All the way east: Wot we does in Trinity, Newfoundland, Part 2

Buildings in Trinity, Newfoundland
Originally uploaded by theotherlondon

Coffee at the Mercantile

If you’re craving a coffee and some conversation Ian’s is the place to go. I would hazard that, on any given day, it’s safe to say every person in Trinity - locals, townies and people who ‘come from away’ alike - will stop by Ian’s at some point during the day. If the beverages, baked goods, sandwiches or cool coffee-culture inspired souvenirs aren’t enough to tempt you, the town’s only public access to the internet may seal the deal (I’ve also been told the library provides internet access, but with four visits to Trinity under my belt I have yet to see the library open).

Rising Tide Theatre

I like to take in at least one production put on by Rising Tide Theatre every time we visit Newfoundland. The company focuses on plays that are distinctly east coast and often by and about characters and people who have lived or are living in the area. It’s a great way to immerse yourself in the local history, culture and dialect. Some of the productions are held outdoors, including the company’s staple the, ‘Town Pageant’ that explains the history of Trinity (my guess is it won’t be your cup of tea, but there are plenty other offerings, and I think at least one or two that might perk your interest). There is a dinner theatre production offered each Saturday evening during the theatre season - also probably not your cup of tea (I’m guessing there won’t be much in the way of vegetarian options for diners, it being all about the seafood here), but I thought I’d mention it anyway.


Photo trekking around town

Trinity is arguably the most photogenic of the collection of small villages dotting the shores of Newfoundland’s Bonavista Peninsula. Just about every typical east coast image you can imagine can be found here in beautifully restored technicolor glory - with of course, a few weather worn examples preserved for the sake of authenticity. Brightly coloured clap-board homes, root-cellar doors peering out from grassy fields, freshly painted wooden fishing boats lined up in the harbour, an old lighthouse and fort on the other side of the bay, lines of crisp, clean laundry flapping in the wind. Get the picture? ;) It’s a photographer’s paradise I tell you! Oh, excuse me - it’s a photographer’s paradise, dat’s wot I says!


Jigging for cod

This summer we got to go cod jigging with 82 year old Boyd in the boat he built. It was made of wood and Boyd used a traditional hand line (I cheated a little and used a rod). We caught 10 cod between us which will be dried and salted to be consumed in the winter. How cool is that?

View my Newfoundland, Canada photo set on Flickr

All the way east: Wot we does in Trinity, Newfoundland, Part 1

Buildings in Trinity, Newfoundland
Originally uploaded by theotherlondon

Hiking up Gun Hill

For ‘people from away’ who are used to a regular exercise routine, the closest thing to a local gym in Trinity is a hike up Gun Hill. It’s a great way to work off all that hearty, though perhaps not ‘heart smart’, Newfoundland fare, pork scrunchions, fish and chips, fish and brewis, steamed pudding with brown sauce, and the town looks lovely from the summit. There are many interesting reminders of the town’s history to be discovered along the way. Not the least of which being the ‘guns’ - abandoned cannons left on the hillside after the war of 1812. Yes, I said the war of 1812. One of the town’s oldest cemeteries is located about half-way to the summit. Our friend, Eric’s, great-great-great-great-great grandfather - a Norwegian sailor who jumped ship off the shore of Trinity in the 1700’s, swam to shore and decided to stay - is buried there.

Beach combing

On a good day, within a few moment’s beach combing on any one of the town’s many beaches one can find a handful of clay pipe stems , pieces of pottery (one piece I found was date-stamped 1849!), black beach glass that I’ve been told is from seltzer bottles, mixed among more common beach finds like sun-bleached urchin shells and anemones.

Sea of Whales whale watching tour

Chris Prince owns and operates the Sea of Whales whale watching tour company based in Trinity, and his tours are fabulous. Why are they fabulous? Well, first off his boat rocks - it’s the most awesome zodiac I’ve ever seen. Secondly, along with the many species of whales, dolphins, puffins and eagles that can be viewed along the shores of Trinity Bay are some pretty impressive sea caves and waterfalls AND, if you go in the spring and early summer, you can view icebergs that have floated into the bay from the Arctic. Chris will even take you close enough to the icebergs to pick ‘popsicles’ out of the water so you can suck on the most pristine water on the planet. When there are icebergs to be seen, if you ask nicely, Chris will take you out in the early morning or at sunset when they glow an unreal turquoise blue in the slanted sunlight. Thirdly, Chris is super friendly and his wife packs great snacks and meals for Chris to share with his fellow sailors. The chicken salad sandwiches are particularly tasty and there are even vegetarian options.

Blueberry picking

I wouldn’t really say I’m a fan of blueberry picking, but I am a huge fan of Newfoundland steamed blueberry pudding. Here’s a recipe:

Blueberry pudding

Cream together three tablespoons of sugar and three tablespoons of butter. Add on beaten egg. Add one and a half cups of flour, a dash of salt and two teaspoons of baking powder. Mix with one half cup of milk. Fold in blueberries. Place in steamer and boil for one and half hours. Serve with brown sugar sauce. (Recipe courtesy of Trinity resident, Rosalind Cooleridge taken from her self-published memoir, ‘Sufficiently Blessed’.)


Lunch or dinner at the Dock Marina

The best place to eat in town is, in fact, one of the only places to eat in town - did I mention that Trinity has a year round population of 28? Don’t let the lack of competition fool you, the quality of the food here would make it a standout in a place a hundred thousand times larger (which would put it in the range of a medium-large size Canadian city). Try the fishcakes, made fresh every morning or Trinity Bay scallops, or the fish and chips…in fact, anything on the menu is pretty delicious.

Drinks at Rocky’s

All parties in town wind up at Rocky’s, as did a wedding reception we attended last year. When I remarked at one o’clock in the morning - after the reception had gone on for an epic ten hours - that I was glad last call was coming up as I was about ready to call it a night, one of the locals laughed hysterically. “You guys are so cute (and by ‘guys’, she was grouping me into the category of ‘people from away)! You think last call is at two? Last call is when everyone goes home!” The proprietor, Rocky, is everyone’s friend and has a dandy mustache. ‘Quite the crowd’ at Rocky’s can mean the place is packed to capacity or there are five people hanging out around the bar, it really doesn’t matter. Get the picture?

View my Newfoundland, Canada photo set on Flickr

All the way east: Trinity, Newfoundland

Buildings in Trinity, Newfoundland
Originally uploaded by theotherlondon

I arrived in Newfoundland via the red-eye from Victoria yesterday afternoon. You know, I’m a big fan of traveling at night. Overnight flights, train rides, bus trips, even driving through the night. I find night travel quiet and dreamy in all the best ways.

I’ve been looking forward to this trip for weeks, even months, even perhaps fourteen months, starting when we left at the end of our last visit. Trinity is one of those places you miss as soon as you leave, you look forward to returning and then within a few seconds of being back, it’s like you never left. It’s like everything you did in between when you last left and the moment you return suddenly ceased to exist.

We woke up this morning and ate breakfast and left the house with a loose plan to go to stop by the Mercantile to meet up with Baasje’s mother and have coffee, then maybe go for a hike up Gun Hill. Our plans soon changed unexpectedly when we happened to walk by Boyd and Rosalind’s at Pie Corner in time to see Boyd and Tony starting to pull away from the dock in the little wooden fishing boat that 82 year old Boyd built last year.

Drying cod in by the bay in Trinity Newfoundland

A few minutes later, we were in the boat with Boyd and Tony heading out to the narrows beyond the lighthouse to jig for cod. We caught ten fish, mostly small ones and a couple of big whoppers. We’ll probably have one for dinner tomorrow night and Boyd will salt the rest. When we ran into Rosalind upon our return she mentioned the small ones are very tasty salted and that they particularly enjoy them in the winter. After chatting with Rosalind about salt cod and the book she just published - a memoire of her experiences growing up in nearby Trouty called, ‘Sufficiently Blessed’ - we headed up to the house for some supper (which means lunch here). Then we lit a fire and I made some pastry dough and it started to rain. I expect this afternoon we’ll walk to the store at the edge of town to buy bread and cream then Karen and Eric will come by for dinner, after all their guests have checked in at the B&B.

Maybe we’ll go up Gun Hill tomorrow, or the next day. Well, all in due time, dat’s wot I says.

View my Newfoundland, Canada photo set on Flickr