Corner Brook, Newfoundland, August 6, 2017

Corner Brook, Newfoundland, August 6, 2017

First things first: Newfoundland/Labrador (considered one province) set their clocks ahead 30 minutes from Eastern Time. I have made a note to Google why. One Canadian said that as announcements for US TV shows are "8 Eastern, 7 Central," in Canada they say, "8 Eastern, 8:30 Newfoundland." He thought it was a PR stunt to distinguish N/L from the rest of the country. Dunno.

It's another lovely day; still warm enough for short pants and short sleeves. And our last docking port until Iceland. There wasn't the big, fancy terminal as in Sydney, but there were plenty of locals there to greet us with baskets of candy, luggage tags and the school buses commandeered to use as shuttles into town.

Corner Brook with a population of 22,000 is Newfoundland's second largest city and gateway to hiking and skiing just outside of town.

As we made the short drive to the main square in the spotless school bus a  very nice lady (OMG, Canadians really are so nice) gave us a quick overview of what was in and around the city. A local band set up in the square to provide entertainment while we bought various items from crafters. There is a lot of knitting done hereabouts!

Jim and I visited the local historical museum which looked like everyone in town had emptied their attics and brought over stuff. Our favorite thing was a wheel of cheese cutter made by IBM! Yes, that IBM. Who knew? The best display was a wall featuring photos and anecdotes of the various war brides who'd married Canadians stationed in the UK during WWII and then came to their new home in Corner Brook. A Corner Brook that looked much like a Gold Rush town--dirt (mud) streets, wooden sidewalks, no indoor plumbing and snow. Most of the women commented about the shock of the winter cold and the snow, so different from England. And so many stories that read, "I met him at a dance, the movies, a pub while he was on leave and then we got married." I'm guessing a combination of a shortage of eligible men in Britain and lonely, scared Canadians passing through. Some of the women said that they returned to England but most stayed in Corner Brook, welcomed by the locals. And, once again, there are those nice Canadians.

Some of the passengers went off on various adventures, most of which involved hiking, while a others chose to walk the short distance to the local mall to stock up on bug spray, whatever they forgot and snacks (and if ever there was a case of coals to Newcastle it is buying chips at the grocery store to bring back to the ship cuz somewhere in that kitchen is a pantry of snacks that magically appear. You have but to ask.) Jim and I walked up to the Newfoundland Emporium in search of "locally made items" only to find more stuff from more attics. However, when we left the store we spotted a lady walking a Newfoundland. She was delighted to introduce us to Shawna who was a good sport about head patting and posing for pictures and drooling. Gotta meet a Newfie in Newfoundland!

We sat with yet another Australian couple who were also going to be away from home for just ever. From Boston they were going to sail up the St. Lawrence Seaway, then fly to Vancouver and then another boat to Sydney. We're starting to feel like real weaklings being gone JUST 40 days.

Great show: Not Really 3 Tenors. Two tenors and a baritone from Texas who could really sing but also interacted, quite funnily, with the audience. I'd been expecting the usual Three Tenors knock off but, surprise!