Welcome to 'The Rock'!

 

There are only two ways to get to the island of Newfoundland – by plane or by boat. We chose the boat route, because you can’t take an RV on a plane.

There are three ferries that take you to Newfoundland:  

• You can drive through Quebec and Labrador - it’s a 41-hour drive to get to Blanc Sablon, the town where the ferry to northwestern Newfoundland departs from;

• Take the seasonal (runs mid-June to September), 16-hour ferry from North Sydney in Nova Scotia to Argentia on the south-western side of the Avalon Peninsula;  

• Or the most popular seven-hour route from North Sydney to Port aux Basques on the south-western side of the island of Newfoundland.

We chose the latter. We booked last-minute, resulting in a longer than expected wait time. Before leaving home, D was told we could likely get on a ferry within three days. I’m glad we decided book earlier – our reservation was for three weeks out! Due to mechanical problems with the brand new (and currently only) ferry that runs from Argentia to North Sydney, travellers have often been re-routed to Port aux Basque, which is an 8-1/2 hour drive from Argentia. One woman recently complained on CBC news that her ferry reservation was cancelled due to mechanical issues on the ferry boat, and was rescheduled… for five days later! Another couple we spoke to recently had said their ferry departed over four hours late. I guess we can’t complain too much about the ferry system in British Columbia, can we?

Fortunately, we were not rescheduled, nor did the ferry leave late. And most importantly (for me) is that the weather was calm, so we had a very comfortable crossing. The only downside was that our ferry departed at 11:45pm, and we were unable to book a sleeping cabin, so slept on the reclining lounge seats with other travellers. D did not sleep well, complaining his neighbours were snoring and farting. I hope he wasn’t talking about me!

Waiting for our ferry to load

Our first impression of ‘The Rock’, the nickname many use for the island of Newfoundland, was just that - rocky. We disembarked and drove up an incline carved out through the barren stone cliffs into an area that made me think we had arrived on another planet, not another province in Canada. Rocks and boulders everywhere. No trees. The flat vista was dotted with small lakes, called ponds. In Newfoundland, just to confuse outsiders, lakes are called ponds, and ponds are also called ponds. The reason for this, I’ve learned, is that in Ireland and Scotland (where many Newfoundlanders’ ancestors originated from) there are very few bodies of fresh water large enough to call a lake, so everything there is called a pond.

In case you’re wondering, rivers, streams, creeks, and waterways in Newfoundland are all called brooks. Newfie speak. Everything in Newfoundland is just a bit different than anywhere else in Canada.

And yes, Newfoundland houses are painted bright colours, just like you see on TV and in magazines. Not all, but many are. I’ve heard numerous explanations, but the one I like most is that after many days at sea, fishermen would get off their boat and head straight to the local pub to celebrate their safe arrival home. They would then stagger up the hill in a drunken state, knowing that the house they had to head towards was the bright red one, or the light blue one, or the sunny yellow saltbox one, and not the “tird white house on da left b’ye.”

Cute story, with maybe just a little truth to it? A more credible story is that fishermen painted their homes bright colours so they could easily be seen through the fog, and stood as cheerful reminders that they were almost home after days away at sea. A comforting thought, that one.

Colourful homes along the bay at Bonavista

Whatever the reason, the small hamlets and villages we pass through each day are delightfully picturesque with their bright, colourful homes dotting the green-gray landscape along the coves and bays. Both D and I have many, many photos so far, and I’m sure plenty more will come as we make our way across the province.