Beginning the Viking Trail

October 23, 2015 by Let's CUT the Crap! 58 Comments

We hadn’t set the alarm because a 6:30 wake-up call had been arranged by Francis, our guide. The alarm buzzed at 5:00. Ready or not. Though I’d slept like the dead, I forced myself awake. Mary remained beneath the foggy veil of sleep. If I raced to the bathroom first, I’d be coiffed and dressed without interruption. You know what it’s like when the clock’s ticking and two females have to share a bathroom sink and mirror, right? What was the point of lollygagging?

I couldn’t get the shower to work and worried the fabric shower curtain without a liner wouldn’t keep water off the floor. I took a bath instead, then couldn’t get up though I gripped the safety bar. I resorted to getting on my knees to pull myself up. When had I started falling apart? Did I miss an announcement or a meeting? How dare my body betray me like this and on my vacation?

Soap, shampoo and body lotion were provided; toothpaste and toothbrushes weren’t. I have no idea why I packed them, but lucky I did. Mary had had no expectations, but I did because everything from slippers to shower caps had been made available at every hotel on my last trip.

Luggage was left outside our rooms by 7:00 a.m. Breakfast commenced from 7:00 to 8:00 with departure by bus no later than 8:00. Menu forms were handed out for choices of meals during our tour. Seating rotation was promised to provide everyone with a different view from the bus each day.

Pulp and Paper Mill

Corner Brook Quick Facts:

• Pulp and paper mill – 320 active workers
• Largest single employee
• Population 20,000
• Largest city outside St. John’s
• Newfoundland oldest colony
• Newfoundland /Labrador youngest province in Canada

As forecast, it had rained the night before and a fine mist continued. We wouldn’t be doing much traipsing around Francis said. Everyone seated on the bus by 8:00 a.m., the first order of business was a draw for the panoramic front seat view across the aisle from the tour guide–with a new draw every day.

We drove around the charming town of Corner Brook. All the homes were finished in whimsical array of colored vinyl. Mary and I thought they all looked like they’d been done around the same time. Whoever won the contract must have been laughing all the way to the bank. I know I took pictures, but they’ve disappeared.

Where was everyone on this Saturday morning? Yes, it was wet, but not a single soul could be seen out and about. Only one car passed us going in the opposite direction.

First stop: a historic site where Captain James Cook landed in Newfoundland. A fine mist persisted, making it difficult to take pictures and keep our heads and / or our cameras or iPads dry. The stones and pathways were slippery as was the grass. I wasn’t the only one who leaped at the chance to return to the bus tout suite.

Captain Cook Quick Facts:

• Born 1728
• He was the first to map the coast of Newfoundland during Seven Years War
• Only explorer who never lost a person to beriberi (always had fresh fruit)
• Made three trips to the Pacific

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Irish Welcome: 

May those who love us, love us.

May those who don’t, turn their hearts.

If their hearts don’t turn, turn their ankles,

So we’ll know them by their limping.

 

 

Next time on October 30th – Further along the Viking Trail

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