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You can lose everything, but nobody will take away what you saw and what you experienced...
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Jun 10, 2008 02:00 PM Waves, fogg, icebergs...
Day at sea. After few clear morning hours (new icebergs on the course!) the sea (in fact - the Atlantic Ocean) got rough. Big waves, it was not possible to see anything through the thick fogg... The ship was whistling every two or three minutes. Passengers were not happy. No TV on the ship but you can watch movies from DVD. But today very few people came to watch them... Hard day and a hard, whistling night...
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Jun 09, 2008 02:00 PM Unknown Labrador
Planing this voyage I didn't know that it is possible to sail further north then Goose Bay. Labrador is still unknown... So let you know: from Goose Bay you can sail along the coast to the little settlements on the shore - as far as Nain. This places are even more interesting then Goose Bay: there are Moravian mission churches, people say that there is possible to see more folklore then in Goose Bay or North West River. There is only one ship sailing this route from Goose Bay - "Northern Ranger". Round trip takes like 6 days... The problem is that first sailings in June depend on the ice conditions. I saw here "Northern Ranger" - the ship should depart yesterday but the sailing was cancelled. So coming here with the intention to go north you must be flexible and ready to wait few days. Why do not sail later? Well, if you like all this Arctic flies and mosquitoes(remember them from Alaska?) you can come in July or August. In June here is very few of them, that's why I am here now... Clothes are drying on the string after our waterfall expedition, I hope they will be dry before 4 pm - at this time I am embarking again "Bond" fot the return trip to New Foundland...
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Jun 08, 2008 02:00 PM How to get to Muskrat Fall?
Hazy and rainy day... The only road that goes to the interior of Labrador is a gravel Trans Labrador Highway. Muskrat Fall on the Grand River is located on the way... Tourist info in Goose Bay has very limited info on the fall. We passed the sign " Next facilities 294 km away in Churchill" and drove on the gravel 26 km or so. Then there were the only sign showing direction to the other gravel road - left. After some 5 km we reached the view point over the river with some icebergs down there and the snowfields. No other signs... No waterfall...
We took the little path down. 20 min later on the bank of the river we heared the roaring of the fall - but is was still some 500 m away. No path - we wre jumping on the wet boulders.
Got it! Muskrat Fall is only 15 m high but very powerfull... Well worth the trip. But shame on you - locat authorities - the little path is almost non-existing, bolcked by the fallen trees and landslides... It was rainng when I was taking pictures. Bad luck... We were climbing wet bush in the rain to get back to the car parked at river lookout. We retuirned completly wet. Now we need at least a day to dry... Another adventure.... Take care if you will go there: no maps, no info, no signs...
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Jun 07, 2008 02:00 PM Goose Bay - Labrador
Goose Bay where we landed in the morning is one of few townships on Labrador. Only 7500 people live here. During Second War Americans built here the airbase and a settlement for the saff. Americans departed in the 70's, the settlement still exists. Just let you know: the dock where "Bond" in arriving is located far away from the town. It is 4 km fron the dock to the base and the another 7 km or so to the Happy Valley where most tourist facilities are. Negociate with somebody on a ferry to give you the lift to the town (that's what I did). Otherwise (it is to far to walk) you will pay for hefty taxi ride.
I stay in Davis Bed and Breakfast - they charge 60 CAD for twin room with bath and continental breakfast. The have electric heating so it is OK.
30 km from Happy Valley is located the little settlement of North West River - it is historical place with a museums and buildings from the perion of Hudson Bay Company - well worth to visit. No local transport - the best idea is to hitch or to rent a car (expensive again: 68 dollars per day!). Enjoy! You are in remote Labrador!
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Jun 06, 2008 02:00 PM Sunny day in Cartwright
Before sailing to Labrador "Sir Robert Bond" has 6-hours stopover in the little settlement of Cartwright. You can go ashore and to enjoy the silent life of this remote place...
There are gravel streets, two little churches and a new school. Sorry, no access to the internet... It is green already but there are still big fields of snow - on the level of the sea.
It is worth to climb the Base Hill overlooking Cartright and the bay for the beautiful view of the fiord-like bay and the little islands. It took me less then 1.5 hours to reach the summit where radio antennas are located.
More passengers embarked "Bond" here. In the evening we sailed back to the open ocean. Tomorrow I'll see Labrador!
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Jun 05, 2008 02:00 PM Aboard "Bond" through the Iceberg's Alley
Yes, it is Bond. But not 007! "Sir Robert Bond" is a big ferry bult to sail through the ice areas... The ticket for 45- hours trip from Lewisporte to Goose Bay on Labrador cost about 150 CAD (Canada is very expensive) and you have a choice of chair, dormitory bed or the cabin.
We departed at 12.30 pm. The wather was sunny but due low temperature and strong wind I used gloves on the deck. There were nice landscapes of the bay and after two hours I saw the first iceberg.
Icebergs are sailing from Greenland along the Canadian cosast down to New Foundland. In the books they call this route "the Icebergs Alley" Soon we saw more of them sailing between rocky islands.
There were only 50 passengers or so on board. They offer onboard simple meals in the cafeteria, so if you want to pay 6 dollars for the hamburger you can go there. I took a good supply of food from the land, an the nice lady in the bar allow me to use boiled water from her pot. It is (by the way) old Polish custom to distribute boiled water to the budget travellers for free. Bon apetit! Tomorrow we will have first stop in the little settlement of Cartwright...
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Jun 04, 2008 02:00 PM New Foundland... one bus per day!
I stay in the cosy Downtown Hostel in Young Street paying 25 CAD per bed - Canada is expensive! St John's - the capital of NF/Labrador prowince has picturesque location in the long and narrow bay. Early in the morning I took a walk around the downtown with some victorian achchitecture and then it was already time to go to the bus departing to Lewisporte. There in only one bus per day along Tans Canada Highway! They charge 50 CAD per ticket and 7 dollars fuel surcharge (surprise!) for 5 hours/ 350 km trip. Canada is expensive! On the route I enjoyed nice landscapes of lakes, forests and marine coast... Few settlements only. Lewisporte is a little township with not much to do. But it is departure point for the famous Labrador ferry. Tomorrow will be the first departure in the 2008 season (there are summer sailings only due to the ice) and I plan to embark this ferry/icebreaker to sail to the north. It is much colder here. On the open sea it will be even colder!
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Jun 03, 2008 02:00 PM Stopover in Frankfurt...
If you use cheapest airlines flying from poin to poin you have to buy sepatare tickets and sometinmes wait few hour for the connection. I took a flight Gdansk to Frankfurt where I had 5 hours waiting for the low-cost Condor flight to Halifax/Canada.
It was a good chance to see Frankfurt after years...
There is storage room in Frankfurt airport for your luggage
at the arrival terminals and they charge like 3,50 euro for 7 hours. Then you have a train to downtown - it cost 3,60 euro each way. After 15 minutes I landed at Hauptwache station.
It was a nice walk along the oldest part of Franfurt.
Late in the afternoon I took a flight to Halifax. On arrival there is strict control regarding the food, so do not bring it from Europe. Then the third flight of Air Canada took me to St John's. It was dark when I landed: tired after busy day and 4,5 hours of time difference... Welcome to Canada!
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Jun 02, 2008 02:00 PM I am flying west tomorrow...
Yes, it will be new voyage... I always spend summer in Poland enjoying flowers and birds in my Wojtkówka but there are regions where the summer is practicaly the only season suitable for the visit. The great Polish-Canadian globetrotter - Remi Mielcarek recommended to me "The Icebergs Alley" - I want to see it and - by the way - also some landscapes of New Foundland and The Labrador. It will be also a good chance to find the remote French territory of St Pierre and Miquelon.
It is expensive region in comparison to Asia or Africa so it will not be a long voyage - I want to be back in Poland soon to enjoy our summer...
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Mar 11, 2008 07:00 PM Spring flowers in Wojtkowka...
I landed in Gdansk airport on time. It was cold evening... One more exciting voyage is completed! The output: 13 hours of video recording, 25 rolls of slides, more then 2000 digital pictures... Huge work awaits me now...
Often and often I think about my first book. So far travels had the priority, maybe it is the time to write about?... My friends encourage me since the long time...
I have been already in my Wojtkowka. It survived the winter, and everything is OK. There are already first, spring flowers. I hope the spring will come soon... It is time to put first seeds into the ground. Wojtkowka awaits you in the summer dear Friends!
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