Shopping Finally

After 20 days without an ounce of shopping, I was more than ready to hit Water Street, St. John's.  An assortment of historic brick buildings and colorful Victorian style row houses, downtown St John's is certainly picturesque.  We drove by the Catholic Basilica, and the depth of this city was very resounding.  Our hometown Kelowna is a beautiful and lovely place, but it's hard to get a sense of past generations.  St John's wears its story.  I like that.  The harbor, while physically not large, bursts with business.   One can almost taste the energy.

There are no Gucci or Tiffany's lining the shopping blocks.  Instead, we were treated to quaint coffee shops, unique toy stores, retro candy shoppes, and the odd merchant selling cod tongue, apparently local fare.  These were all one of a kind, independent merchants; probably struggling to make a go of it.  I was in heaven, except I had Kim with me, who made it his mission to ensure that I did not have nearly the fun nor spend nearly the dollars I would have wished.  A local might  have called him crooked as sin; meaning grumpy, not unlawful. Perhaps I'll be able to ditch him at some point and sneak back there.  Of course, I don't need to pen what Levi and Theo thought of the candy and toy shoppes.   My brother's actual birthday was that day, and a street performer cranked out "Happy Birthday" on an accordion for us.  As we sipped our coffees listening to the tune, I glanced at my brother and he had a happy smile.

I had wanted a photo of Mark and Kim on George Street, but the children invited themselves along too.  Somehow the coolness factor is diminished with a couple of toddlers hanging on their arms.  They're some good them men.  Am I sounding a little Newfie yet?

                                                                              

                                                                               Mark and Kim on George Street,

                                                                                with their dates, Samantha and Levi

With a few minutes left on our parking meters, we ended with time at the Harbourside Park, across from the war memorial.  More informative placards described the importance of maintaining control of the harbor during WWII.   My knowledge on the Battle of the Atlantic was certainly as foggy as the province that I was in.  Perhaps the war time's significance of Newfoundland had been downplayed in our history lessons because the dominion had not yet joined Confederation.  Or perhaps I had simply been daydreaming in that class.

The boys, not yet that interested in history,  enjoyed the two Newfoundland dog statutes overlooking the water. Something for everyone; the perfect type of place.

War Memorial

      

                                                                             A ship coming into the harbor

 



                                                            Yummy fries, too!

From downtown we drove up to Signal Hill and visited the Cabot Tower.  We could see Cape Spear across the harbor.  St John's harbor was well guarded with these two batteries on either side.  Still, many allied ships were still sunk in nearby waters.  Another notable ship also met it's fate, though not in the line of military duty.  584 kilometres away, the Titanic sunk in icy waters.

 Above:  The Cabot Tower, complete with working canon. 

Right:  Levi making Mom nervous.  Cape Spear is in the background.








Another ship coming into the busy habor


         

Levi leading Samantha, hopefully not astray











         
                                                                                                  Levi again making Mom nervous.

Just when I thought our sightseeing tour was completed, we were ordering a late lunch and picnicking at the duck pond in Bowring Park.  Now, I have to admit, I am a park snob.  Having been born and raised in Vancouver, I naturally think that Stanley Park is the greatest and most magical place on Earth.  (sorry, Disneyland)  I feel fairly justified with this pompous opinion  given the fact that TripAdvisor ranks Stanley Park as one of the best parks in the world, let alone Canada.  Well, I am humbled to say that the duck pond at Bowring Park in St John's, Newfoundland is every bit as pretty as Lost Lagoon.  In fact, I enjoyed it more.  The stepping stones across the pond were delightful, and the zero depth perimeter meant the young children were safe to feed the birds as well.  My boys giggled and skipped away as they threw food at whatever bird would give them a flicker of attention.  The swans were crooked as sin, though.  One even nipped at Theo as he ran by a little too close. 

A child's skip of delight

                                          Something serious going down in those bushes!


Happy 50th Birthday, Mark!  So glad to be sharing it with you in Newfoundland!