We’re going home today, leaving St. John’s at 2pm, so we didn’t have to set the alarm this morning! When we opened the curtains after getting up, there was a large cruise ship (the MS Amera) entering the harbour, accompanied by its pilot boat.
The big picture from our hotel room
There are a couple of giant heaps of salt at the edge of the harbour, and the birds love it.
Birds love salt!
If you ever stay at the Sheraton Newfoundland Hotel, ask for an even-numbered room; the view is much better than it was in the room we stayed in when we started this trip!
We’re going to wander around town for a couple of hours and then head to the airport; we have a three-hour layover in Montreal, which should be enough time to clear US Customs and Immigration for our flight to SFO.
Because it was our last day on the Explorer, they started serving breakfast an hour early so everyone could be off the ship by 8:30. That meant that we had to get up an hour early, too, which let us enjoy pre-sunrise from our cabin window.
You can barely see the lights of another ship in the distance
A few minutes later, the St. John’s pilot boat pulled alongside; I was afraid the pilot might want to come onto the ship via our room, but he found another way.
We spent the day exploring two of St. John’s museums – the Colonial Building (the former capitol building of the colony, Dominion, and nation of Newfoundland) and The Rooms (a new museum devoted to everything about Newfoundland and Labrador). We had a great guide, Victoria, at the Colonial Building, and we spent about 90 minutes with her on what was supposed to be a 45-minute tour. :-)
Colonial BuildingLegislative Council Chandelier (originally gas)Sketchbook of Caroline Clarke, Artist in Residence, 2025 “Trail of the Caribou” pilgrimage to GallipoliGallipoli Memorial Ceremony (Caroline Clarke)Main Staircase (no one knows what the alcove was intended to hold!)Speaker’s Desk (lower house)Speaker’s Desk (lower house)Unusual calendar clock (from Connecticut)Even the washrooms have history!
We began our visit to The Rooms with lunch, then spent a few hours exploring the building. They have three museums and an art gallery!
The Rooms is built atop the remains of Fort Townshend
St. John’s Harbour todaySt. John’s Harbour as a 1960s tourist attraction“Here, We Made a Home” exhibitConfederation with Canada was controversialNearly 25 years ago….Silatsualimâk, Anânavut The Earth, Our Mother (Billy Gauthier)David playing the Ugly Stick
There was a lot more to explore at The Rooms, but we were out of energy and took a scenic walk back to the Sheraton to officially check in and reclaim our luggage.
The snow gets HOW high?Another Jellybean Row
After unpacking a little, we had dinner at Bannerman Brewing Company and took a walk to the waterfront, where we met the official provincial dogs in Harbourside Park.
Labrador and NewfieStrolling along the waterfront after dinner
We reached the cruise port just as the Explorer was leaving for its next trip.
