Today, we arrived at our final Canadian port-of-call, L’Anse aux Meadows. It being our final destination on this side of the Atlantic, I felt a certain obligation to at least check it out. However; I wasn’t on escort duty, it was a tender port, the weather was wet and windy, and it was only a half-day. Add to this the fact that we arrived at 7am, and the first few tenders were to carry excursion passengers across on a rocky 30-minute trip, I made an executive decision not to bother.<\/p>\n
With a population of only 30 people, L’Anse aux Meadows’ most interesting feature is the fact that it is an archaeological site on the Northernmost tip of Newfoundland and Labrador where, in 1960, the remains of a Norse village were discovered; the only site widely accepted as evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact.<\/p>\n
It the weather hadn’t been so awful, and the last return tender time later than 1:30pm, I might have been tempted. As it was, I had to prepare for lessons this afternoon, and I had online students to maintain.<\/p>\n
Upon their return, passengers who had been to visit the archaeological site reported it being covered over and inaccessible, and that the ‘visitor experience’ was no more than a reconstruction of a viking settlement. While some apparently enjoyed the barren ruggedness of the place, others seemed less complementary; the rain persisted throughout the morning, meaning wetproofs and brollies were essential.<\/p>\n
The choppy seas made tendering difficult, and our departure was delayed due to problems getting the last of the passengers on back on board ship (memories of Iles Du Salut again…).<\/p>\n
As soon as the last passengers were back on board and we started moving, the skies started to clear and the sun came out… typical.<\/p>\n
So that’s that…<\/p>\n
We’re now on our way back East. heading across the Atlantic ocean, bound for Cobh in County Cork, Ireland. The four-day crossing means four days of work for me, with classes every day. Tonight, the clocks go forward thirty minutes, and tomorrow, they will go forward an hour.<\/p>\n
And so the final leg of the voyage begins…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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