Brigus to St. John's: Full Circle

July 17-18-19
You ever know whom you shall meet on the streets of tiny Brigus!

Cugina and I take a drive along the seashore, gasping over the mountainous beauty, the water tucked into breathtaking harbours. The remainder of the afternoon we spend on the balcony overlooking the sea.

Dennis goes cod jigging and catches some beautiful fish. His smile as he returned from the trip is priceless.

After a wander around Cupids and some gazing over the sea and sunset, we speed off for dinner.

We walk into the restaurant about 15 minutes early for our reservation. No one is there. It's unlocked, the booze is lined up, but the tables are undressed. We use the washroom, sit on the porch, muse out loud. Finally a young fella shows up who tells us everyone is at the wedding.

Turns out we're there on the wrong day (no doubt influenced by my friend Pinky).




A local takes us up the road to the "old church." We've actually been up here on our travels. Little do we know that not only is the place a restaurant, but a B & B as well. Great use of an old church!

And behind the restaurant - the Perchance Theatre! Built from wood and sails from a retired ship, it's fashioned in the style of The Globe in London, England. Too bad we missed a performance that very afternoon.

I might have been able to see Alexis Koetting, author and actress, whom I met at the Bony Blythe.





Dinner here is fabulous - cod of course - and heaps of food as usual. Now I'll have even more weight to lose, but it's been worth every mouthful.

We say goodnight to Brigus on the balcony. This little place will live on in our memory forever.

 
The drive into St. John's is brief and lovely. We visit with Wendy and Dennis's daughter's in-laws, Zoe and Rylan's Nanny and Poppy. It has turned into a very warm, glorious day.

We're lucky to be able to check into Cantwell House right away. As Cugina's booklet states, "Houses as colourful as the people who live in them. To some it's a street. To us, it's a colouring book. Paved with all sorts of tones - from the playful absurdity of mollyfodge to the subtle silvern mists of foggy dew."

Ship coming through the Narrows

This B& B is a lovely old home within walking distance to downtown. Comfy beds, every amenity, and the friendly, warm presence of owner Audrey. The best of the amenities: the deck. A breathtaking view of St. John's harbour there at our feet!

The rest of our stay is an amalgam of all the tastes, sounds, views, friendship and laughter we've experienced over the last two weeks.

So probably nothing here is in the right order!

The exhibit at The Rooms on a rainy morning - moving testimony to the loss, grief, waste, courage and determination that is the enigma of war. I am a believer in taking any other route to peace, but I know that's sometimes unrealistic when insane people rule. There are so many things we can do to prevent fear-mongering, controlling, idiotic people from dominating our lives. Okay, enough of that! Just remember this philosophical statement: As a species, people suck.


Let's go get some beer!

Sampling is fun.

I loves the Iceberg Beer the best.

Quidi Vidi ad campaign. Results may vary.

Quidi Vidi Harbour - busy, lovely.

A woman from Brooklyn (ON) gives us some fresh cod.

Dennis gives it to Audrey, our lovely B & B owner and host. Wish we could cook it up ourselves, or better still, go back to the Twine Loft and have them cook it for us!

Jellybean Row forces me to eat all the Jellybellies Cugina gave us.

Hey, you awake?

A HUGE bonus of being here in St. John's - so are Deanna and Paul!! We have an exquisite, wonderful, catch-up dinner at Bacalao. Deanna's and my next adventure: Los Angeles in September.

Music and friends!

 On the deck, we finally sang up every song that full moon knew.

The views from Signal Hill on a clear day are stupendous! Even an iceberg floated in to greet us.

Picture of John taking a picture of us.

You can see Cape Spear from Signal Hill (not pictured, sorry).

One of the best moments of this trip for me was being above the ocean on the rocks surrounding the Cape Fear Lighthouse.

Below me - whales! Dozens of them, feeding on the caplin, their beautiful, magnificent shapes enormous and gorgeous in the clear water.

John and Dennis, thankfully, have pictures of the whales, their tails as they dive below for more food.

I just have the indelible memory in my head. Mouth open and ooohing and ahhhing (me), I stood there and marveled.

One of those moments that can only be described as awe-filled. 

 I told you, you never know whom you might meet on the street. This fellow owned a gorgeous vintage car and invited me to sit in the driver's seat.

At least, he claimed he was the owner.

Petty Harbour, birthplace of Alan Doyle, stunningly beautiful.

Middle Cove, where the capelin are tumbling in the waves right into people's buckets. 

Now, this one goes on top of this one, and out come the spawn.

Marvelous late lunch/early dinner in Portugal Cove at the Beachy Cove Café, where we can watch the ocean and the ferry from Bell Island.

Need I say more? No. Just breathe in, try to savour and capture the scent of the sea. Cugina's quote says it all:

"There are places on this earth that continue to lie on inside of you long after you've traveled on. Places that drift magically in and out of your consciousness when you least expect them, but oftentimes when you need them most."

I hope you have a place like that, too.

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