Getting to Fogo Island - long day but worth it

Our first day back in Canada was busy but exciting, moving around.

It started with a visit to Signal Hill, a hill that overlooks the capital city of St. John's.

The weather was very different than London: cloudy and cold - about 15 degrees. 

It already feels like fall here.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Signal_Hill,_St._John%27s

The final battle of the Seven Years' War in North America was fought in 1762 at the Battle of Signal Hill, in which the French surrendered St. John's to a British force under the command of Lt. Colonel William Amherst. Lt. Colonel Amherst renamed what was then known as "The Lookout" as "Signal Hill," because of the signalling that took place upon its summit from its flagmast. Flag communication between land and sea would take place there from the 17th century until 1960.

During Signal Hill's first construction period in the late 18th century, Signal Hill was designated as the citadel for St. John's.During the 19th century, Signal Hill was manned specifically during the Napoleonic Wars and the American Civil War. A second construction period in Signal Hill's history saw the construction of the Queen's Battery Barracks, which has been completely restored to the period of 1862.

Construction on Cabot Tower began in 1897 to commemorate Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee in 1897 and the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's landfall in 1497. The building was declared officially open in 1900. The practical uses of the building were flag mast signalling, and a Marconi wireless station which has since been moved to St. John's International Airport.

On 12 December 1901, the first transatlantic wireless transmission was received here by Guglielmo Marconi in an abandoned fever and diphtheria hospital, which has since been destroyed by fire.^[1] The transmission, in Morse code, originated from his Poldhu Wireless Station, Cornwall, UK.

The United States maintained anti-aircraft guns on the hill during World War II.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cabot_Tower_(St._John%27s)

Cabot Tower is a tower in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, situated on Signal Hill. Construction of the tower began in 1898 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland, and Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee.

In 1901, Guglielmo Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless message at a position near the tower, the letter "S" in Morse Code sent from Poldhu, Cornwall, United Kingdom. Cabot Tower is now the centre of the Signal Hill National Historic Site of Canada,^[1] with walking trails and an interpretation centre.

This was a quick visit to see a panoramic view St. John. 

Right after we started our journey towards Fogo Island, a place that has been on my mind for years.

What's a road trip without Tim Horton's Timbits?

On the road, the scenery was astonishing.

FOGO ISLAND

When I told people in Toronto - and elsewhere - I was coming to Fogo Island, half of them have never heard of such a place. 

The other half knew about it because of the exclusive Fogo Inn - we'll talk about it later.

I first learned about the island through my friends in Toronto Ed and Craig, more than a decade ago. They are both from Newfoundland, and Craig was born and raised on Fogo Island. 

I was interested to hear about it at first because I am a curious person and I always want to learn more about my new country, Canada. 

But it wasn't until 2010 that I really started taking a special interest in this fascinating place and its history, at one of my classes as a documentary media graduate student at Ryerson university.

I am talking about the Fogo Process, a National Film Board of Canada film project in the 60s that  ended up impacting the community in a positive way resulting in social change.

That was the beginning of participatory documentary, but we'll talk more about that later.

http://shorefast.org/film/the-fogo-process/  

To get to Fogo Island from St. John's by car is a bit of work, through the city of Gander. Gander also has an International airport, so flying straight there is an easier way to get to Fog Island. We drove the 350 km distance between the two cities, through beautiful and calm sceneries.

Our trip took longer due to construction on the road and a couple of bathroom stops, but five hours later we finally arrived in Gander and met up with our friends Ed, Craig and his lovely mom Blanche, who we also met many times in Toronto when she comes for visits. 

Blanche is an adorable woman who was kind enough to invite us into her house and show us this incredible remote community. 

We'll get to meet more of her later.

This photo was taken when we all met up in Gander, at a grocery store where we loaded up on supplies before getting into the ferry boat to Fogo Island.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gander,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador

Gander is a town located in the northeastern part of the island of Newfoundland in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, approximately 40 kilometres (25 mi) south of Gander Bay, 100 km (62 mi) south of Twillingate and 90 km (56 mi) east of Grand Falls-Windsor. Located on the northeastern shore of Gander Lake, it is the site of Gander International Airport, once a key important refuelling stop for transatlantic aircraft, and still a preferred emergency landing point for aircraft facing on-board medical or security issues.

From Gander we drove another hour until the end of this quiet road to Farewell, where we finally took the ferry to Fogo Island. 

Line up for the ferry.

The "boys" waiting to get in the ferry.

The Newfies (people from Newfoundland) are trying to be tough, with shorts, but it was colder that I had anticipated, especially with the strong winds.

The ferry left just after 6pm. 

Mike and I were super excited to finally get to Fogo Island. 

We had been dreaming about coming here for years and actually had made plans, but there was always something else and we could never come... Until today.

Family picture on the ferry.

Fun on the ferry with uncle Craig.

Our lovely place on the island, in the aptly named community of Seldom Come By.
This is Blanche's house, a beautiful and cozy house on the ocean.
It could not be better.

A warm welcome.

From the deck behind Blanche's house.

The little church across the street from the living room window.

This long day finished late, past midnight, after we had a special Fogo Island evening drinking and talking about this magical place. We heard so many stories about this community. Nothing like hanging out with incredible nice locals to learn about the place. It has really been a memorable day.

From island to island - across the Atlantic Ocean

It's time to go. 

We had an amazing five days in London and really we feel that was enough.

Even the weather was perfect for us - it rained only as we were taking off in the airplane.

This is the corner pub from where we were staying. 

Our Air BnB is right above it, in Islington. 

Our travelling buddies are always ready for the next adventure.

Paddington Station to catch the Heathrow Express train (15 minutes non stop).

"Hurry up, Sofia. The train is about to leave."

The flight was ok and in less than 5:30 hours we were back in Canada. 

It didn't feel that long because we gained back 3:30 hours.

Newfoundland is the only Canadian province that has a half hour time zone.

Our view from the Delta Hotel in St. John's, the harbour.

We left our luggage in the hotel room, grabbed coats because it's much cooler here and headed out for a walk downtown.

 I have visited all the Canadian provincial capitals, and St. John's is probably the most fun one. 

I love the vibe here. 

There is live music on every corner downtown - even on a Wednesday evening.

Street art 1

Street art 2

The colourful houses are a charming characteristic here.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John%27s,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador

St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland and Labrador. It is on the eastern tip of the Avalon Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland. St. John's covers 446.04 square kilometres (172.22 sq mi) and is North America's most easterly city, excluding those of Greenland.

Its name has been attributed to the Nativity of John the Baptist, when John Cabot was believed to have sailed into the harbour in 1497 and to a Basque fishing town with the same name. Existing on maps as early as 1519, it is the oldest city in North America. It was officially incorporated as a city in 1888. With a metropolitan population of approximately 214,000 (as of July 1, 2015), the St. John's Metropolitan Area is Canada's 20th largest metropolitan area and the second largest Census Metropolitan Area (CMA) in Atlantic Canada, after Halifax.

The city has a rich history, having played a role in the Seven Years' War, the French and Indian War, the American Revolutionary War, and the War of 1812. Italian inventor, Guglielmo Marconi received the first transatlantic wireless signal in St. John's. Its history and culture have made it one of the world's top ocean-side tourist destinations.

Newfoundland and Labrador.

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

The Newfoundland dog is a large working dog. They can be either black, brown, or white-and-black (called Landseer). However, in Canada, the country of their origin, the only correct colours are either black or Landseer. They were originally bred and used as a working dog for fishermen in the Dominion of Newfoundland (which is now part of Canada). They are known for their giant size, intelligence, tremendous strength, calm dispositions, and loyalty. Newfoundland dogs excel at water rescue/lifesaving because of their muscular build, thick double coat, webbed feet, and innate swimming abilities

The Labrador Retriever, also Labrador, is a type of retriever-gun dog. The Labrador is one of the most popular breeds of dog in the United Kingdom and the United States.

A favourite disability assistance breed in many countries, Labradors are frequently trained to aid the blind, those who have autism, to act as a therapy dog and perform screening and detection work for law enforcement and other official agencies. They are prized as sporting and hunting dogs.

The massive orange ship on the gateway to the Atlantic. 

My little Buddha thanking the universe for being here.

Ps. I don't tell her to do these things. 

It comes from her little (big) heart.

The beginning of George Street, the busy and loud entertainment strip of St. John's... and our address for dinner tonight.

The food was fantastic.

I decided to have two Newfoundland delicacies: Cod Tongue and Clam Chowder.

The tongue was just good, but the chowder was something worth crossing an ocean for.

Using London Eye to have a better look at London

The day started going back 20 years, on Gower Street.

I took Mike and the girls to see where I used to work as a "chamber maid", as the English people call hotel cleaners. 

 I worked here, at Arran House Hotel, for about 4 months, but it felt like 4 years. 

The work was intense - cleaning other people's mess and climbing up and down stairs for hours - but I also made great friends who took care of me and helped with with my home sickness.

I will never forget this time at Arran House Hotel.

The workers today let us go in and see a bit of the place.

I found out that the hotel was sold in 2011 and until then it was run by the same people. 

My biggest surprise is that not much has changed. 

Here I am showing the girls the breakfast room and how I used to cook and serve bacon, eggs, toast and beans to people.

To my surprise, the vacuum cleaners are still the same... 20 years later!

Urban message.

I am not sure what this is, but I liked it, as workers were hanging it on a big building wall.

Our main thing todays is the London Eye, also called by the name of the company who sponsors it, but I refuse to do free advertising for them.

This huge Ferris wheel was built here for the millennium celebrations and it was suppose to stay for only 5 years, but it was such a hit that the contract was renewed for another 25 years.

View from right underneath it. 

Someone was a bit scared as we started moving up.

Someone else was super excited.

The view is just incredible. 

Here, the Parliament and the Big Ben.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_Eye

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. As of January 2015, it has been advertised as the Coca-Cola London Eye.

The structure is 443 feet (135 m) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet (120 m). When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world's tallest Ferris wheel. Its height was surpassed by the 520 feet (158 m) tall Star of Nanchang in 2006, the 541 feet (165 m) tall Singapore Flyer in 2008, and the 550 feet (168 m) High Roller (Las Vegas) in 2014. Supported by an A-frame on one side only, unlike the taller Nanchang and Singapore wheels, the Eye is described by its operators as "the world's tallest cantilevered observation wheel".

It is Europe's tallest Ferris wheel, and offered the highest public viewing point in London until it was superseded by the 804 feet (245 m) ^]observation deck on the 72nd floor of The Shard, which opened to the public on 1 February 2013. It is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3.75 million visitors annually, and has made many appearances in popular culture..

The Buckingham Palace and it's gardens.

Another angle of the Thames River.

A single ticket is 23.45 pounds, but you can upgrade it in many ways. 

We didn't do any of the other attractions and the line up was fast, maybe 15 minutes.

Totally worth it.

Definitely the London Eye is the main attraction, but I am glad it dragged us out to visit the South Banks area, along the Thames River.

It is such a lively walking path, with lots of cafes, restaurants and activities for the kids.

 

These crazy designed benches (here two out of four) were tons of fun. 

Every child who walked by stoped for a little play.

Another fun part was this artificial beach, which is basically a big (beach) sand box.

It's mostly great for kids, but parents - like Mike - can enjoy it too... maybe taking a siesta.

Ice cream time!

We left South Banks to go shopping a bit at Piccadilly Circus at the end of the afternoon, but we could not miss ice cream time as soon as we got there.

Something new for me: a double ice cream cone, for two different flavours.

A magician entertained the girls for another 20 minutes while Mike and I had a break.

Shopping.

With Mr. Britain we said goodbye to London.

We ended here our adventure at the Queen's kingdom, since we'll head back to Canada tomorrow.

But our vacation is not over... Newfoundland, here we come.

London, we will definitely be back... you gave us lots of good times.

Toodaloo!