ST. JOHN'S, NEWFOUNDLAND

I underestimated St. John's. I have known a lot of people who had visited Newfoundland over the years. Some were oceanographers, visiting the coastline. Others headed inland to do some fishing. I had thought (incorrectly) of St. John's as a small, quiet, fishing town, still living in the last century. St. John's is the oldest English-founded city in North America. This modern city is spread over a large area and has an urban population of more than 151,000 inhabitants.

 

 

As we stood on Signal Hill on the outskirts of the city, we were able to look back at the expanse of sprawling St. John's, Newfoundland. The ship in the harbor is the Ocean Princess. We were told that during severe storms all ships nearby at sea are invited into the harbor to provide a safe haven. When many ships seek shelter there, the harbor is so full that it is possible to walk from one ship to another. (I have placed the St. John's Harbor Web Cam on the right side bar of this blog, so we can check the harbor when the weather gets bad.)

 

To the left of this photo one can see how narrow the entrance to the harbor is. For a better view of the harbor entrance, click on the St. John's Harbor Web Cam link above. Note: You can see the harbor entrance better during the daytime.