A Blustery Day in Quidi Vidi

Cold and blustery today but dry, and the sun even came out at about 1pm. Perfect for blowing the cobwebs away with a good tramp by the Atlantic.

After about 3 hours of hiking up and down (more about that another time) we entered the village of Quidi Vidi, clustered along a racing river that empties into a very small, long, sheltered cove.

It's a funny name, and fun to say. Quidi Vidi. Quidi Vidi.

What does it mean? There have been a string of suggestions but no one really knows. Even what language it originated from is unknown. It's been spelled differently and pronounced differently ever since it was settled centuries ago.  

It's a tiny place, and there was not a lot of activity today. I suppose it is the day after a long weekend (hangover day?). It's also very early in the season and most things are still closed. Or perhaps it's because they don't have the staff. Anyway, it was very, very quiet.

But oh so charming. Here was Mallard Cottage, the oldest cottage in the province, built in the early 19th century by the Mallard family, not a pair of ducks, but Irish immigrants. Family-owned until the 1980s, it is now supposedly a delightful restaurant, but not for us. It was closed.

And here by a few fishing shacks on stilts over the water hugging the shore was a sign for fresh lobster. Nope, no lobster today. Just a few empty traps and the only boat we saw in the entire cove - in dry dock.

The lovely little Christ Church, is now a family home. The sketchy looking pub was bolted shut. The lovely looking inn had a locked door and curtains in the window blowing inside an empty room.

No doubt this place is hopping in the summer sunshine, with live music, and ice cream and motorcycles. 

Now the only thing hopping were a few birds, mallards actually. Still not the Mallards who built Mallard house, but the flapping kind. And these ones had discovered bins of discarded mash from the local brewery and gobbling greedily.

Aha - thank you mallards for showing us the way! Yes, there was one place that was open, the Quidi Vidi Brewery. And right beside it was a food truck dispensing the requisite cod bites and fish and chips. Lovely view, only a few others in this big place. Watching the birds eat old beer mash. And listening to the wind as it scudded on the water. Now that's our kind of quiet.