The world can't weigh you down when you're standing on top of it.

This photo accurately describes the title of our post today.

Captain Blackmore's Heritage Manor, Port Union

After a rough day with high winds and rain, we awoke today to sun, so very thankful. After a hearty breakfast at the Blackmore home, we ventured north to the little village of Elliston, home of Puffin Island and self proclaimed root cellar capital of the world. After searching for at least one puffin, we gave up. They come to this spot to mate and breed and are usually gone to the open ocean by mid-September. We then continued on our way to Cape Bonavista, the spot where John Cabot allegedly first arrived in 1497. When he left England he was looking for a sea route to Asia. What he found was the northeastern coast of North America, and a sea full of fish near the "newe founde lande". Cabot's report set off a rush by European nations to exploit this new, and apparently unlimited, source of fish. Thus began an international fishery that has lasted for 500 years.

"Where have all the puffins gone?"

These root cellars dotted the landscape in Elliston and they are still functional today.

Such a rugged beautiful coastline. I'm pretty sure I could live here and never get tired of the vistas.

Blowing a gale and he just needed to get closer to the edge to get this shot.

Dungeon Provincial Park - a really unique 'sinkhole' with 2 channels through it where the ocean swirls around.

These Newfoundland vistas are incredible. The photos really don't do justice.

Cape Bonavista Lighthouse, still in operation, the last lighthouse keeper was stationed here in 1960.

 Still on the Bonavista Peninsula, awesome!

 Fish flake - once used for drying cod.

 Statue of John Cabot at the point where he may have landed back in 1497.

Not sure whether it's the rough weather or lack of maintenance, but these flags sure needed replacing, they were in tatters.

The quaint seaside village of Bonavista. Love these little harbours.

Our mini hike at Terra Nova National Park. Selfies aren't getting any better but the wind is still blowing!

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving." Lao Tzu

Another day done and we are tucked away in an old captain's house (Captain Blackmore's Heritage Manor) that has been renovated to run a bed and breakfast in Port Union. Captain Blackmore was the current owner's great grandfather and he and his wife returned to this little seaside village to restore the family home and welcome visitors to this beautiful part of Canada.
Our day began with a lovely walk through the MUN Botanical Gardens at Oxen Pond near St. John's. Andrew (my plant guy) had this on our to do list, so away we went and were not disappointed. The rain held off and we were able to do all the trails and visit the gardens.
** Just a reminder, if you want to see any of the pictures on a larger scale, just click on them!

At the entrance to the botanical gardens. He loves visiting these places!

Not too bad for a selfie!! About halfway through the trails with Oxen Pond in the background.

There were fire extinguishers located all through the woods - if a forest fire got out of hand, not sure how efficient these would be.

Find the gnome!

A beautiful heath and heather garden.

So far the only moose we've seen is this one, Morris located at the Goobies Big Stop. Fun fact - the estimated 150,000 moose in this province are descendants of 4 New Brunswick moose introduced to Newfoundland in 1904.

View from the Captain's house. Love these ocean vistas - think I might have to move somewhere with a view of the water.

Entrance into our bed and breakfast home for tonight. Very creative with their flooring.

"Like as the waves make towards the pebbl'd shore, so do our minutes, hasten to their end." William Shakespeare

Newfoundland - a province that rivals Nova Scotia for it's rugged coastline, it's quaint fishing villages and weather that can change hourly. The forecast was for periods of sun today, so we quickly decided to take advantage of this and headed for Cape Spear, located on the Avalon Peninsula and the easternmost point of land in North America. Because of the proximity to convoy routes during World War II, a gun battery was installed at Cape Spear to defend the entrance to St. John's Harbour. A lighthouse has been in operation there since 1836.

The waves crashing on the shore at Cape Spear. It was mesmerizing.

 It was very cold and windy, but the sun was trying to break through.

 The Cape Spear lighthouse.

 Another, better shot of the lighthouse with the light showing up nicely.

 Very rocky hiking up to the lighthouse with caution being taken with the steps to keep people away from the cliffs.

 Coming home. One of my dreams is to live in a lighthouse for about 6 months.

 The angry waves of the Atlantic Ocean.

 The pretty little village of Petty Harbour, note the tank located on the side of the mountain. Not sure how they managed to get that up there.

Another shot of Petty Harbour - very narrow entrance.

"The Rooms" was a recommended attraction to go to in St. John's. This is Newfoundland and Labrador's largest cultural centre. You can read more about it here. Well worth the senior's entrance fee.

 And Andrew played dress up. I don't think he would meet the height requirements if this coat is any indication.

View of the entrance to St. John's Harbour, very narrow and hidden.

 I had to get out and capture this shot. I'm sure these houses have been photographed numerous times.

And after many twists and turns we managed to find Quidi Vidi, another quaint village tucked away on the coast.

And finished off our day with wood fired pizza from Piatto. Very yummy.

Looking forward to tomorrow as we leave St. John's and head for the Bonavista Peninsula and a night at Captain Blackmore's Heritage Inn. Hope the storm doesn't hinder our stops at the botanical gardens and hiking the Skerwink Trail.

"It's a mausey day." (a foggy, wet day)

Another adventure has begun with my guy, this time to Canada's easternmost province, Newfoundland. I have never been here, so I anticipate learning about and experiencing the culture here. It was an early rise at 4 am, but when I'm headed to an airport, no hour is too early.

Sunrise at Halifax International Airport as we wait to board our flight.

I could not figure out why, when I took this picture from the window of the plane the propellors seemed to stop, very strange.

From the top of the iconic Signal Hill. Very wet, cloudy, a bit foggy and mostly chilly. We may have to find a place to purchase mitts, scarves and toques tomorrow.

A long way to Europe.....

An indication of the wind atop Signal Hill, showing off my new Ragmaw bag. It's so lovely.

 Tucked away in an alley, our evening dining took us to "The Duke of Duckworth", a replication of a typical English pub and the best fish (even though it was cod!).

 The Duke is very comparable to a fine English pub, including serving Guinness on tap and showing rugby on the screens. 

We are going to try and keep you updated as we travel through this beautiful province, mostly through photos. Looking forward to a little sunnier weather tomorrow!!

The Lord is my shepherd; I have all that I need. He lets me rest in green meadows; He leads me beside peaceful streams. He renews my strength. He guides me along right paths, bringing honour to His name. Psalm 23:1-3 (NLT)

We are back on Canadian soil now, but we wanted to give you a taste of our last day in England. A beautiful sunny day, so we ventured out on a train to Brighton, a seaside resort on the south coast of England. It was very busy with lots of tourists and after about an hour of wandering the streets, we decided to jump on a bus (double decker, top level!) and head farther east to 'The Seven Sisters', a series of chalk cliffs by the English Channel. What a beautiful spot, it was so lovely to escape the hustle and bustle of Brighton. We hiked a loop trail towards the sea and had great views of the cliffs! In England we found getting around by train and bus to be reasonable in cost and very efficient. Two return tickets from Gatwick to Brighton cost us 20 pounds sterling and there were trains running about every 15 minutes.

 A seaside resort city, Brighton features an amusement park on the pier, which opened in 1899. It is advisable to wear a hat due to many circling seagulls.

 An attempt at a selfie with the pier  and the groyne. 

 The doughnut groyne is a groyne (a water current-interrupting wharf-like structure) with a big doughnut statue on it. Quite curious.

 Noting two things, the tall ride (think flying sauce moving up a very tall column) and Laurel's toned calves. (Andrew wrote this one!)

The Royal Pavilion looks like Aladdin should be flying from it on a magic carpet. It was begun in 1787 as a royal summer dwelling. 

There were creative buskers in Brighton, this one dressed as a zebra playing the piano. He was quite talented and had quite an audience. 

Due to slight misinterpretation of the map, we took the scenic route to the coastal trail.

 You can just see the glow of the cliffs in the distance. I wonder if the innumerable sheep enjoy the view?

 This is what we came to see!

 Well worth the slow bus ride and the warm walk. It was hard to leave. 

 The coastguard cottages with Laurel contemplating living in an isolated area.

The first of the seven sisters, called Haven Brow, is 253 feet high. Click on the picture to see the people on top.

 On the train, heading back to Gatwick, not pregnant, but I think I qualified as the guy with the cane?

Perhaps a more literate society, many of the ads in the train stations were for newly published novels.

A few observations as I close off this trip blog. This vacation was wonderful, rating as one of the top 3 trips I've taken with Andrew. The daily challenge of walking 8 to 14 miles and reaching your next destination (and luggage) was very satisfying and the overall accomplishment of completing the 100 miles of trail was so rewarding. It certainly wasn't easy and I know I would never attempt it by myself, but after the second day, we just knew what we had to do and did it. 

Some things that are different in Britain than in Canada - they don't have facecloths, which kind of makes sense (less laundry), the majority of places we stayed did not have an upper sheet on the bed, just a sheet over the mattress and a duvet (again less laundry, but not sure about this!). Their public transit is affordable and very efficient. They could use some refinement on their currency (the 50 pound note was too wide for my wallet) and the tuppence seems a bit redundant.  

The Cotswold Way was an experience that was well worth the time and effort it took to plan and execute. The National Trust historic sites along the path were fascinating. The Cotswold Way is one of the 15 National Trails and as such is well marked and maintained. In Britain there are many public footpaths maintained for the enjoyment of all and I wonder if we should be taking note here in Canada and developing similar trails.

Thank you to all who have been reading along - cheerio for now!