L'anse Aux Meadows - Vikings in Canada

  L'anse Aux Meadows, Newfoundland, Canada

We and the Vikings made it to Canada! How do we know the Vikings were here? Metal. An iron bolt to be specific.

The locals and archaeologists have known about this place for quite a long time. But everyone thought is was an Indian site. Then a few years ago some archeologists were digging and studying the Indian village longhouse depressions and other remains. What they originally thought was a pottery kiln turned out to be a smelting furnace.

Not wasting time, the locals quickly build two living history locations. The Canadian government build a visitor center, a gift shop, paved roads, and a dock for cruise ship tenders (what lifeboats are called when transporting passengers ashore.) All summer long tourists come.

In the visitor center, they have a diorama of the Viking village. They built their homes just off the water so their ships could be within feet of the doors. Were their Indian neighbors hostile? Despite being fierce warriors themselves, the Vikings at the first sign of attack, could rush from house to ship, and be off shore in minutes. They estimate the site was used for only about 3 years.

Some people speculate the Vikings traveled all the way to New York City. But others note the Americas were already heavily populated.

Do you notice the blue sky?  And ... and ... oh, my gosh ... SUNSHINE!

 One of my favorite parts of cruising is a cup of coffee on our cabin balcony.


The orange boat is one of the many tenders transporting people from ship to dock and back again. The land and ocean are so flat here the cruise ships have to anchor quite a ways away. They said the  trip via tender was about 30 minutes.