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
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