The Rooms Museum + East Coast Trail (Sugarloaf Path Section), St. John's Newfoundland

The Rooms Museum

Back into tourist mode, we decide to visit 'The Rooms Museum' in St. John's. It is Newfoundland and Labrador's largest public cultural space, combining the province's museum, art gallery and provincial archive into a single landmark facility. 

Huge cod fish

There are old stories about the cod fishing industry, walls of historic photos, old boats as well as a musical display on 'Ron Hynes' a legendary singer song-writer of Newfoundland folk songs. 

Historic boats

Wall of old photos

Fin whale skull carving

A call for locals to come home

All over Newfoundland we have been seeing the current 'Come Home' license plates and we learn the campaign started in 1966, with the then premier, Joey Smallwood, inviting expatriates back to the province.

 

Devastating loss of the Newfoundland Regiment

There is also a display on the 'Royal Newfoundland Regiment'. We visited 'The Battle of the Somme' site in Beaumont-Hamel, France back in 2006 so we were fully aware of the devastating losses to the regiment, on July 1st, 1916.

Babies heading off to war

The Danger Tree

801 men were sent into a death trap and the regiment was practically wiped out in 30 minutes. 'The Danger Tree' marked the spot in no man's land where artillery fire became devastatingly intense and where 90 per cent of the regiment was killed, wounded or missing. So sad. 

Stl John's Harbour

There is a viewing deck where we get our last views of the St. John's harbour. 

Quidi Vidi Harbour

Next we head back to Quidi Vidi and set out on the East Coast Trail section called 'The Sugarloaf Path', which connects Quidi Vidi to Logy Bay. We don't have time to do the entire section, so we do an 'out and back' hike but, at least we get to experience the East Coast Trail. 

Steps Up !!

It is so rugged and beautiful with many sets of stairs and amazing views of the coast and the Atlantic Ocean.

Steps down !

 

Last Newfoundland blueberries 

We even find a couple of blueberry patches so we get our last tastes of Newfoundland blueberries. 

YellowBelly Brewery

Late in the afternoon, we head back into downtown St. John's for a final walk and to pick up some last souvenirs. 

That is a wrap on St. John's as we are pulling out tomorrow. It has been so fun here and obviously now holds a special place in our hearts :)