Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine , 9/1/2023, National Geographic Explorer
Aboard the
National Geographic Explorer
Canada
Today under sunny skies, we landed at Cap-aux-Meules and participated in one of three activities. One group rode electric bicycles with jetpack assist buttons for the inclines. What magnificent landscapes with red rocks and sandy beaches with tiny plovers, and we enjoyed a picnic lunch. A second group hiked along several trails to view lighthouses, cliffs, and magnificent vistas from Fatima to Belle-Anse. The hike ended at L’Anse-aux-Baleiniers with several bird sightings. Two final groups set out on bus tours that highlighted local history and culture, including stops at a Pied-de-Vent cheese factory and Fumoir d’Antan, a herring, mackerel, and scallop smokehouse. Local guides were not only informative and entertaining but at least one, Gilles LaPierre, is a well-known personality in the music world. Gilles shared five music CDs with Jacob, our shipboard ethnomusicologist.
Lunch featured mussels and fish and chips in an old convent.
If all our days were so beautiful, we would have no complaints in life.
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In true expedition mode, we changed our intended plan to visit a place new to us, the Terranova National Park. In the morning, guests enjoyed presentations by naturalist Madalena Patacho about the fishing industry and by National Geographic photographers Jen Hayes and David Doubilet. In the afternoon, guests went for different hikes in the National Park to take in the landscapes and wildlife.
National Geographic Explorer arrived at L'Anse aux Meadows on a mystical, foggy morning. As we headed ashore on our Zodiac, the fog started lifting and slowly revealed the island’s green coastline. This morning, we visited the UNESCO World Heritage Site of L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site. Remains of wood-framed, peat turf buildings, similar to those found in Norse Greenland and Iceland, were excavated here. At the tip of the Great Northern Peninsula of the island of Newfoundland, the remains of an 11th-century Viking settlement are evidence of the first European presence in North America. The buildings include three dwellings, one forge and four workshops, on a narrow terrace overlooking a peat bog and small brook near the shore of Epaves Bay in the Strait of Belle Isle. We learned all about the site from the great Parks Canada guides during a visit to the archaeological site and by immersing ourselves in time with Norseman at the reconstruction site. We talked to the navigator, held their shields, swords, and arrows, and we even got to visit the blacksmith forge. It was a magnificent beginning to a beautiful day. To gain a deeper insight into Norse culture, we visited Norstead, a reconstruction of a trade post and Norse settlement that is similar to what was found in Iceland. At this nonprofit site, we took part in history and learned all about the Viking’s voyages around the North Atlantic. All Vikings were Norsemen, but not all Norsemen were Vikings. At this site, visitors can learn about sea voyages, clothes, knitting, and everyday chores. They can also play Viking games and trade goods. Some of us went to a great seafood tasting at a local restaurant while another group went to a Viking feast. After lunch, we visited Dr. Grenfell’s house and the museum focused on the doctor’s medical mission in Labrador and Newfoundland. Today was a fun and enlightening day spent with the unique, caring, and lovely local people of Newfoundland. People like Bonnie, Wayne, Jamie, Mark, Stephany, and many others brought these great sites to life and created unique experiences for us! A great thank you to all.
Today we arrived in Labrador at Red Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and Canadian National Historic Site. Foggy seas and friendly faces greeted us as we spent the day exploring many of the archaeological sites, museums, and local landscapes. Guests explored the fabulous museums and visitors’ center, which contain artifacts from the 16th century Basque whaling station that once covered these shores. Incredibly well preserved chalupas (small support vessels used for hunting whales), casks used to store and ship whale oil, clothing, coins, and more are on display. This helped us connect with the history of the region. As the fog burnt off, guests took a small shuttle boat to nearby Saddle Island, the site of major excavation efforts by Parks Canada and collaborators (beginning in the 1970s and ongoing in the present day). A beautiful boardwalk rounds the island, and Parks Canada interpreters led us on the hike here. We stopped along the way to learn more about whaling operations and use of try works, cooperages, and oil, as well as details of the excavations and implications for our understanding of whaling, transatlantic sailing, and underwater archaeology in the present day. After lunch, we had the opportunity to hike up to the spectacular lookout at Tracy Hill and along the Boney Shores trail, where we saw ancient whalebones. The site overlooks the harbor. A fabulous day aboard National Geographic Explorer was had by all.
