It’s Wednesday morning and we are sitting at the Ferry port waiting for the weather in Labrador to clear enough for us to make the two hour journey across.. We have been waiting since 09:00 and its getting close to 11:30. The ceiling is about 75 m. above us with intermittent rain, fog and gusty winds. Apparently more so on the other side. NOTE to follow up – we decided (and by we I mean our guide Marion) not to chance it and returned to Shallow Bay where we could get rooms. Another tour group did make the crossing eventually as they couldn’t get accommodations here in Newfoundland. BUT they also couldn’t dock in Labrador! I think it was somewhere around 10:30 at night before they made land – all those hours on stormy, rainy, seas!

I’m pleasantly stuffed from eating lunch early – nothing much else to do and listening to the soft cadence of our driver Brendan, chatting with another driver. I notice he makes an effort to speak “English” for us but lapses in “newfoundlandese” (his word not mine) talking to another local – very musically soft and hypnotic.

Up until now the weather has been perfect – sunny and quite warm. But as they say, “if you don’t like the weather, wait an hour…. OR as seems to be the case here, drive an hour”

Yesterday was L’Anse Aux Meadows. I’ve always roughly translated that to Meadow Bay or maybe Bay of Meadows. Turns out to be nothing of the kind! It’s named for Medea, which was a popular French ship’s name of the time. Personally not a name I’d have chosen – Medea was not a nice character in mythology.

Anyway, as I said earlier I had been looking forward to L’Anse aux Meadows for many, many years. I’m deeply disappointed with the tour company – not nearly enough time was allocated for the visit and we were rushed through the centre and the actual site. What little I did see was fascinating, but alas not nearly enough time. It isn’t just me either so I’m not whining unnecessarily.

Because we count not get to Labrador and see the Basque Whaling Station ( a gruesome part of natural history but important to see I think) we ended up with a sort of free day. Four of us decided to hike up Lookout Mountain in Gros Morne. I freely admit to being woefully unfit but my left foot (!) is still bothering me (plantar fasciitis) and it was evident early on that I’m also not entirely recovered from bronchitis….thats my story and I’m sticking to it! Susan on the other hand is an absolute machine – totally puts me to shame! A new goal when I get home – much more cardio