Newfoundland 2 – Fjord and Vikings

L'Anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Thursday, September 15, 2016

The boat trip up the fjord was marvelous. In this map, the top left corner shows the two mile trail (solid black line) to the boat dock. Then we took the boat down the center of the fjord. The comment made was that this was much like the fjords in Scandinavia. There were numerous cliffs and waterfalls and lots of wind funneling down the canyon.

The dotted line a hiking trail, which we did not do. Pictures may speak better than prose here.

Note the tiny boat in perspective to the size of the fjord mountains. 

 

  

 

This squirrel at the dock loved all the tourists … he kindly posed for pictures.    Note in this picture the wind blowing a waterfall up.

Science question. Given: water conducts electricity. Fact: the water in the Western Brook Pond/fjord will not conduct electricity. Query: Why? Answer: The water is so pure and because of lack of electrolytes and low ion content or minerals in the water, the water will not conduct electricity.

Traveling North to L’Anse aux Meadows

The next day we started the long trip north up the Northern Peninsula … 227 miles. Along the way we stopped several times to dip in and out the shoreline. Dark Tickle was one such place … they had two museums in one; the world's only museum on interpretation of wild berries and an exhibit of a French explorer Granchain who actually circumnavigated Newfoundland. before heading down to Boston and the East Coast of the U.S.

In the town of St. Anthony, they were startled in 1984 to see a polar bear wondering along its shores. It just fell and died right there a taxidermist and his son had a grand time producing this guy … 715 pounds and 7 feet tall.

Our destination was the northern tip of the peninsula … L’Anse aux Meadows: the site of the Norse Vikings (from Scandinavia originally via Greenland) who were the first settlers of North America.

Leif, son of Erik the Red was born in Iceland and settled in Greenland. Around the year 1000 he sailed to Norway and then back west to North America. He discovered the northern tip of the Northern Peninsula of Newfoundland and settled with his crew in what he called Vinland. There were about 90 Norsemen in the settlement. About 9 of them were women. The pictures are of a replica of the settlement … and wow! We found some Vikings.( not statues but actors, they shared their adventures).

It seems (based on legends) that there were a few separate attempts to establish a Norse settlement in Vinland, including one led by Þorfinnur Karlsefni, none of which lasted for more than two years. The disbandment of the small Viking colony probably had several causes. Disagreements among the men about the few women that followed on the trip, and fighting with the skrælingjar (Native Americans) already living on the land.

Typical Village along the west coast of the northern peninsula of Newfoundland.

Next on Newfoundland 3: Heading back south and then east to Twillingate.