Wednesday, July 15 - L'Anse aux Meadows

It all started when Eric the Red murdered two people.  As punishment he was banished from his village in Iceland so decided to move to a big island to the west.  In order to entice others to move there with him, he named it Greenland.  It worked.  After awhile there were about 500 Norsemen living in Greenland.  But they badly needed wood.  So they sailed farther west and found Laborador and Newfoundland.  Eric got sick so he sent his son Leif Ericson (get it?  "Eric's son" = Ericson) to build a settlement in the very northern part of Newfoundland--which they called Vinland.  From there they could get wood and other supplies needed in Greenland.  This was about the year 1000.

That's the place we visited--and the reason we came all this way.  The settlement is now called L'Anse aux Meadows and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We spent the entire day exploring the settlement and the surrounding countryside.

Completing the Circle is the theme of the site.  The first humans were in Africa. From there they spread to Europe and Asia. From Asia they spread to North and South America. When Leif Ericson met the Native Americans in Vinland, the circle of the globe was complete.  I liked that concept.

We ate at the Norseman Restaurant near the village.  We all agreed it was 4 star quality.  My crab was excellent.  The beer was good, too.  I think it was called 1892.  Brewed in Newfoundland.

Here is G looking in the longhouse at the Norse site.  (The guides  kept emphasizing that they were Norsemen, not Vikings.  Vikings raided, pillaged,  etc. These guys supposedly didn't take anybody's land.  The Native Americans in the area might not agree)

Here is J trying out a broad ax.  The Norse fellow looks a bit worried.