St John’s again
Back in Saint Johns the coach joined a stream of traffic as we completed the final part of our tour which was a look at the two cathedrals and to pass by more of the salt box houses.
The field where Alcock and Brown had left for their historic flight over the Atlantic was now an office building complex.
The houses had been part of the rebuilding by the British Army after the great fire. Later as the residents moved out of the city the houses had become empty. The City Fathers hired a British city planner for advice. Rather than suggest demolishing the houses he suggested renovations and then painting their outsides in bright colours. His suggestions worked and the houses were soon all occupied again.
The Basilica has the honour of being one of the largest in North America. When completed it was the largest. The local priest had petitioned Queen Victoria for permission to build and eventually this had been granted. The only proviso was that the land to be taken was outside the then city limits and was no larger than that what could be fenced in one day.
We were told that all religious people from the city had turned out to help with the fencing. The enclosed land was large enough for not only a cathedral but for a school and other buildings. The Basilica is the most prominent building when entering the harbour.
We left the coach on the street by where Sapphire was docked and walked into the city to look in the shops.
Lunch in Jungle Jims
Our guide had told us that George Street was reputed to have more bars than any other street in North America. It was there that we went into Jungle Jims for lunch.
I had Belgian beer which turned out to be Blue Moon. The toasted cheese sandwich and French onion soup was excellent value and tasted good too.
