The beginning of the second week of the tour found the four of us standing, in perfect weather, on the most northern tip on Newfoundland at L’Anse aux Meadows, where the Vikings set up the first European settlement in the Americas. We stood in front of a pit that was once a forge where the first iron was cast in the Americas, we visited the re-creation of a Viking house and got a chance to dress up as Vikings and play with their weapons. It was an unforgettable visit.
After ferrying back across the Strait of Belle Isle we spent what we expected to be our last night in Blanc-Sablon. The next morning we packed up our things and caught a very small plane to La Tabatière and performed two very successful shows for a great audience. That afternoon we attempted to fly to St Augustine although, unfortunately, the weather didn’t allow us to land, and so the flight was diverted back to Blanc-Sablon where we spent one last night. Apparently Blanc Sablon didn’t want to see us leave :].
The next morning we tried for the second time to get to St Augustine and succeeded. There we performed shows to another incredible audience, and I was reminded that a friend of mine had graduated from that very school and gone on to study theatre with me in Montreal.
Next was Harrington Harbor. We caught a flight to Chevery and water taxied along the shore to the road-less village. We were all impressed by the lack of cars, replaced by all-terrain-vehicles, and by the board walkways that connected all of the buildings that were perched on the rocky shore. Of course we heard a lot about La Grand Seduction, a very successful french-language film that was filmed in the village. Mariana was wise enough to wake up earlier than the rest of us and go for an early morning jog through the town, which apparently turned into a photo-op for the village resulting in some fantastic images. It was in Harrington Harbour where we had the opportunity to eat a wonderful home cooked lasagna dinner that we all greatly appreciated.
Our final school on this first leg of our tour was in Chevery. Another perfect success! The next morning we hopped on our final flight to Sept-Îles and drove the long drive to Tadoussac along the winding highway in a long and steady rainstorm, a much scarier trip than any of the flights we had taken. We spent the night at a nice little hotel and visited the local youth hostel, with its live music and smiling faces.
Our final day saw us waiting in line for, and finally catching, the ferry across the great Saguenay River where Mariana and I befriended a deceased moose. We ended the day driving into Montréal listening to hours of Top 40 pop music, which drove one of us crazy.
I am writing this blog at my parent’s house on Thanksgiving Monday. However, this does not feel like a holiday. I hope that I’m speaking for the others when I say I miss my other family, my Geordie family, and I can’t wait to get right back into it tomorrow on the Chibougamau leg of the tour!
Cheers,
Ian
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