St. John's
Trip Start
Jun 29, 2010
1
77
103
Trip End
Oct 24, 2010
Where I stayed
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
Saturday, September 25, 2010
St. John's. I don't have the words to describe St. John's. It's...old, so much history, there are parts of it that are so seriously cool and parts that are kinda run down. There are intersections with 6 different ways to go, it's wild and chaotic and nothing like anything you'd find in BC. There is a vibe to the city that I just cannot describe, I just felt it.
Referred to as "North America's Oldest City", St. John's is the oldest settlement in North America to hold city status, with year-round settlement beginning sometime before 1620 (Cupids is actually the oldest surviving English settlement in North America or Canada). The core of the city was destroyed by fire several times, the most famous of which was the Great Fire of 1892.
Parking is free on weekends - good timing for me. I found a decent spot and just wandered around the city. There are some serious hills here!
The harbour is almost enclosed, the narrow opening is called...that's right, the narrows. I found this neat park and it had a great view of the harbour. You can see the Signal Hill and The Battery - the houses under Signal Hill. I walked the downtown core, saw the infamous George Street, it has the most bars and pubs per square foot of any street in North America. It's only two blocks long!
I wandered up the hillside to the many churches and brightly coloured houses. It was about 4pm and decided to head up to Signal Hill. It didnt even take 10 minutes to drive up there but when I got to the top, the fog had rolled in. I took this as my cue to call it a day. Headed back to the hotel for some much needed foot pampering and rest.
