July 6, 2010
Today that turned out to be 100% on July 6th when I set out on a pamphlet guided walking tour of old East End Saint John’s. With the dearth of street signs in Saint John’s just finding the starting point was no mean feat but once I located the Colonial Building in Bannerman Park the directions seemed well-written and easy to follow. Saint John’s has a diverse assortment of architectural wonders considering that the majority of buildings in the area I walked were built after the Great Fire of 1892. What continually strikes one is the mix of elegant residential homes, business establishments, and government offices existing cheek by jowl. In the course of my walking I encountered flowering lupins, liburnums, horsechestnuts, and catalpas. After visiting the Anglican Bookstore in the former Commisariat gave up when the rain continued to intensify and went downtown for late Brunch.
July 8,2010
One of those rare sunny days here. Struck out to drive the Baccelieu Trail passing the Dildos, various Hearts, Shag Rocks at Whiteway Harbour, New and Old Pelican, then back the south side through various granite cliffside villages to the city of Carbonear, Harbour Grace and return to Saint John’s after getting trapped on the expressway to the TCH. Suppose I should have done more research but with narrow, winding, hilly roads; few chances to pull off and take pictures or visit museums or cafes; this became a sightseeing journey. With all due respect to Yarmouth NS’s Lupin Trail the hillsides here are covered in them. The population centres on the trail are on the south side of the peninsula and the highways that serve them largely bypass the outport villages there.
July 11, 2010
Made it down to the Cathedral for Choral Eucharist. After walked down to George St and had a Guinness and Fish Cake Breakfast while a toddler misbehaved while his father slowly sipped an ale. I was glad to see the end of them. After finding my way down to Water Street discovered it to be one huge construction project. Reaching the former train station in West End Saint John’s involves running an obstacle course of construction and overhead highways. Once reached it sits forlornly amid super-highways just west of the container shipping plant with no tracks in sight. The college-age kids inside were not yet born when the last tracks were lifted. I was amused to note that the porter’s shoes were in desperate need of dusting and polishing. Again I spent the afternoon wallowing in yet another aspect of Newfoundland life that is no more. The Newfie Bullet opened up the interior of the island, transported goods and people to market, was a wartime means of transport but highways served to render it unprofitable so first passenger transport ended in 1969, then later it was scrapped completely when maintenance costs outstripped earnings. A single engine and a few passenger cars sit forlornly in the park just west of the station beside a couple work cars and next to them the eastern terminus of the Trans Canada Trail which uses the former railbed. Finding the actual trail at this point amid the city is not obvious.
July 16, 2010
After a rather rainy week was thankful to make it down to Holy Heart Auditorium under cool clear skies for a performance of Britten’s Albert Herring. It’s so nice to know that computers speed things up. Thanks to their efficiency, (extreme sarcasm here), the Opera was twenty minutes late starting and was held up another 20 minutes by preshow speeches. Although the tallest male on stage Albert Herring was no matinee idol and Opera in English is barely more understandable than the usual Italian. The orchestra was excellent and although a bit over-powered the singers good as well. The audience caused the first intemission to drag on to 40 minutes and despite warnings 1/4 were still not seated at the start of the third act. At 11:30 I walked home under the stars.
July 17, 2010
Even tourists have to eat and RV travellers who make their own need to go grocery shopping. I know better than to wait until a Saturday, noon at that but what the hay. Kept running into the same little old gentleman and every time his cart blocked the entire aisle. In cosmopolitan Saint John’s most things are available, even things that might surprise one but most fruits and vegetables and dairy come from off-island. I was amused to see that bedding annuals were still very much for sale in the garden centre on the parking lot in the middle of July. The liquor store next door stocked a gluten-free ale. On the fourth attempt found the recycling centre to redeem my bottle deposits. When I finally had $1.75 in hand it hardly seemed worth the effort.
July 18, 2010
Made it to and from the Cathedral for Choral Eucharist without getting wet. Finding a crush of customers at my favourite Bagel Cafe walked home stopping for Ziggy’s salads at Save Easy. Packed in Montreal I’m glad to report they did not give me food poisoning though I had second thoughts. Today, Monday, the 19th is my last full day in Saint John’s. I’ll be glad to escape the noise of traffic and sirens, overflights by Sikorsky Helicopters and jets from Torbay, and the hills of Saint John’s. I’ve also had enough of high church tradition at the Cathedral. Beadles, Vergers, bounden duty, oblations, processions, sidemen... ...too much for my blood. I need to pump my grey water tank just because and fill my fresh water while I have the opportunity. I’m thinking that since the sun is shining I should go explore the Memorial University Campus beside which I’ve been camped for a month before I leave the area especially since it’s a sunny day.
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