A packed day of sightseeing. We started with Cape Spear the most easterly point on the North American continent. The weather did not cooperate as it was wet and windy, but that did not reduce our enthusiasm. We see this as the start of our East-West journey around the world, so in that sense today was the start of the "real" trip.

Signal Hill stands at the mouth of St John's Harbor and is topped by an impressive stone building. This hill is famous for a number of reasons. Used since the mid 1700s as an observation post and flag signaling station, it was also the sight of the last battle of the American 7 year war, as well as the sight of early efforts by Marconi to transmit radio signals across the Atlantic. Today it is a major tourist attraction and gives wonderful views of the impressive St John's harbor and surrounding country.

After parking the beast at the local camping ground in Pippy Park we caught a cab into the city of St John's and strolled up/down the main street. It felt like a tourist town though there are still remnants of its maritime past hanging around. The main street is a mix of commercial buildings like banks and more tourist-entertainment venues such as restaurants and pubs. However the adjoining and parallel streets are pure entertainment with many colorful old buildings offering food ranging from Sushi to Italian via NewFoundland traditional.

A short stroll from downtown to a nearby village called Quidi Vidi turned into a lengthy trek. The village is built on a very narrow rocky inlet and is famous for its boutique brewery and quaint buildings. Unfortunately when we arrived it was already 5:30pm and the few eateries seemed closed. The large and impressive tourist info building certainly was.

A taxi back to the downtown area also netted us a recommendation from the cab driver for fish and chips; a pub called the Duke of Duckworth right next to the Provincial Supreme Court building. After a short wait a huge piled plate of chips (french fries) and two large pieces of battered cod arrived to complement the glass of Guinness I was already holding.