NEWFOUNDLAND ODDITIES

Some Intersting Things I Learned
        Cloudberry also called bake apple is a popular berry to make jam and syrup. The berry is similar to a raspberry except the apricot-orange bumps are much larger and fewer in number. Cloudberries are found other places, but I first ran on to them in Newfoundland. The partridge berry tastes a lot like a cranberry.
       The trans-Canada highway starts in St John’s, Newfoundland with marker zero and extends 4660 miles across the country to Victoria, British Columbia.
        Ten mile pond is only seven miles long,----but ten miles from a long ago trapper’s home.
        A mug up is the expression for when friends and family get together to drink, talk, tell stories and sing. Screech is rum. Wedgies are fried potato chunks.
       Scuff means to dance, scoff means to eat so one can partake of a scuff
       In Newfoundland the word fish refers to cod, if any other fish is talked about it is identified by name.
      If you are not a Newfoundlander, you are from away. Tickle refers to a small stream of water. A deck on a house is called a bridge. In rural areas front doors frequently do not have any steps because the house is considered not finished and the taxes are lower. It is referred to as the mother-in-law door.
       Shed is a store and a store is a shop. That’s as confusing as a bar and gate in York, England.
       The Newfoundland pony was imported from Ireland and England. They weigh about 700 pounds and have strong forequarters.

        The Newfoundlander dog has a thick curly black coat and big webbed feet. The breed was brought to Newfoundland from England over 200 years ago. They are known for their loyalty and their many heroic rescues. We did not see many of them.
         Newfoundland has some funny place names. Many were influenced by the French and Portuguese and often have been anglicized. There are Heart’s Desire (1612), Heart’s Content (1700s) and Heart’s Delight (1800s), all close together. Originally the heart was hart, but was changed to the more common spelling. Then there is Joe Batt’s Arm, Jerry’s Nose and Herring Neck as well as Brigus and Cupids.

ONE BIG ROCK

ULURU

        For years Uluru was known as Ayers Rock and the big activity was to climb it. Unfortunately there were many accidents. The rock in the Outback—the red center of Australia—is sacred to the Aborigines and climbing the rock today is discouraged. We decided to honor that and got up early to walk the five miles around the rock at daybreak. We finished just as the sun got high in the sky. It was getting hot and we were glad we’d gotten up early!

       It is traditional to sip champagne as one watches the sun set on the big red monolith. It was amazing to see the color change about every two minutes. Crowds of tourist gather to witness the sunsets.
       The only hotel accommodations in the area are in a hotel complex built by the Northern Territory government that was later sold the complex to a Lin Lacy. The complex houses four hotels from a five-star to a backpacker’s hostel. The complex that can accommodate 5000 visitors a night also has a post office, moderate-sized grocery store, shops, and information and tourist center. It has its own water supply and generating plant, some of which is solar. The complex employs 4800 people.
       Uluru refers to a water hole near the summit. At 1150-feet high Uluru is the largest sandstone monolith in the world, and like an iceberg has perhaps 2/3 more lying under ground. It is one of the world’s great natural wonders. There are many caves in the rock and 75 art sites.
       In 1983 the area around Uluru was returned to the native people. However, it was not long before the native peoples realized they were unable to handle and manage the park, so a cooperative agreement was reached with the Park Service who now maintains and manages the area. Twenty-five percent of the park fee plus a $75,000 annual royalty is returned to the Aborigines
      The Aborigines take spiritual care of Uluru, as they believe gods from Dreamtime passed by here imbuing formations with their spirits. Caring for the land is how they confirm their humanity. About 300 of the Anangu tribe live on one side of the rock. We really had to look hard to find their settlement as the village is well hidden in the bush, and I suspect many people are not even aware of it. The entire area is referred to as Yulara, meaning howling dingo.