Backwoods Blog .147

PETTY HARBOR

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

Petty Harbor, Newfoundland

We have one more stop before we leave Newfoundland, picturesque Petty Harbor located just south of St. John’s. One of the reasons we wanted to visit Newfoundland is because of the family connections that Linda has to the region. Originally from Scotland, her family migrated to Nova Scotia, Cape Breton and Newfoundland before settling in Boston. Two of her Newfoundland leads were Carbonear, located on Conception Bay just north of St. John’s, and Petty Harbor. As it turns out, one of Linda’s all-time favorite bands is Great Big Sea which originates from Newfoundland. Linda was curious as to why she was drawn to a band that played sea shanties, drinking songs and laments about shipwrecks. That’s when she made the connection between her family’s origins and the music. Two of the band members happened to be from Carbonear and Petty Harbor. That’s one of the reasons why we were in Petty Harbor, and the other was our continuing search for the best fish and chips on the island. We had heard that Chafe’s Landing was the place to go (even Anthony Bourdain visited Chafe’s), so that’s where we were heading.

We stopped at the Petty Harbor town office and historical society museum but didn’t turn up any leads. One person we talked to knew of several Rowes who still lived in Carbonear, but that was the extent of our success. After taking a few pictures in the harbor and walking the docks we decided to try some seafood at Chafe’s Landing. The lines are usually long at Chafe’s and reservations are recommended, but such was not the case on this day and we walked right in. We ordered the seafood chowder (which was excellent) and then split an order of fish and chips. The cod was light, delicate and flakey and the batter was fried golden, light and crispy. When I asked the waitress where they sourced their cod, she just smiled and pointed towards the dock down the street. You can’t get any fresher than that! It was the most amazing battered fish I had ever put in my mouth. So yes, Chafe’s Landing did rate #1 as best fish and chips on our trip. In case you’re wondering, we sampled fish and chips four times during our stay. Perhaps more research is needed…

When people ask what I’ve taken away from my experience in Newfoundland, I return (over and over again) to the people we met along the way; both the locals who live and work there and fellow travelers who were exploring the island the same as we. Newfoundland is a vast and inspiring land of rock, wind, rain, fog and ocean. It is austere and yet beautifully gentle at the same time. In the environs of Nature we can delve into a world we have not experienced before. That is one of the values of travel – it takes us out of our familiar routine and places us somewhere we haven’t been before. Then, who knows what will happen next?

On the road,

Dave

October 4, 2023