The Newfoundland Expedition, August 2011, Part Vl

The Norse Sod House at L'anse aux Meadows

Part Six of our Journey begins with a great breakfast of pancakes and then we headed up the road to L'anse aux Meadows.   It was overcast, and the clouds looked like lead waves across the sky.   It was cold, too, but I was too excited to worry about it!   We were heading to the first Norse site in North America!

I had done some research about this place before coming all of this way, but I will admit that I didn't spend days on it.  I did this deliberately, because I wanted there to be something new to discover and enjoy that process when I got there.   So heading to this site, this World Heritage Site, meant being open to learning something new.

The Commemorative Sculptures of the meeting of the European and Native Cultures
 at L'anse aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada

A reproduction of a small Norse
sailing vessel

At the entrance to the park, we stopped to watch a huge bull moose browse in a bog off of the park road.  It seemed like a good omen, and yet we didn't take as many pictures as we usually did.   It wasn't really something we talked a lot about, visiting this site, but we were all seemed to have a sense of anticipation about being so close.

Abigail and Nicole
inside the Norse
Sod House

The visitor's center is a beautiful building, very modern and yet nestled in against the hill in away that seemed almost natural.   We got inside and the exhibits started immediately, describing humanity's origins, and the journey we have taken from our humble roots in Africa across the vast ancient continents.   It illustrated the journey of one group that moved across Asia, down into  Southeast Asia and Australia, as well as north into Siberia and across the Bering Strait.    That group moved downwards through the Americas all the way to the tip of what is now Argentina, as well as across North America.

The Norse Blacksmithing Shop

Close up of the
Sod House Peat Wall

The other group moved throughout Africa, the Middle East and then through the Mediterranean, and northern Europe, and eventually, north through the Black Sea to Iceland and Greenland.   Of course, this took centuries, and our ancestors adapted to these new climates and environments that defy description in their variations and complexity.   Eventually, the Norse seafarers sailed to the tip of Newfoundland and created a settlement there for several years.

Door Carvings to the Master's
Sleeping Quarters

Norse Tent looking out towards
Labrador and the bay

A boat in the process
of being built from
local wood with
authentic tools

The actual mounds left from the Norse
Dwellings from 1,100 AD

The thought of humanity's journey had never really occurred to me in quite this way.   I moved through the exhibits with care, reading each one and looked at the archeological evidence that the scientists discovered and verified this site's Norse authenticity.   We watched a video of the discoverers, and then we headed out on the tour.

Our tour guide was born and raised in northern Newfoundland, in one of the tiny communities that hug the coast, and her stories and heavy local accent added a lot to the presentation.

We saw the mounds where the Norse dwellings were located, now covered in thick grass overlooking the cove and the ocean, along with a few rocky islands.

Close-up of the Norse Boat

After the tour, we entered the Sod house, which was made by stacking 'bricks' of peat, into very thick walls lined with poles, and even covered the roof of the house, upon which grew thick grass and wildflowers.

Charcoal for the Forge

The Charcoal Pit

Inside, the house was very dark but cozy and warm, with several interpreters who worked on crafts and explained how life was like in the Norse community, 1,100 AD.   We saw the blacksmithing forge, but unfortunately the blacksmith was off on the day we came, but the forge was great to see.   There was a charcoal making pit, as well as barrels where they broke it into small pieces for use in the forge to get the iron ore extremely hot.

Ben samples the Brewis, a local fish dish

The woodwork involved in taking rough logs from the forest and crafting doors, planks, tool handles and boats was apparent throughout the site.   We saw carvings on the door to the Leader's Quarters, which, they explained, was designed to squeak and make noise as someone passed through to alert the sleeper in case of attack.  I guess it was an early form of security alarm!

It looked like the Norse would have had a busy day every day to gather firewood needed for the winter, food, fishing, making tools, building the houses, keeping healthy and tanning hides...   I don't think they were sitting around much!   However, it was very quiet and peaceful inside the Sod House, with a deep, earthy feeling that we really enjoyed.   It felt very similar to the native American Earth Lodges I have been in, and the area around their settlement was beautiful, clean and fresh

The Viking Burger

I walked back to the Visitor's Center on my own, soaking in the area.   I did not expect how deeply this meeting of the Human family, this convergence of Cultures, would affect me.  I saw cloudberry plants, moose tracks on the boardwalks and I spent time with the sculptures again too.   I could feel the courage and strength in the Norse travelers, in the Native voyagers who fished these waters and hunted these lands for thousands of years.   These peoples faced open oceans, fierce predators and intense climates using clothing and gear they made themselves with resources from nature, and their strength was steeped in the land all around me.   It wasn't just the Norse/Viking peoples, but all peoples who traveled far to rest on the shores, on the land where I now stood.

Mittens made from local craftspeople
with felted wool, at the Dark Tickle.
They looked very warm!

When we all regrouped at the car, we were in the mood for food.   The interpreters told us to go for the Viking Burger at The Northern Delight Restaurant in Gunner's Cove, so we had some ideas as to what to look for!    When we got there, they had a nice craft shoppe and art gallery as well as the restaurant, and we got some food.   Ben went for the local Newfoundland fare, called 'Brewis':

"Fish and brewis is another popular seafood dish. Brewis is hard tack, softened by cooking in pork fat along with the cod. The best part of this dish is the scrunchions, which are small, crunchy pieces of fat-back pork. They’re extremely tasty, and they make this meal. Fish and brewis can frequently be found on café and restaurant menus."

A Beautiful Scarf
At the Dark Tickle

 Japhy got the Mussels Special, which was fresh that day, and I forget what Nicole and Abigail got that day.   I got the Viking Burger, though I was tempted to get fish and chips!   Ben said later he wished he had gotten the burger, because it looked so good, but he was glad he tried something new for the experience.   I was proud of him!   For the record, the burger was excellent too!

After our meal, we found ourselves stopping at a small shop where a carver worked antler, whale bone and soapstone.  He told us stories of gathering berries, finding moose antler sheds, caribou and polar bear stories and how unusual the icebergs were to still be around in the coves.   We really loved hearing the stories of the local people, who were happy to share and exchange tales as we enjoyed the shops and crafts.

Heading into St Anthony

The next shop we visited was the Dark Tickle, (a tickle is the Newfoundland term for a narrow inlet between the hills, by the bay), and this place had everything!   Ice cream, woolen goods, (mittens, socks, sweaters, hats and scarves), lots of books, jewelery, great t-shirts, artwork and lots and lots of jams, jellies, syrups, teas, coffees and other locally produced goods.   The production line for their canning and preserving and processing was in the large room right off of the store, with huge windows you could look in and see the staff making the latest fresh fruit preserves!   It was closed when we were there, though, as we got there late in the day.

The Icebergs of St Anthony's Bight, looking across from the town.

All across Newfoundland I saw various cloudberry syrup, bakeapple jam, partridgeberry preserves, crowberry and squashberry jelly and much more.   The variety of berries in this northern place was amazing and I wanted to try them all.   I bought several different varieties to bring home for the family to sample and enjoy, but the best thing of all was tasting the actual berries out in the barrens, in the fresh, sweet ocean air, listening to the sound of gulls calling and the cracking and grinding of ice.

Young Newfoundland Entrepreneurs!

Another thing I had never seen before was woolen scarves and hats made using the Norse knitting method called naallbinding.   This is a beautiful method that makes for a durable, warm, thick product, and I got a DVD and a moose antler needle for Trista to learn with back home, since she is a crafty person and a knitter!   It is a great method, and the next time I come up to Newfoundland I will try to find someone who will give me a personal lesson in how to do it so I can teach others!

The coolest earrings I saw were made of arrowheads shaped from Newfoundland Chert, by Tim Rast.   I am hoping to see if we can visit him when we come up again and get some lessons and hear some stories about making native arrowheads, Inuit style points, etc.   His work is excellent, detailed and authentic!

We headed out again, and the sun had burst through the cloud layer and it was warming up.   We went into St Anthony, to get some supplies, check email and see if we could find some fresh fish to cook for dinner.  We were amazed to see more icebergs, bright and huge, crowding the bay.   These were massive, twice as big as a large New England Barn, and again, we were speechless.   The blue sky reflected deep blue streaks in the brilliant white ice, a color so incredible it looked fake.   It was like a blue raspberry slush!

We saw a cute roadside stand that we had to take a picture of, where three local kids were selling iceberg ice (by donation, actually!)   It was awesome, and their mom and dad came down and sat with us to enjoy the warm weather and sunshine.

It was an amazing day, one of the best (I always say that, because it's true!) and our experiences were growing in leaps and bounds.  Our companions were getting along well, and our food was good and there were new and unique things to see and do around every corner!

To Be Continued...

Just a note about the pictures in my blog:  Evidently, if you click on one of the photos, you can see the original size of the picture, and a whole string of photos underneath, of all of the pictures in each blog entry.   It is great to see them large, in detail, so check them out!