, and this particular fellow is guarding my bike.

 

   

This display imparts information about the Labrador Retriever.

 

 

 

 

An active morning of sightseeing by bicycle worked up an appetite for Mary Brown's Chicken and Taters.  The chicken chain is based out of St. John's and a local arena bears Mary Brown's name, so she must be pretty good at preparing and selling Canadian chicken and potatoes.  Perhaps some of the potato farms on Prince Edward Island are part of her enterprise.

 

I live reasonably close to Nashville, and it took Mary Brown to teach me that a "Nashville Chicken Sandwich"  features sauce that is sweet, smoky, and spicy.  In short, the Nashville Chicken Sandwich has it all!  

 

 

 

Today I had planned to go to Cape Spear, the easternmost point in North America, but I changed my plans when I was told that it was the wrong season to see the Puffins there.  I have always been fascinated by Puffins, perhaps because they abound in my ancestral home of Norway.  (Did you know that their beaks become colorful only during the mating season???)  These little Puffins, who resided in a gift shop had to suffice, but they seemed to have dressed up during the mating season.

 

This piece from  the Heritage Shop in St. John's featuring Labradorite, is a gift for the lovely lady at home who as authored the blog with me.

 

"Labradorite is a member of the Feldspar family and is treasured for its remarkable play of color, known as labradorescence. The stone, usually gray-green, dark gray, black, or grayish-white, is composed of aggregate layers that refract light as iridescent flashes of peacock blue, gold, pale green, or coppery red. The predominant blue varies within the light, displaying hues from deepest blue to various shades of pale, almost blue-green."

"This crystal was first discovered in Labrador, Canada, by Moravian missionaries in 1770 who named it for the area. It is, however, referenced in legends by older Inuit tribes, and was known to be in use by the Red Paint People of Maine for over a thousand years. It became a popular gem in Europe in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries."  https://www.crystalvaults.com/crystal-encyclopedia/labradorite/

 

 

 

I am now on a plane headed for Tennessee.  It has been a marvelous journey that none of those who experienced it will forget.  That's all folks!  Thank you for joining me on this odyssey.  I hope you enjoyed the ride!

 

                                                                               Jim