On Tour - Newfoundland and Nova Scotia

July 27 - August 3, 2026 

Our next stop in Newfoundland was in Bonavista. There we toured the lighthouse. Our photos were somewhat limited because of the fog. I was trying to remember if I had ever heard a foghorn in action. 

Perhaps the real reason to visit that area though is not the lighthouse, but rather the puffin nesting area in nearby Elliston. It's one of the very few places in the world where you can get near puffins without a boat ride. The braver puffins would come within a few feet of you. 

Our next stop was St. Johns, where over 60% of the Newfoundland population lives. We took a bus tour to Signal Hill and Cabot Tower, with a quick stop at Quidi Vidi. Lunch at a local restaurant was followed by a boat tour to see a large puffin colony. Signal Hill, before it was used by Marconi, was used to signal the town merchants as to which fishing boat was arriving. 

The next night was spent on the ferry. Thankfully Fantasy made sure we had cabins where we stood a reasonable chance of sleep.  We saw numerous people and families with sleeping bags and air mattresses claiming rows of seats for their overnight in the main cabins. 

Back in Nova Scotia, the tour stayed at the same campground as we did on our way to Newfoundland. Our next day was a tour to Louisbourg Fortress. It was a rebuilt site with period costumed employees. It's the largest rebuilt site in Canada and is pretty true to it's original layout thanks to copious original documents stored by the French. 

Where Are We Going Next?

On Tour - Newfoundland Continued

July 19 - July 27, 2026 

Our Newfoundland journey continued - with backtracking. From the northern tip of Newfoundland's peninsula, we backtracked the Viking Trail to Gros Morne National Park. The area is stunning. Lots of granite rock showing through pines, along with lots of bays and ponds lined with small fishing towns just make the whole area postcard perfect. 

However, the park was created and named a world UNESCO site, not for its beauty, but for its barren section. The Tablelands section is one of only a handful of sites in the world where the earth's mantle rock is exposed on the surface. It allowed scientists the opportunity to study plate tectonic theory when the theory was essentially in its infancy. The rock contains highly toxic minerals that limits plant life. The barrenness of the land is striking compared to the land around it. 

From Gros Morne, we headed east to Twillingate. The Iceberg Alley wasn't too active in July. Again, we saw some amazing scenery. I was sure wishing my ankle was up for some hiking. Harold managed to slip into the Wooden Boat Builder Museum and noted at least one builder with a sense of humor!

Where Are We Going Next?