Newfoundland
Tuesday, 17th May . Woody Point , Newfoundland
Acclaimed for its unearthly landscape, Woody Point is probably as close to Mars as you will ever get in this lifetime. Situated on the west coast of the island, the Tablelands behind Woody Point in the Gros Morne National Park are composed of peridotite — like much of the surface of Mars — and NASA, the Canadian Space Agency, plus others, are studying this unique land form, searching for insights into possible bacterial life on the red planet.
The story of the Tablelands earned Gros Morne its World Heritage Site status from UNESCO in 2010, and the area remains a geological wonder, showcasing a time when the continents of Africa and North America collided. When the plates struck 485 million years ago, the peridotite was pushed to the surface, and remained above sea level. The rock lacks the nutrients to sustain plant life, thus giving the Tablelands a barren, isolated appearance. As the name suggests, the flat topped mountains dwarf the tiny village (population 281!), yet Woody Point has retained its character and the historic houses and buildings dating from 1870 have been beautifully maintained.
A morning at sea. Went to Pilates at 8, but lots of it too difficult for me, so just did my own thing!.A lecture by Robin on Murder and Mayhem in the Intertidal. Went ashore after lunch to Woody Point. Unfortunately we had the really worse guide possible: incomprehensible, uncouth and just useless. I did not even realise that we were actually at the Tablelands. A 20 minute walk, extended to at least 50 minutes!, difficult with the snow. Then we proceeded in the bus to an interesting village, but with horrific winds. Then to the Discovery Centre where we saw a film, and learnt precious little from their exhibits! Finally we walked by ourselves back down to Woody Point, and this was when we realised what a magnificent landscape there was around us, so a really good stop in the end.
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Enjoyed sailing out of the magnificent fjord drinking cocktails in the Panorama lounge. Then Hot Rocks, not too cold, followed by a coffee back in the Panorama lounge, before being driven out by Raphael and his 'Dance the night away'
Wednesday, 18th May. At sea.
A sleepy day for me. Started with Pilates, just 2 of us there. Then Life in Norse Greenland; Ivory and Irwin , given by Alex, After that a long siesta, although David went to Pia´s Green Thai Curry cookery lecture. After lunch I watched most of Ozzie Oscar´s lecture on 'Diving Deep: how they do it; in the suite, with a brief gap to see if there was anyone for bridge: but the door out to the Observation Lounge on Deck 9 appeared to be locked, maybe due to the horrendous weather.Then Triva, a talk on Auks by Scott, and a Recap. Cocktails followed by dinner with Canadians Rosemary and Jamie in La Terraza with views of icebergs
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On to Greenland