The day started with bright sun and warmish temperatures. We had an excursion to go to L’Anse aux Meadows National Historic Park. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is believed to be the first European settlement in North America.
Saint Anthony is on the northern tip of the island part of Newfoundland. It is part of the Viking Trail. It is also famous for having huge icebergs floating in the bays and harbors and there is a big festival in June to celebrate their arrival. We did not see any icebergs on our visit.
We learned about Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, who came to this area in the early part of the 19th century. He built hospitals, schools and orphanages to help the poor native Inuit and European settlers. There was a museum dedicated to him and what he did to help build the community.
The town of Saint Anthony has a population of 2,000. It used to be a fishing village, but with different rules and regulations fishing has been pushed aside as the main way to earn a living. Now the hospital is the largest employer. There are over 100,000 moose in Newfoundland. People hunt them as well as caribou, black bears and seals. When hunted all parts of the animal is used. The hunting is not for sport.
Along the roadside were huge piles of cut wood. We learned that many people in this area use wood stoves for warmth and even cooking. They can get a permit to cut wood for $25 and people are respectful of the already cut wood and don’t take it.
As we drove, there were many coves and lakes.
When we reach the park, we were able to walk through seeing the remains of the original Viking settlement. There were some structures that had been recreated.
We then boarded our school bus (no fancy coaches here) and drove about 3 minutes to a locally sponsored site called, Norstead. It was a site that had reenactment of Viking times. There was a Viking boat replica. Various buildings with a blacksmith, weavers, potters and even ax throwing.
As you can see from the photos, we had a lovely sunny day, but very windy.
Bette and Bob See the World 
Recent Comments