Maggie in Newfoundland Again 2016: Day 30 St. John`s

In local terms – today was cold enough to freeze the arse off ya! It didn’t actually rain. It just spit a little but it was cold! That can’t stop you here or you would never do anything so we bundled up and set out. Mary-Kate wanted to explore the city a bit and we are hesitant to do anything too fun before Andrew and Michelle arrive so we went down to walk and wander.

We stopped at a Shoppers Drug Mart to pick up a few things and a lovely young woman came by to help us. She looked so familiar to me, and when she bent over to pick something off a shelf I saw that her name tag announced her to have the same name as the daughter of the person she reminded me of! This is only a city of 250, 000 people so the chances of running into someone you know is pretty good and it happens a lot!

Following our “visit” with Morgen we went downtown and enjoyed Mary-Kate marvelling at the hills and angles of roads and houses throughout the city. We wandered along Duckworth Street and back up Water Street stopping in shops along the way. Mary-Katherine commented that everything here has such character. No cookie cutter uniformity for this city! She also said that even though this is a “new” place for her, it feels different than being in other “new places”. Here she feels like she belongs, so either it’s not just me or Newfie blood runs deep!

We went to the Duke of Duckworth for lunch. The Duke is the setting for Republic of Doyle and we thought she would get a kick out of eating there. We also happen to know they do a great fish and chips! Mary-Kate, much to her mother’s horror, has always said that she didn’t like fish. She enjoys salmon when it’s fresh but anything else she really doesn’t enjoy. I have always maintained it’s because she doesn’t like fish that’s been frozen – because there is a huge difference! David and I ordered cod and she ordered a hot turkey sandwich – Newfoundland style, because there is a difference! She agreed to try the fish. Joy of joys, she like it! She admitted she would order it! She really does have Newfie blood flowing in those veins!!

While we were at lunch David received notice of work waiting, so we went back to Pippy Park. Mary-Kate felt a nap coming on since she is still trying to recover from her travel days. I was happy to snuggle with Mary-Kate and read … and maybe drift off a little too! David had several hours of work so Mary-Kate and I went out for a walk about on our own. We decided to hike in behind the Fluvarium, around Long Pond. As we are walking through marvelling that we are in the middle of a city on a hike like this, Mary-Kate mentioned that everything here is on a hill. She observed that no matter where we went we had to go uphill as we were once again doing. When we arrived at the Harmony Garden, not sure how long an alternate route back might be, and having a Skype date with Jeffrey and Nancy for their anniversary, we thought we should head back the way we came. A short way into our return Mary-Kate shouted that she had to call Jonathan! When I asked why she explained that she had to tell him when I told stories have having to walk to school uphill, both ways, I wasn’t lying! As we were walking back, we were once again clearly going uphill! Not even sure how that was even possible, we giggled and laughed our way back and concluded that everything in St. John’s is uphill from wherever you are!

Following our long distance visit with Jeffrey, Nancy and the kiddies, there was a knock on the trailer door. The woman from BC who had stalked me on Signal Hill just had a few more questions. With map and highlighter in hand she came in and I thought she might be with us for the night! They had firmly made the decision to delay leaving Newfoundland and we mapped a trip across the island for her. While she was there Grant and Ruth dropped by and shortly after they came the phone rang and Jonathan was calling waiting to talk to his Dad! For a while there is was a busy, happenin’ spot – our trailer!

Eventually our lady left and we spent a lovely evening in the trailer with Grant and Ruth! We have some tentative plans for the next few days leading up to the reunion festivities. The highlight tomorrow though is that Andrew and Michelle arrive! YAY!!