St. Pierre Last Day, Departure and Final Thoughts

Last full day:

1.       Just a reminder to we keep adding albums to our photo collection for the trip and that they can all be found HERE.

2.       The cemetery was interesting, though they all are so no surprise there.  A fishing theme to many of the graves.

3.       The graves are all above-ground as in New Orleans, though for a different reason.  There’s nothing to dig in.  Blast in perhaps, but not dig.  All granite, all the time, everywhere.  

4.       A lot of the graves, mebbe 20%, have what look like portholes on them.  Not sure if it’s part of the nautical theme to so many of them or whether they provide access.  I looked into a few and couldn’t see anything.  Didn’t seem appropriate to open one and stick my arm in.  Reminded me a bit of the union ossuaries in Havana.  Once the bodies decay sufficiently the bones are boxed-up and moved into the chambers beneath the monument proper (it was just a matter of opening a door to get access to the stairs and wander down, check out the bones collection).  Perhaps there’s a similar thing going on here?

5.       In addition to the nautical themes of many graves one was clearly a Habs fan and another an Elvis enthusiast.  Look for the photos.

6.       A few graves or at least the monuments, were up on pallets and lined-up off to the side.

7.       Lots of graves above ground but few trees.  Some shrubs here and there.

8.       The burbs have newer houses and bigger lots with a bit of rock for a garden and sometimes some grass or a raised box garden, but the homes have the same boxy design.  Nice colours.

9.       A really very fab lunch at L’Atelier Gourmand right next to our hotel.  The house salad.  Lovely cured duck slices etc.  With a bottle of a white burgundy of course.  I think Geri almost weaned off the oakiness of Australian chardonnays.  L’Atleier all good but for the somewhat arrogant waiter.  Though it is France of course.  Only 25km off the coast of NL, but still France.  The cab ride to the airport this morning was further confirmation.

10.   Beware re. the menus (or, rather, enjoy in advance) as many items are available only when in season.

11.   Lunch, as with Monday, followed immediately by a nap of course.

12.   Really, we need to leave as there is little to do after a few days in a place this small except eat.  And lots of good food.  Or better than good.  We’ve had nothing but great food other than one evening of OK food at the restaurant upstrairs from Bar Rustique.

13.   Last night Geri had the boeuf bourguignon at La Creperie in our hotel and I had a gallette.  Bother really really quite good.  And the boulangeries…

14.   I finally found postcards in a wine shop right in Place Gen. de Gaulle.  Of course only after I had gotten the advert cards at the tourism office and scribbled around the edges of the ‘visit St. P et M.’ messaging and mailed them.

15.   In the end I only bought a couple of nice but not great bottles for drinking in NL along with some pates and terrines.

16.   Never did find the shot glass requested by a co-worker.

17.   The wine shops fun.  Not Parisien caves des vins but fun.

18.   More and more varieties of rye to be seen here than at home I think.  Export A a popular cigarette and Blue Light is unaccountably stocked by all the bars and shops we have popped into.

19.   Red phone booth in town.  :-)

20.   Odd: couldn’t find a fish market.  Think people must buy right off the boats at the commercial quay.

21.   Interesting local music: French take on Donal where’s Your Trousers and covers of Great Big Sea, Stan Rogers.

22.   Some older buildings built using construction methods right out of the middle ages with post-and-beam-and-fill plastered-over.

23.   Despite the evidence of hockey fans everywhere, nice boules club.

24.   Look for the photo of a stop sign.  Not our flat things.  Seriour (well, somewhat so) sheetmetal work.  I think quite possible folded and soldered due to the wind they have to withstand.

25.   Coffee fans: the milk for your beverage is heated before serving.  :-)

26.   The one supermarket/Home Hardware (???) on the island keeps traditional hours despite looking like something you would see in Cobourg and so is open 8-1200, 14-1900.  Another indication of how little effect tourism has had and is having here.

Departure and last thoughts:

1.       Stormy and the flight delayed but fun to watch the waves hitting thr rocks.  Quite amazing how low the ceiling and short the visibility but yet we still got into St. John’s.  Good thing too as I need to get back to a place where I don’t feel the need to over-eat just so I can taste everything possible.

2.       Chat with the desk clerk at the hotel.  Most people on the island get to Canada or perhaps the Caribbean regularly but less than half, he thinks, have been to France.  They fly to Halifax or Montreal for serious medical etc. problems, depending on their language skills.

3.       No direct subsidies for living there but services are.  And professionals subsidized for moving in and staying.

4.       Restful to be BlackBerry-less for 4 days.

Do we recommend?  A qualified yes from me,a qualified no from Geri.  If you’re in the neighbourhood I would say don’t miss it just for the food and the complete lack of tourism (at least at this time of year).  Geri thinks the cost of getting there isn’t worth it and that there’s not much to occupy you for more than two full days (and even at that you have to move slowly).  
 
Her thought: if you want France go to Aix en Provence for a month and get the same and more food, better weather and day trips.  If you want isolation in the North Atlantic and all that, stop in Iceland for a few days on your way to Aix.

My last thought?  Gotta love a trip to a place with fab seafood that makes finding a postcard so difficult.  :-)

Bit of a warning for those on a tight schedule: less than an hour after we arrived in St. John's they started diverting flights to Gander as a cyclone up from the Caribbean worked its magic on the weather.