ST. PIERRE -- The Tour

The island of St. Pierre is a few miles south of Newfoundland. It is owned by France. Passports have always been required for travel there. This has always eliminated casual day trips from Canada. You really have to want to visit the island to go there. The easiest way to get there would be to fly into St.Pierre by way of several Canadian gateways, or take the ferry from Fortune in southern Newfoundland.

 

This is the scenic view we saw after the fog cleared. The arrival of a larger cruise ship was quite an event for the local townspeople. There was a constant stream of cars to the pier area to view our ship. Eventually, the "shuttle to town" arrived. Many passengers decided to walk the two miles into town rather than ride on a school bus.

 

The town is very colorful. Local fisherman originally painted the homes different colors to match the colors of their fishing boats. The tour was very comprehensive (which means that we rode up and down most streets in town).

 

We chose to take the motorcoach tour which was offered by the ship. The only tour bus on the island was owned by one man who was also the driver and tour guide. A lovely young lady was the official tour guide, but the driver kept interrupting her and taking over the microphone. Do the math--one three hour bus trip, 26 miles of roadway = travel at approximately 9 miles per hour. We really got to see the entire island of St. Pierre "up close and personal".

 

This is the oldest home on the island. We also got to see the bus driver's home and the homes of all his relatives.