We’re in Newfoundland: Vikings & Icebergs!

Last summer we were trying to figure out how we were supposed to go back to normal life after Alaska. What other trip would require a similar amount of planning, be as challenging, but also be as amazing? We came up with Newfoundland! And so far, it’s delivering.

To get to Newfoundland, we took an ~8 hour overnight ferry from North Syndey, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, on Newfoundand’s west coast. We booked a pet friendly cabin so we could bring the Cody kitty with us. I think our ferry crossing would have been much more fun had Cody not been sick in the days leading up to it. Hopefully, the return trip will be better in that regard.

The next morning, we had a rough ~6 hour drive to our first campground on the north side of Gros Morne National Park. We used this spot to take an additional 8 hour round trip drive with just the truck to visit L’Anse aux Meadows on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland. The roads are not great.

We had always heard that the Vikings (which are Norse pirates) were the first Europeans to discover North America, but that’s the extent of what we knew. In 1960, Norwegian archeologists discovered the first known Norse settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows on the northernmost tip of Newfoundland.

After leaving our camper at 5am, a beautiful drive along the coast with 4 moose sightings, we made it! We took a ranger led tour and learned so much. Don’t bother reading any further if not intersted in this history!

Over 1000 years ago, a group led by Leif Erickson set out from Greenland, primarily looking for trees. Greenland didn’t have any and they needed lumber for their ships. Following the route shown in the map below, they chose the northern tip of Newfoundland to build a basecamp from which to explore and gather supplies to take back.

The ranger stressed the significance of this because since the beginning of human history, migration out of Africa had only spread toward the east and then over and down through the Americas. Humans had never migrated in the other direction, from Europe westward across the Atlantic Ocean. But after the Norse settled Newfoundland and met the descendants of those who had crossed the Bering Strait land bridge many 1000s of years before, human migration around the world was completed. The statue on the right is called “The Meeting of Two Worlds”.

The actual archeological site has been covered back up with sod to protect it from snow and mud seasons. The artifacts that proved the site was Norse, including an iron boat nail and a bronze pin, are displayed in the Visitor Center.

There are also a couple of recreated sod buildings that show what their structures would have looked like.

We had gone back and forth on whether or not L’Anse aux Meadows would be worth the drive, but we found the history fascinating and were glad we decided to do it.

Since the area in general was so beautiful, we also hiked the Birchy Nuddick trail.

And then had lunch and beer brewed from icebergs at The Daily Catch in the nearby fishing village of St. Lunaire-Griquet.

We’ve also learned that icebergs are an entire source of excitement in Newfoundland and a lot of locals and visitors come here searching for them. Most of the icebergs break off from Greenland and can come very close to shore, mainly in May and June. Polar bears have even been known to float in on them.

We knew we were too late in the season to have a good chance at seeing icebergs up close without taking a boat tour. But after lunch we went over to the Fox Point Lighthouse in Saint Anthony and saw 3 off shore! Unfortunately, they were miles away and this is the best photo I have using a 400mm lens, but it was still exciting.

Next up is exploring Gros Morne National Park.