The National Geographic Explorer set anchor in one of the most important sites in human history this morning, and the superlative nature of the visit was echoed throughout the heavens by a glorious celestial salute in the form of a sunrise worthy of an early wake-up call. As the fire in the sky gave way to the luminous day glow, we boarded our Zodiacs and made landfall at the very sight where the first Europeans to set foot in the Americas landed. As far as history can tell us, this completed the circumnavigation of the human race, and finally closed the circle of global migration. We first visited the visitor center to learn about L’Anse Aux Meadows, then the archeological site itself, and finally a recreation to give us a sense of what the camp might have looked like. For lunch we sped off and were treated to either a Viking feast (complete with a show) or a seafood sampler. Last in our epic day of discovery we visited Grenfell and took in some local history.
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.
