St Anthony’s and an unforgettable experience

From St Anthony’s, my first stop was Goose Cove (featured image) that faced the North Atlantic Ocean, a cute fishing village with a hiking trail around cliffs. During the hike I spotted Labrador tea and harvested handfuls of the leaves that I’m still brewing, though I’m almost down to the dregs. Keeping them for a longer period after the leaves have dried has actually enhanced the flavour. But foraging for Labrador tea was a bonus as my main reason for coming to this northern town was twofold, first to try my luck again on another whale watching tour and to visit the Viking settlement. 

Playful humpback whale

The boat tour into the Labrador Sea and beyond turned out to be a lucky day. Not only were the humpback whales as curious about us as we were about them, but also playful. One reared up on its tail and took a long look at the excited crowd in the boat, me among them. I couldn’t help squeal with delight at being only a couple of metres from this giant creature with his eyes staring straight at us. The pod slid under our vessel, rising right next to us for about half an hour before moving on. The boat owner said we had lucked out as this was a rare treat.

Humpback whale pod

I had hoped to see icebergs as well but it was already too late in the season. However, after the whale experience, nothing could put a damper on the day.