St John’s – Colourful Streets, Cold Beer and a Flight Home

We were up early for breakfast in Lindström before heading out for our final few hours in St John’s. The boiled eggs were, unfortunately, more cold than boiled, so they were quickly abandoned in favour of something more appetising.

We left our hold luggage safely on the ship and headed into the city on foot, making the most of our last morning in Newfoundland.

Jelly Bean Row

Our first stop was the famous Jelly Bean Row, where brightly coloured houses line the streets of St John’s. The nickname refers to the cheerful mix of colours – blues, yellows, pinks, greens and reds.

It’s become one of the city’s most recognisable sights and, unsurprisingly, a favourite with photographers.

We then popped into the Bagel Café, where I had a cinnamon bagel while admiring the Halloween decorations. Outside, an advertising board proudly proclaimed it “St John’s award-winning breakfast house”. It certainly seemed to have plenty of local character.

From there we wandered through the historic downtown, taking in the old buildings and streets before reaching Posie Row on Duckworth Street. St John’s is one of those cities where simply wandering is part of the experience – colourful buildings, steep streets and little shops seem to appear around every corner.

At Wild Things, I bought a small memento carved from what was described as either caribou or moose antler – a fitting little reminder of our time in the Canadian Arctic.

We also stopped at the National War Memorial, which commemorates Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who lost their lives in conflicts. It was a more reflective moment after the bustle of the colourful downtown streets.

Water Street – and a few refreshments

We eventually turned onto Water Street, which runs roughly parallel to Duckworth Street. The area was packed with bars, cafés and restaurants, and it seemed a shame not to investigate a few of them.

We spotted the Dildo Brewing Co. shop – and, naturally, had to have a look. The name always raises a smile, but Dildo is actually the name of a real community on Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, and the brewery has embraced the wonderfully memorable name.

John then announced that he needed the bathroom, which conveniently provided us with an excuse to stop at Blue on Water, a hotel, bar and restaurant.

And what better drink to order in Newfoundland than a pint of Dildo?

Our waitress, Hayley, was lovely and chatted to us in her wonderfully distinctive Canadian accent, which seemed to have a gentle Irish lilt to it. She also told us that the bar stools were covered in seal skin – another reminder that we were very much in Newfoundland.

A taste of Ireland in Newfoundland

We moved on to another watering hole, Celtic Hearth, an Irish bar. The lady serving behind the bar had such a strong Irish accent that I immediately thought she couldn’t possibly be a native Newfoundlander.

I was right.

She was from Limerick.

It somehow seemed entirely appropriate. Newfoundland has long had strong cultural links with Ireland, particularly because large numbers of Irish immigrants settled here from the 18th century onwards. You can still hear that connection in the accents, music and culture today.

For our final stop, we headed to the YellowBelly Brewery and Public House. It was busy and lively, with the brewery’s own beer being produced on site. Large fermenting tanks could be seen through glass windows behind the bar, giving us a glimpse of the brewing process.

We decided to share a flight of five different beers, which seemed like a good way to sample what was on offer without committing to five full pints.

There was just one problem – we had a plane to catch.

So, with a degree of restraint that I’m not sure we’ve demonstrated on every occasion during this trip, we left some of the beer unfinished and headed back towards the ship to collect our luggage.

Goodbye, Newfoundland

We had to pass through security at the dock before making our way to Deck 4 to collect our hold bags.

An Uber was ordered and, remarkably, just a minute later we were climbing into the car and heading towards St John’s airport.

The airport was practically deserted, making checking in and getting through security wonderfully painless.

Soon we were airborne, leaving St John’s behind and heading for Montreal, where we would change planes for the final leg of our journey to London Heathrow.

And just like that, our Arctic expedition was coming to an end.

We had travelled from Iceland to Greenland, down through the Labrador Sea and along the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, encountering ice, wildlife, ancient geology, Inuit culture, abandoned settlements and some spectacular landscapes along the way.

Now it was time to head home – although our adventure wasn’t quite finished yet.

Next stop: Rome and Sorrento, Italy