Because it was our last day on the Explorer, they started serving breakfast an hour early so everyone could be off the ship by 8:30. That meant that we had to get up an hour early, too, which let us enjoy pre-sunrise from our cabin window.
A few minutes later, the St. John’s pilot boat pulled alongside; I was afraid the pilot might want to come onto the ship via our room, but he found another way.
We spent the day exploring two of St. John’s museums – the Colonial Building (the former capitol building of the colony, Dominion, and nation of Newfoundland) and The Rooms (a new museum devoted to everything about Newfoundland and Labrador). We had a great guide, Victoria, at the Colonial Building, and we spent about 90 minutes with her on what was supposed to be a 45-minute tour. :-)
We began our visit to The Rooms with lunch, then spent a few hours exploring the building. They have three museums and an art gallery!
The Earth, Our Mother
(Billy Gauthier)
There was a lot more to explore at The Rooms, but we were out of energy and took a scenic walk back to the Sheraton to officially check in and reclaim our luggage.
After unpacking a little, we had dinner at Bannerman Brewing Company and took a walk to the waterfront, where we met the official provincial dogs in Harbourside Park.
We reached the cruise port just as the Explorer was leaving for its next trip.
