St. John's, Newfoundland
ABOUT
St. John’s is a city on Newfoundland Island off Canada’s Atlantic Coast. It is the capital of the Newfoundland and Labrador Province.
St. John’s recorded the first permanent settlers in the early 1600s. A family from Oxford, England established a plantation, probably in the area west of Beck’s Cove. Wharves, fish stores, and warehouses were constructed on the north side of the harbour to accommodate the fish trade.
The city has a rich history, having played a role in the Seven Years’ War, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812.
Over the years the port has proven small enough to provide shelter and security, yet large enough to accommodate some of the world’s largest vessels, becoming a major hub for the province’s most prominent and busiest industries.
Population approximately 223,000
Currency is the Canadian Dollar
THINGS TO DO
St. Johns is an intriguing place. On the outside it would appear there is nothing much to see or do. However, scratch the surface and you can find all sorts of interesting things.
The history of the area helps to form the way it functions and looks today. A short way outside of St. John’s is the Quidi Vidi Plantation & Quidi Vidi Brewery. Further along the coast you can visit Cape Spear North America’s most easterly point.
There are opportunities for fishing or pleasure boat trip, whale and/or puffin watching and extensive walking treks.
On the outskirts of the town is Signal Hill. Whilst it is quite a trek to the top of the hill, the views are amazing. Historically this hilltop is extremely important and its worth researching a little more about it.
Meanwhile in the town there are intriguing streets to explore. We happened on a street that was full of bars – from one end to the other and on both sides.
OUR FAVOURITE THINGS TO DO
During our visit in the autumn of 2022, we enjoyed a great day in St. John’s. Having made a conscious decision not to take any organised tours, we headed off the ship to explore on our own.
Our walk took us along the seafront until we came to the Harbourside Park. A lovely relaxing spot with impressive views across the harbour. Set on a number of different levels it was a really nice place to walk around, or sit on one of the benches to watch the world, and the sea, go by.
In one part are statues of two dogs, a Newfoundland and a Labrador by Luben Boykov. Both breeds are impressive, loyal and hardworking. The Labrador was orinally a Saint John’s water dog, imported into Britain and later named after it’s original home. Meanwhile the Newfoundland dogs were originally bred and used by fishermen in the Newfoundland area. They excel at water rescue/lifesaving because of their muscular build, thick double coat, webbed paws, and swimming abilities.
We thought we would walk to Signal Hill but on the way met two local ladies who offered a lift.
We accepted and they drove us up to the Hill, around the locality and through the town. They filled us in on local information and refused even a cup of coffee in recompense for their kindness. The area is known to be friendly and my goodness they lived up to that and beyond. Farewell to our friends from St. John’s – you made the visit very special.
Our new-found friends drove us back into the town so that we could explore some more. We found that there is much more to Saint John’s than we first expected.
There are shops, museums, churches and statues throughout the centre of the town.
If you find yourself in George Street, you will find yourself surrounded by bars. We counted 14 but it felt like so many more. Unfortunately most were not opening until after our ship had sailed.
Many of the bars were themed, some serve food and others boast live music both inside and outside on specially built terraces for that purpose. It must really come alive in the evening – totally opposite to the tranquility of the day.
While we were in port, we were lucky enough to have beautiful weather. Not too hot, but sunny and pleasant.
However the weather in this part of the world is not always so clement. The annual rainfall is 1,191 mm and annual snowfall is 322 cm or approximately 126 inches!
Its no wonder they have warning signs in the town. They speak for themselves!
To check out our experiences in St. John’s, Newfoundland just click the video below – and if you enjoy the content simply ‘Like’ and ‘Subscribe’ to see more (subscription is free)