Stepping Back In Time
Thursday June 20 2002
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Location
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Odometer (km)
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Time of Arrival
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Rest Time
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Gas Expenses
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L'Anse Aux Meadows
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3241
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09:00
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5 hrs
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$35
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Deer Lake
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3648
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19:05
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2 hrs
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-
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Grand Falls - Windsor
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3871
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23:25
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6 hrs 30 min
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The moose were still up and about at 8:30 am as we got underway for the 45 minute ride to the L'Anse Aux Meadows historic site. |
| The north shore from L'Anse Aux Meadows with an iceberg. This was a rather sobering moment for us. The cold yet warm bleak landscape was awe inspiring. The furthest north we have ever been and it showed. The silence was only broken by the sound of the sea. |  |
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Céline sitting on the remains of a 1000 year old wall, built by the Norse who settled here and built sod huts that housed them and their workshops. Touching the earth here is an interesting experience. |
| I met this Norseman on the trail and walked with him into the village and felt like I stepped back in time. The effect was heightened by the fact that there were no other visitors/tourists here. As we stepped into the chieftains hut the journey through time stopped at about 1000 AD |  |
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Metals were an item for the rich, The more steel the greater the power a man had. Bog ore is abundant in northern Newfoundland and made for some fine weapons as well as cooking and sailing items. |
| We were sitting around chatting with the chieftain and his wife for awhile. The food was typical. Fresh moose, flat bread and various berries. Shayna here gets to try some moose but we politely abstained and stuck with the berries and fresh bread. |  |
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A short distance from the historical site is Norstead, a Viking port of trade. Here the boatmaster had my undivided attention as he went on and on about the Snorri, A Viking boat that is a reconstruction of Leif Eriksson's ship that landed here in 1000 AD For more on the story of the Snorri please click here |
| Norstead is populated by some 20 Viking interpreters who, through their characters, provide interpretation to visitors, this fellow was a trader who had a flare for his job, he tried to trade us peppercorn for Célines amethyst necklace. We smiled and backed away slowly... |  |
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The Chieftain at Norstead love to tell stories of adventures at sea and of living off the land in the north. Céline and I were again lucky enough to be the sole visitors in this village. We were treated to more fresh baked flat bread and berries here as well. |
| Céline got some hands on experience at sash making as the seamstress was more than willing to show us the old ways of creating material for clothes, blankets, sails etc. |  |
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The village of Norstead at L'Anse aux Meadows. From right to left; the Chiefs hut, the church and the blacksmith's hut. The circle in the foreground is the center of the village and used as a gathering place. Out of view to the right of the Chiefs hut is the boathouse (seen above) and a corral for livestock. |
| We are at the northernmost point of our journey and pause to look northwards before heading back down the northern peninsula. For mid June there was a surprising amount of icebergs floating around, it's nice to know what they taste like now. |  |
