Introduction –

While vagabonding and hiking in Europe over the past four years, many comments were made along the way about my neglect of the excellent hiking opportunities in my own country; Canada.  This year I’m off to Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), Nova Scotia (NS) and Prince Edward Island (PEI) to compare with hiking in Spain, Portugal, France and Germany. 

Departure from Hamilton is May 17 to pick up an early morning CanJet flight from Toronto to Halifax.  In the early afternoon Acadian Bus Lines should take me from the airport to Antigonish .  Continuing my practice in Europe, I have a reservation for my first night’s accommodation and will play it by ear after that, except that my wife (Leda) and I have a reservation in Holyrood NL on May 30, the day of her arrival. 

The itinerary from Antigonish is tentative to non-existent, except for the ferry from N. Sydney, NS to Port-aux-Basques NL (probably overnight), meeting Leda in St. John’s and taking ViaRail from Halifax to Montreal on June 14.  Hiking opportunities in Cape Breton and western Newfoundland are plentiful but apparently not like the long distance trails that I usually chose in Europe.  We will have a car rental in and around St. John’s so hiking will be more incidental there.  

Gros Morne National Park, Bonavista Peninsula, Cape Spear and PEI are some of the “musts” while St. Anthony and Labrador are on the “if possible list”.  Bus will be the normal means of long distance transportation it seems, although schedules on the internet (apart from the PAB/St.John’s run) are lacking and that could be limiting.  Another probable limiting factor is the weather.  Mid-June is generally seen as the start of the tourist season so May could well be on the cool side.  Also rain and wind can be expected regularly (rain at least one day in three?).  Thus there will be some challenges but then it is almost as far away as you can get from Disneyland in North America so that’s a draw for me.  

May 16, 2006

Twelve hours to departure and counting.  Almost packed.  Checked the weather forecasts for Eastern Canada and the good news is that temperatures are about normal for this time.  Bad news is that rain or showers are in the forecast everywhere for the next week.  We almost put departure on hold this morning when a pain in the back that started a few days ago was so bad this morning I had trouble getting out of bed.  However, with tylenol, a hot/cold back patch, some exercises and leaning on my walking stick I now have some mobility, so it is push on regardless. 
 
 
 
 
 

So far so good.  Steps have to be taken very gingerly so my walking progress is not good yet.  Getting used to older pedestrians passing me is hard to accept.  However, I am in better shape than yesterday. 

I am in Antigonish staying on the St. Francis Xavier University campus in Thompson Hall!  This post is from the campus library.  The accomodation is good, I have my own door and the shared washroom facilities are just around the corner.  One thing that I am missing is a TV set and tonight is a big game for the Oilers.  I just learned that the campus pub closes at 8 but my hosts have directed me to two nearby local establishments that will be carrying the game.  I have to check out at 10 tomorrow so haven’t decided whether I should stay up until morning to watch it.

Travel arrangements worked well.  Leda drove me to Pearson and I got to the gate just as Canjet was calling the flight.  It was pretty full, left on time and arrived on time after a smooth flight.  Acadian Bus Lines have an agent in the Halifax air terminal so I got my ticket to Antigonish learning that a new bus had been added that would leave at noon in addition to the one I knew about leaving at 2:30. 

A lunch counter there has four computers for customer use so I had an early sandwich to make use of them.  Two of the four were occupied and the other two weren’t working.  The waitress restarted them but the one I chose froze again before long after sending messages that I should buy anti-spyware.  The other computer gave problems to another patron but he was able to send a short message by going through Netscape.  He passed along his experience so I got my messages out that way and passed along the same advice to the next user.  

After that I moved over to the Tourist Information counter to try to establish whether there were any local buses from Port Hastings along the west coast of Cape Breton.  The very pleasant attendant didn’t think that there were any nor did the Acadian agent.  The bottom line was that I should check locally to be sure.

When checking weather forecasts for the Atlantic region before leaving I was afraid that the New England storms would make their way north so I was pleasantly surprised when I went outside to catch the bus to be met with bright sunshine.  There were two people on the bus when it arrived (one an off duty driver) and three of us got on board.  The scenery to Truro is pretty boring; mainly scrub brush.  After a 10 minute stop there we moved on to New Glasgow but I slept most of the way.  After another 10 minute break it was on to Antigonish.  The scenery became more interesting with rolling hills and not so much brush.  Only two of us travelled to Antigonish and we left the driver on his own to go on to Sydney I expect; not a very profitable run.

The bus stops right on the St FX campus and after a couple of enquiries I located the residence office right at 3, when they opened.  I have a map of the campus now but haven’t got it all figured out yet.  There are a lot of buildings, some interesting looking structures, but all look older although well maintained.

A demain.

What a  surprise!  I am changing plans because I am not yet in shape to do any hiking.  This is a shame because the weather couldn’t be better.  I have now booked my passage on the ferry from N. Sydney to Port aux Basques for tonight’s sailing at 11:30.  The bus from St FX doesn’t leave until 5:30 so I have lots of time to rest.  Hopefully that will do me some good.

I caught 2 periods of hockey last night at The Piper’s Pub just off campus.  Heard this morning that the Oilers added a second goal in the third period.  Way to go Oilers! 

I had a reasonably good sleep last night but getting out of bed was still a chore.  Upon checking out around 9:00 I learned that the campus cafeteria was closed but did pick up an orange juice and croissant at a variety store on campus.  Just like Europe but not nearly as good. 

I forgot to bring a cap with me and since it looks like the sun will predominate today I picked up a St. FX cap at the bookstore.  Since it is close to the Acadian office I phoned Marine Atlantic to make sure that I could get on board tonight’s sailing and then bought my bus ticket.  The agent kindly offered to keep my back pack.  

One thing that is very evident is the friendliness of the people here in Antigonish.  Most people that you meet on the street greet you with ” how are you doing”, “beautiful day” etc.  The staff at the residence office asked if I got to see the hockey game and one of them walked around the corner to show me the exact location of the variety store. 

i spent a half hour checking out the GPS.  It works well away from buildings.  It should be interesting on the water.

Next post from somewhere on the Rock I hope.

I did a little more slow walking yeaterday to try to get my back in shape.  I didn’t feel like going very far so I wasted some more time in the library and made a few interesting discoveries on the GPS.  They have pictures of notable graduates all around the library but I couldn’t find one of Scott Spurgeon.

The bus ride to North Sydney was uneventful apart from finding a woman’s purse on the seat I had chosen.  The driver knew that it belonged to a student that had just departed so she likely has it back now.  Scenery wasn’t great (but a little better that from the airport to Truro) until we got to Cape Breton, although I could have missed something because I had a couple of naps.  CB is very hilly (or mountainous) and there is plenty of water not far away.  Coming into N. Sydney there was fog but no real rain.

 The bus goes right to the ferry terminal and as soon as I picked up my backpack from the bus an agent was there to ask if I wanted to check it, which I did of course.  Everything seemed very well organized so i had my ticket in 5 minutes, got some helpful information from the Newfoundland Tourist booth and spent a half hour having a forgettable meal in the terminal cafeteria.  Just before I finished it was time for the “walk-ons” (about a dozen) to board.  The same agent that took my backpack suggested I take the elevator up to the 5th deck.  Our ferry was the MV Lief Erickson, apparently the smallest and oldest of the fleet.  It seemed plenty large to me.  I did one tour around the 5th deck and was then the first to claim a seat in the unreserved section right at the prow.  It was still two hours to departure at 11:30.  The chairs are quite comfortable for sitting (much like those on the bus) but trying to sleep in them for six or seven hours was something else.  I did sleep of course but it wasn’t what you call a sound sleep. The crossing was calm so rough seas weren’t to blame. 

At daybreak the captain announced that breakfast was being served so most made their way to the cafeteria (at the stern) including me.  That was an adventure.  The morning is the worst time for my pain anyway but after being scrunched in various positions for six hours I lurched from one support to the next while everyone else just speed along.  Although the sea was calm the ship was rolling mildly which impaired my ability to keep on an even keel.  I made a stop at the washroom along the way too (somebody opened the door for me) so I think it was a twenty minute jouney.  I was really aching so sat down at the nearest table to rest.  It wasn’t long before I saw that you pick up your breakfast on a tray and carry it to a table.  I instantly knew that I would never make it with my cane and backpack so I made the return trek to my seat (after an extended rest) thinking that there would be time to have breakfast in the terminal building when we disembarked.  The captain announced that we would be docking in about an hour so I looked out the window (or is it a porthole even when it isn’t round) and tried the GPS.  It worked well.  We were 25 km out heading a few degrees east of north and moving at 25 kph.  It was a little foggy but you could still make out that there were bluffs. 

 Just when it seemed that docking was imminent the captain advised that we were going to do a circle to delay our arrival for some reason.  I knew that the bus departed at 8:00 (courtesy of the pleasant woman at the Tourist booth) but wasn’t worried because there was lots of time.  Then a new factor was introduced.  The walk-ons have to wait for all the vehicle traffic to depart first.  We were still waiting at 7:50 so i asked the burser if the bus pulled  right into the terminal building.  “Yes she’ll be there for you”, he replied.  There was some problem getting the vehicles off including one motorcyclist in full leathers who had lost his keys.  Last I heard they were going to empty the waste bins looking for them.  It was close to 8:30 when we boarded the bus but no one seemed annoyed or flustered.  On the contrary everyone was very happy.  Welcome  to newfoundland.

The landscape around Port aux Basques is pretty rugged with lots of cliffs.  Then it becomes hilly and mountainous with a lot of bush along the way.  Again I can’t describe it in much detail because I was regularly taking naps. 

I missed my breakfast in PAB of course so when we got to the Irving Station in Cornerbrook I figured that I had to get some OJ and take my medication anyway.  The Tourist Office was right across the highway (4 lanes at that point) so I carefully chose my time and hustled across as best I could, but the office was closed.  I had a map of CB, from the same lady in N Sydney, and decided to walk to the Valley Mall where my internet sources told me there was internet access in the library.  I hadn’t figured how long it was but I could see that it was all downhill.  As I went along I seemed to get more stable but it was a long walk so I had a bowl of chili at Tim Horton’s before getting to the Mall. 

I’ll have to continue next time because I think that they are ready to put me out now and I still need to find a place to stay.

It has been so long since I was here I forget how this works and I couldn’t figure out how to delete my prevous comment.   Maybe when I get home.  To continue:

I was hoping to see a B&B on my way downtown but that didn’t happen and I eventually got to the Vallet Mall and to the second floor where I understood there was a library.  Of course there wasn’t but a young lady gave me directions to the library and it was on the same street.  Heading across the parking lot I met a man walking his dog who complemented me on my neat St. FX cap.  He was an alumnus and we had a nice chat.  He did the Around the Bay marathon in Hamilton some 20 years ago.  The lady didn’t say how far the library was but it was across from a service station.  Just like Costa Rica you are either walking uphill or downhill and this was my time to go uphill for a good km.  I registered at the library and spent about 1 1/2 hrs catching up.  The library is in the Justice building and when I left from the side door two RCMP officers had a handcuffed man with a seriously bandaged arm who was complaining about where they were about to take him.  I phoned a B&B and got directions but the woman said she was just going out.  No problem though; I should just let myself in and get settled in room 5. On my way there (still uphill) I made a mental note of some interesting walking paths on the way.  Later on I got information about the trail and a good Chinese restaurant right across from the Justice building.  I found the trail easily and it was very pretty along a stream but i missed the exit to the Justice building and went right downtown again, 2+ KM.  I  had a good Italian meal with a glass of wine and was now pretty tired.  My back was quite a bit better but not 100%. 

There were two Newfoundlander guests at breakfast both visiting their spouses in the hospital across the street.  One was from Port aux Basques and worked on the ferry.  I didn’t understand too much he said.  It was then back up the hill to the visitor’s information centre and it was open but looked like it had been ransacked.  I went to the gift shop next door where I was directed to an attached office.  They were in the process of relocating.  Dean was the attendant and was very helpful.  I had planned to give my back some more rest and go directly to St. Anthony, leaving Gros Morne to do on  my return.  The problem was that there was no bus there until Monday at 4:00pm, three days away.  Not wanting to spend four days in Cornerbrook,  Dean suggested that I could catch a shuttle to Deer Lake and from there there were two bus lines that shuttled people to the coast.  That sounded like a good compromise, I could get to Gros Morne anyway.  I had time to spare so asked about another trail that looked to be nearby.  It started right across the street winding up above a gorge with great views.  That sounded like just what the doctor ordered and it was.  The round trip was a good three km and very enjoyable.  After lunch Dean drove me downtown to catch the shuttle to Deer Lake.  It was a taxi and we picked up another passenger a block away from my B&B.  He had been doing some work at the hospital.  He was going to the airport but on the way we passed the Deer Lake Visitors Centre so I was dropped back there.  My first order of business was to find a B&B and the attendant again was very helpful.  She phoned about a dozen within walking distance (it was now raining) but they either didn’t answer the phone, were full or wanted $70.  There was a ray of hope though, one lady thought she might have a cancellation within an hour.  After that that I learned that the shuttles to the coast didn’t run on weekends.  I went next door to the Irving bus stop for a snack and to see if there might be any truckers going north that would take a passenger.  Everyone in the restaurant looked like families except one guy that might have been a trucker but I couldn’t come to ask him.  It was still raining so I thought that I might have a chance hitching a ride so I went over to the underpass to try my luck.  I had none so after 15 minutes I went back to the Visitors Information Centre where she gave me the news that there was indeed a cancellation and they would pick me up. 

It was a small neat house run by a retired couple (him from construction and her from barbering).  She left almost immediately for a 90th birthday party leaving me to chat with her husband.  It was pretty well a one-way conversation focused on the stupidity of politicians, the raw deal that Newfoundlanders got from Ottawa and even arguments that the island shouldn’t be called a “rock”.  He is apparently a very good “amateur” artist and sculptor so I got a few stories on how crappy and expensive the stuff was in the souvenir shops compared to his work and prices. He gave me a few suggestions for a place to eat including a new Chinese restaurant that was fine.  Although he drove me there, I walked back in a light rain.  On the way I met a man walking the other way on the other side of the street.  “Lovely evening, isn’t it buddy”, he said or something to that effect.  The lady of the house was back when I returned and not wanting to engage in further “conversation” with Art, I found a hockey game on TV and went to the living room to say goodnight.  They had one question; “Are you a smoker?”.  When I answered in the negative they explained that they had an alarm system that they out on at night and one guest went outside for a smoke at night and set off the siren.  I expressed surprise that an alarm system was needed in Newfoundland and mentioned the folk song “There’s no Padlocks on the Doors in Newfoundland”.  They agreed that it wasn’t necessary but it seemed to make their guests more comfortable.  Then Art started talking about Newfoundland singers, including Roy Payne.  They were surprised that I had heard of him so I related the comment that my late brother Doug made when Roy was a special guest at the Luskville Hotel where he played in the house band.  He told me that he was the best song-writer, singer, musican that he had ever heard but that he would never amount to anything because of his drinking and pill taking habits.  Well, they both said that he had hit the nail right on the head.  They also added a few other problems that he had no doubts about his musical talent.  Art went to elementary school with Roy and as they were the oldest it was their job to start the fire in the belly pot stove.  There was a younger and very much smaller pupil that the put into the stove one morning, warning him that he would pay dearly if he let out a peep.  When the teacher who was 16 came inshe took off her coat rubbed her hands and went to check on the stove.  When she opened the lid and saw only two white eyes looking out at her, she went hysterical and fainted.  Art thinks that they were suspended for a day for that caper.  There were many more that he related as well about school, the people Roy owed money to, the children he has fathered, etc. etc.  I missed my hockey game.

I’m thinking that this blog will need some serious editing but for now I will just try to get up to date.  I am having some trouble finding where I left off but if I remember well it was just after relating the stories about Roy Payne, so here goes:

Not being able to get to St. Anthony or anywhere in Gros Morne I broke down and rented a car at the airport for two days to drive to St. Anthony.  Having some research to carry out in and around Flower’s Cove my revised plan was to check into the only B&B there and then drive ahead toward St. Anthony time permitting.  It appeared that there would not be time to take the ferry to Labrador but I did hope to hike into Western Brook since a few people had recommended it.  The guy who cancelled his room at the B&B had visited Anse aux Meadows, the Viking settlement, and was allowed through by workers doing renovations to the building prior to its reopening in June.  This would be a bonus because I had written it off knowing that it wouldn’t be open.  Art drove me to the airport and I got a small Chevvy with unlimited miles for $115.  It was a very pleasant and scenic drive through Gros Morne and north along the Gulf of St. Lawrence.  Art and others had warned me about moose on or beside the road and there were signs exhorting caution because there had already been 12 collisions this year.  I couldn’t see that they would be as big a hazard as deer because they are the size of a horse, they aren’t skittery and the brush along the road is cleared back a good way.  I wasn’t disappointed because I noticed two on my way to Flowers Cove.  Lunch  was a cod burger in a little snack shop along the way.  They said that the cod had been caught that morning.

At Anchor’s Point I located the cemetery where a friend’s acquaintance was buried in March 1946.  I checked into the French Island B&B in Flowers Cove that was located right next to St Barnabas Anglican Church (known as the “seal skin church” because much of the money raised to build it in 1920 was from the sale of seal skin pouches).  It is very well maintained.  The  B&B owners are the Chambers, retired school principal and teacher, a very pleasant and welcoming couple.  They agreed that there was time to get to St Anthony and back before dark so I set off shortly to make the run.  The coast at this point is the Strait of Belle Islewith Quebec and Labrador visible in the distance.  There are several villages along the coast and it is very picturesque.  Once the road turns inland the scenery is pretty boring but near Anse aux Meadows it becomes bleak and even eery especially in the rain.  The temperature dropped to four degrees and a strong wind from the east make it very chilly.  Nonetheless I made the short trek from the parking lot to the door of the building and was not surprised to find it locked.  I peaked inside to look for workers but there were none because it was Sunday.  I read the plaques and drove on around all the coastal roads that I could find (including Quirpon) hoping to see a glimpse of a whale or an iceberg.  There may have been both but visibility was very limited so I wiped out on that score too.  I moved on to St. Anthony and passed by the Grenfell Mission but I knew that it was closed too.  St A. is a larger town that I had expected but not much of significance on a drive through (except a large hospital).  Outside town again there is a very pretty raod skirting the coast that I would have liked to explore but my time was running out.  I had dinner at a very busy family restaurant in Flowers Cove.  Everyone there seemed to know everyone else but although I tried I couldn’t seem to pick up any of the conversations.

Back at the B&B it was time for the Oilers/Ducks hockey game.  Although there was a TV in my room I watched the first two periods with Mr. C. because he is an avid and very knowledgeable hockey fan (and a Canadiens supporter).  I was afraid that he would stay up for the third period just to keep me company but I found out in the morning that he watched it too.

In the morning I had a nice chat with Mrs. C. about the history of the community, her early teaching years and the seal pouch Church.  On my way backI detoured into St. Barbe to see the ferry to Labrador (the Apollo) ready to depart.  For a moment I thought about seeing if I could board and come back on the next trip but decided against it.  I really needed to get some hiking in.  For no good reason I made another side trip to the point of Port aux Choix.  For a break I pulled into the Lion’s Club RV park and campground where two guys were hoisting flags by the beach.  There were three flags, Canadian, Newfoundland and one other that I thought from a distance was the US flag.  Then I noticed that if it was the stars and stripes it was upside down.  Just as I was debating whether I should investigate by getting closer, they drove over to greet me, ask where I was from and what I was doing, etc.  When I said that I was here to do some hiking in Gros Morne, they pointed to the point of land in the distance and said that there was a very good trail up there that would take a few hours.  I thanked them for the info and asked what the third flag was.  It was the US so i asked if it wasn’t upside down.  They took a close look and the younger one said “Yep we got ‘er wrong way up” and went off to remedy the situation, thanking me for noticing.  I found Philip’s Garden Trail in short order, well maintained, not too strenuous and right along the coast.  I figure that I hiked about 5 km to Point Riche lighthouse and back.  Along the way I saw four caribou and 50 Dorset huts as identified by archaelogists.  I also navigated my way back leaving the marked trail and using the GPS.  It worked well.

I pulled in at the trailhead for Western Brook trail but it was raining and getting late so I moved on to search for accomodation within an hours drive of the Deer Lake Airport so I could get the car back in the morning.  I was sure that I had seen billboards advertising internet access in B&B’s on the east side of Gros Morne but although I started looking before that I didn’t see any.  I got all the way back to Deer Lake and found that the Driftwood Inn advertised internet access.  However you needed your own laptop and I didn’t like the rate anyway.  The young lady on the front desk kindly allowed me to use their computer to send a short message home though.  By the time I had finished a good dinner at the attached restaurant it was dark and I didn’t have a place to stay.  I really didn’t want to go back to Art’s but then I remembered a list of new B&B’s that hadn’t made the regular tourist guide given me early on by the Vistor Information person.  There was one in Cormack that I thought might be closer to the airport than Deer Lake so I called, they had room, the rate was OK and I took it.  It was further out than I had figured, 6 km out of Deer Lake and about 8 km off the highway.  Anyway, it was beautiful.  The owners were from New Brunswick having sold their farm there to move to get close to Gros Morne.  They have not had many guests yet and wondered how I came to find them.  My room was large, immaculate and everything I could think of was provided down to a tube of toothpaste. I couldn’t understand how it had only a 2 1/2 star rating.  I really enjoyed this couple.  They were super hospitable and couldn’t do enough for you.  Breakfast was fantastic.

 To be continued

t t

I returned the car to the airport on time Tuesday.  There was an information/security desk there and the Avis rep was having breakfast or something so I enquired about public transportation going to Gros Morne.  There were two options, the Viking Express and a shuttle I was told.  They were taken aback when I asked if they stopped at the airport.  The stop is at the Irving station of course.  Although i didn’t see any computer around I asked about internet access and that was negative as well.  After I got checked out the only thing to do was to hike back to the Visitor Info Centre in 45 minutes.  I double checked the Gros Morne transportation to learn that the Viking Express only went south today and north tomorrow.  However, instead of one shuttle there are two, one going to Rocky Harbour and the other to Woody Point.  Both leave around 5:00 but it would be good to be there for 4:30.  I had a lot of time to kill so enquired if there were any hiking opportunities close by.  That was a tough question that got a reluctant response that I could walk on the trail at the lake.  I also asked about a comment in the Deer Lake tourist pamphlet that said you could “cruise” to the coast.  I didn’t see how a boat could navigate to the coast but it meant taking a cruise in your car.  I found the trail by the Lake and it was pretty pathetic but it ate up an hour or so.  I looked at my material for accomodation at Gros Morne and decided on the Evergreen Lodge in Rocky Harbour.  I made a reservation by phone and they would pick me up where the bus dropped me off in Rocky Harbour.  It was now about 4:00 with nothing to do but wait for the Pittman shuttle to Rocky Harbour.  There was a section of the huge parking lot marked “BUS STOP” with a few picnic tables presumably for passengers waiting for buses.  I sat there most of the time until it started to rain when I went inside but staying close to the window.   The south-bound Viking Express arrived first, followed by the DRL.  About 5:10 the Martin shuttle for Woody Point pulled in.  At 5:20 I asked about the Pittman shuttle but nobody had any information,not even their telephone number.  I looked in the Deer Lake phone book and came up empty too.  I phoned to cancel my reservation explaining the reason.  He knew the number for Pittman that ran out of Norris Point so called on another line to find out what had happened.  It had left Cornerbrook on time and should be arriving in Rocky Harbour shortly was the message.  However, he obtained the driver cell number and spoke to him about missing a passenger in Deer Lake.  His apparent response was that anyone who wanted to be picked up there should phone.  Of course there is no way that a visitor will find the number.  I was some ticked-off and just wanted to get out of Deer Lake ASAP but it was better to get a good sleep and decide in the morning.  Instead of looking for a B&B again I decided to blow a bundle and go across the highway to the Deer Lake Motel.

The DL Motel is just your typical Holiday Inn style place but they did advertise internet access.  However, that was onlu if you had your laptop with you.  Despite the money and the lack of internet it was a good place for me to stay because I was in no mood to engage in pleasant conversation with B&B operators.  In addition dinner and breakfast was readily available in the Coffee Shop so I didn’t have to go out in the rain and there was a hockey game to watch.

In the morning I was still resolved to pass up Gros Morne and move on to St. John’s.  My conclusion was that in practical terms access to the park is restricted to people with wheels.  The public transportation is geared solely to locals making regular use of it and thereby familiar with all its idiosyncracies. I noticed that Memorial University in St. John’s offered dorm rooms just like St FX and that the DRL bus stopped there.  I made reservations there for Wednesday and Thursday by phone.  Also it was simple to find their office on campus because you just go straight ahead where you see a group of residence buildings to Hatcher House to the right of the group.  The bus departed at 12:30 from Irving of course but you should be there for 12:00.  I had plenty of time to wait so I went over to the Visitors Information Centre to relate my experience and conclusion.  She was appalled.  She lived in Rocky Harbour and used the shuttle all her life and had never heard of phoning to be picked up.  Although she disagreed with my conclusion she could understand where I was coming from.

The bus left on time and I took a seat near the back because it was pretty full.   As soon as we got going I noticed the smell of fumes but I guess I got used to that.  Also whenever we went around curves there was a thumping noise.  I overheard one of the passengers make the observation that there was no paper in the washroom.  Good information to have; be sure to use facilities at the stops.  Our “dinner” stop was in Gander at the airport cafeteria.  Returning to the bus I found my seat was taken.  The aisle seat was still available so I took that which was actually better because I could put one leg in the aisle.  Also in Gander a woman got on with a cup of coffee which she sat on the floor.  It fell over and the lid fell off of course.  i didn’t lift my day pack quite early enough but it dried out before we got to St. John’s.  When the woman noticed the mishap she told the attendant/ticket taker who said it was OK it is just the floor.  By the time we were approaching St. John’s all seats were taken and at Mount Pearl after considerable thumping the motor shut down and we stopped.  It must be a common occurence because the driver just pulled off the road, waited thirty seconds and restarted.

Sorry to say that further entries or editing are suspended due to a family medical emergency.

May 3, 2007

With less than 72 hours to departure, it seems a good time to open my travel blog again.  I don’t remember much about formatting etc. so this may be a mess, but will try to bungle along.

As indicated in the title it is off to Spain again this year.  It was a toss up for a while between completing last year’s run to Atlantic Canada and the Pyrenees, but the clinching factor was the discovery of a budget flight to England out of Hamilton.  It is with FlyGlobeSpan, a Scottish airline, that up until two days ago was flying in and out of Toronto.  The Hamilton departure saves me a couple of hours of travel time getting to the airport and avoids the congestion of one of North America’s busiest terminals.  Getting to Spain from England (Stansted) and then back again is with Ryanair.  My initial calculations of the cost of return air travel was under $500 Cdn!  It crept up by the time I booked but was still well under $600. 

I have not flown with either airline before so it could be an interesting experience.  Making connections without having to overnight in England was a concern especially on the return, but I allowed four hours minimum for each connection and will keep my fingers crossed.  By the way I fly into Santander on the Bay of Biscay and out of Girona on the Costa Brava.  Apart from hotel reservations in Santander and Girona, I have no commitments for the whole 30 days.

Places of interest include Picos de Europa, Bilboa, San Sebastien, Pamplona, Jaca and  Besalu.  I expect to get in a fair bit of hiking along the way but may stay in one spot more than has been my custom. 

Many of the lodging and eating establishments that I tend to patronize do not accept credit or debit cards so my practice was to get cash from ATMs on a regular basis.  A couple of month ago my bank announced that there would be a 2 1/2% surcharge on foreign exchange transactions through ATMs in addition to the five bucks service charge.  I had seen mention of cash cards as being a better solution than travellers cheques but found only two being offered in Canada.  Visa has one sold through CAA but their service charges didn’t make it much (if any) cheaper than my bank.  Custom House (a foreign exchange business) started issuing cash cards in February with much better rates so that is the way I went, with my debit card as a backup.  Soooo, besides untried airlines I am also relying on an untried financing source.

The flight on FlyGlobeSpan was 40 minutes late leaving in a 457 and was full. The only hitch was that I had left my cap at home but Leda and Cathy had time to go back home and retrieve it with 10 minutes to spare before I had to go through security. There was a surprise once we were on board; instead of going non-stop to Stansted we were going by way of Liverpool. Others were surprised too but it was no problem for me. It was also strange to see that the welcoming flight attendant was outfitted in an IcelandAir uniform but again no concern. I thought that she must have been subject to a compulsory retirement order and just kept her uniform. Next the safety instructions pamphlet was from IcelandAir too. All of the attendants’ uniforms were similar and all spoke English with a noticable accent that wasn’t British or Scottish. When the welcoming attendant got on the speaker it was very clear that she was in charge. She introduced that Captain and First Officer (a woman) and then herself as the “supervisor of the cabin crew”. At this point I suspected a German background that was pretty well confirmed in my mind when the instructions were given just prior to take-off; “The cabin crew will now take their seats”. They were all efficient and courteous, but I heard the man behind us ask if any of the crew were British. Apparently two in the cockpit were from England.  In the “supervisors” welcome aboard address she started “On behalf of …aah … GlobeSpan”. Nobody laughed out loud but most got a chuckle to think that she couldn´t remember her employer´s name. Before the flight was over there was no more charade, it was IcelandAir that we were flying.

The flight was uneventful until we landed in Liverpool but I didn´t catch much sleep. The meals that were served to those who had paid for them smelled pretty good. There was a snack menu for others and the prices weren’t outlandish. I bought a lemonade to go with my sandwiches and couldn’t believe the size. It was Schweppes but tasted like dishwater so I was glad there was only 1/3 of a cup to put away.

The event in Liverpool was that we were met by the Fire Department. The supervisor had warned us and it was just a welcoming event; spraying the plane with water. However, it reminded me of the only other time my flight was met by the Fire Department when one of the wheels took fire on landing in Toronto. I was glad it wasn´t a repeat.

We were late again landing in Liverpool due to strong headwinds so arrival in Stansted was more than an hour behind schedule. I had plenty of time to kill as it was. UK immigration and Customs was a breeze so I started wandering around to find RyanAir and perhaps an internet site. The first was easy; more than half of the 50 or so counters are RyanAir. I did find a couple of internet sites but at 2 pounds for 10 minutes, I passed them by. It would take me 10 minutes to figure out how they worked. Later I saw some more typical sites on desks but they were all occupied, so obviously these are the ones to use. Despite the number of counters I didn´t see any that displayed my flight, even though there were two indicating that mentioned Santander. Eventually I asked an agent there about my flight and all he asked was when it departed. I was much too early and had to wait 1 1/2 hours before the electronic board would specify which of their counters would be handling my flight. After a forgettable meal at O’Neill´s Pub the board displayed the counter number and I was the third passenger to check in. I was glad not to have to lug around my backpack any longer. They did put me through oversize luggage because of something to do with the walking stick, but that was no problem. After security I had a long walk looking for gate 46. The problem here was that the people at this gate were going to Stockholm. The RyanAir service desk let me know that I was just too early, again; wait an hour and check. I did and, while the Stockholm group had left, there was nothing to indicate that it was the gate for my flight. However, I did recognize the young lady who checked in just ahead of me who assured me that this was the right gate despite the lack of any other potential passengers. There was about an hour to departure now and gradually people gathered in the area. I managed to catch a little more sleep interrupted by announcements. About 15 minutes before departure our flight was called. RyanAir doesn´t assign seats unless you pay a premium for that extra service. Those people get a yellow (I think) boarding pass and are boarded first while the Bohemians line up to take whatever is left. There may have been 10 in the first category on our flight, so most are prepared to take what they can get. It wásn´t a big deal on our flight because it was only 3/4 full.

On board was a large contingent of school kids returning from some event in England. They were noisey of course but then we hit some very choppy weather shortly after takeoff and a lot started screaming. Fortunately it didn´t last too long and the remainder was quiet. Possibly as compensation for the rough, the crew handed out muffins. On my previous rough ride through Hurricane David it was an open bar as compensation. I´ll go with the muffins any time; I don´t want to go through another hurricane.

I was the only passenger that had to go through immigration as a non-EU resident. Even then the luggage had not arrived. Customs was nothing at all and I went directly to the Information counter to find out how to get to my hotel. It is very close to the airport but a taxi is necessary I was told. I had instructions on how to drive there but was in no shape to dispute the information. My taxi driver spoke very good English and we had a most interesting conversation. He agreed that the hotel is very close to the airport but it would be necessary to walk along very busy highways and is hard to find unless you know exactly how to get there. Afterwards I was in total agreement.

The outside of Hotel Hiblanc is not impressive but inside it is spacious and clean. My room suits me well and this computer is available 24 per day. There was one problem with the lights. There weren´t any. The desk soon resolved that. The key is a card which I am used to but also you insert the card in a receptacle just inside the door to turn on the electricity to the room. The lights are also the economical low wattage variety.

Although I was extremely tired I tested my silk sleeping sack (the “cocoon”), even though it is mainly for locations that don´t provide bedding. It worked well but it isn´t that handy when you have that “old man´s disease”. Despite a couple of interruptions I slept like a top.