Saint John's: Day 1

We were only 30 minutes from Signal Hill where we picked up the Hop On Hop Off  Tour of the City and Cape Spear. The tour, normally a two day ticket was only one day, this being its last day of their season. We paid half price, $25 each for the day.

 The tour made seven  On Off stops but its two hour  route covered many points of interest and tourist attractions such as Jelly Bean Row. It is the nickname that describes the colourful row of Victorian houses in downtown St. Johns. The houses were built circa 1860.

Mile 0 of the Trans Canada Hwy

We stopped briefly in Quidi Vidi , a very picturesque village//neighbourhood for pictures but hope to return tomorrow when businesses will be open.

We got off the tour bus at Water Street, the main thoroughfare of  St.
John's since the 16th century. Very colourful mid 19th century  buildings, pubs and shops. It was closed off as a pedestrian mall for the summer. We ate lunch at The Celtic Hearth on their outdoor patio. We browsed through a few shops; each of us bought some souvenirs. 

We hopped back on and returned to Signal Hill to see the Visitor Centre. There were some interesting exhibits highlighting the communications and military history. Signal Hill was originally the "Lookout"  because of its strategic location overlooking the harbour. The first transatlantic wireless signal was received here by Marconi in 1901.

We drove to Cape Spear, Canada's most easterly  point of land. It was very busy but we managed to find parking. We  climbed the 201 steps  to visit the oldest surviving lighthouse in Newfoundland and Labrador. The  restored  and refurbished interior of the lighthouse depicts the life of a  lighthouse

keeper in 1839.

We returned to the campground at 4:30 and paid for a third night as we still have attractions to visit that we passed on the bus tour. We drove 59 km with our trip up to Cape Spear. It was a mainly cloudy day; it reached 23º.