There are Days and then there are DAYS

An inexplicable mixup with our hotel booking last night temporarily derails the joy of our trip. I am fuming all night. It all works out, despite, as we have had one of those days you cannot replace.

The day starts w a breakfast in our hotel so unique it's incomparable to any I've had. Berry soup, Newfoundland toutons (something akin to deep fried pancake batter but comes out like a biscuit), house made game sausage and baked beans. 

We decide a hike up Signal Hill will counterbalance the calories. Beautiful hiking weather: sunny, warm but not too so, and the wind is raging. It nearly knocks us over in the gusts. Up the gravel path to to the gun battery beneath Cabot tower. We have a tribute to Frances's colleague and our friend Lachlan who sadly left us a few weeks ago. Then up to the tower itself. We climb the narrow stairs to the terrace. We can hardly open the door to the rooftop for the gale. The view is stunning. St. John's Harbour so much narrower than you imagine to fit such enormous ships, the Narrows just 200m wide and 9m deep. A puppy on a leash is flung more like a kite than a pet. Photos are taken, an arm is extended to an elderly lady, T-shirts and postcards are purchased.

Next is Quidi Vidi, a quaint old fishing village with views galore... and a microbrewery providing the ubiquitous Iceberg lager. Fun looking at the various boats, construction for the Atlantic seas being so different than at home.

After hearty lunch we're off to Bay Bulls for a 2 hour whale watching and puffin gawking adventure. The wind is up. So are the nerves. We are reassured by the congenial staff at O'Brien's Tours that the boat is big, the seas are no larger than usual, and there have been no reports of seasick passengers on the earlier tours. We board and head out. The swell is no picnic but soon enough our first humpback is spotted, then another, cheers and laughter as the seas soak the passengers who challenged the splash zone despite the warnings. Next, the puffins. A half million of them clung to Green Island. Built for swimming more than flying. A potato with wings is how our tour guide describes them.

After facing fears and living to tell the tale, we return to Blue on Water, our hotel, bar, restaurant for supper. Like their breakfast, supper is also unique. Lobster salad, chicken fried pork shin (amazing), spicy squid, beautiful cod and halibut dishes, beignets and lemon mousse for dessert, but then, a dram of Laphroig Cairdeas from the 200th anniversary. The rarity of the bottle is lost on the waitstaff and apparently on whomever sets the prices. Remembrances of the distillery visit with Chuck and Andrew almost a year ago to the day.

I am in my happy place. The angst of yesterday floats away. I am proud of my girls, enjoying my wife's hilarity and thinking of my pals as I sip. A fitting nightcap as Cairdeas is Gallic for "Friendship".