Our visit today was a special one. I’m calling it: Visiting with Vikings. Not only did we visit several places with recreated Norse dwellings, including interacting with local actors portraying realistic Norsemen and women, but we also had the distinct pleasure of visiting the remnants of the past, involving real, historical Vikings. L’Anse aux Meadows is famous in archaeology as the only site with evidence that confirms what so many thought to be true–Vikings really did make it all the way across the Atlantic to North America. What a treat for our guests to enjoy the festivities and the rich history of some of the most interesting historical communities on Earth.
9/16/2022
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National Geographic Explorer
Twillingate, Newfoundland
We spent another fine day in Twillingate, a community of 2,000 folks on a five-mile-long island on the east coast of Newfoundland. The guests split up into different walking groups led by the natural history staff. Several adventurous folks hiked up the hill outside of town to observe an overlook over the whole community strung out along the bay. Other groups went on nature and photo walks on the outskirts of town. We walked across the metamorphic rocks on this extension of the Appalachian Mountains, admiring the colorful layers and quartz veins. There were many brightly colored buildings, wood crab traps, and quaint fishing boats along the harbour. Sprinkled throughout the town were several churches and cemeteries of different sizes and shapes. Most surprisingly, we observed wild and domesticated flowers everywhere. After our walks, many of us converged on a brewery to sample the various types of beer made there. There were several gift shops and art galleries in this artistic community, including a digital arts festival happening this weekend. Perhaps the most unique artworks were the large, knitted characters displayed on several buildings, which provided much humor for the guests. During the afternoon, we relaxed and packed our bags for the departure tomorrow. We admired the beautiful coastline as National Geographic Explorer cruised southeast along the rocky coast. Then, we spotted whales! We spent an hour in the sunlight watching humpback whales surface with spouts. They swam along the surface and then dove back down to feed in this rich ocean along an upwelling zone. During the evening, we had the captain’s farewell cocktail party and dinner. It was a relaxing way to finish this amazing journey around the Canadian Atlantic provinces.
