I was waking up in Gus’s beautiful house in St. John’s with a smile on my face – slowly starting to grasp that I had actually made it all the way from Patagonia to Newfoundland by bicycle. From one end of the world to another, what an adventure!
I felt even luckier that I was here with two good friends, Kevin and Gus, who I could share this special moment with. For once I didn’t have to pack my bike and go cycling in the morning. Instead Kevin joined me for a short hike up the hill behind Gus’s house.
Then it was time to check out St. John’s itself. Although there are different claims to the title, St. John’s was one of the very first North America cities founded by the British back in 1497! The city as always been, and still is, big on fishing.
In fact that’s a fishing boat from the Faroe Islands rigth there in the habour – I’m almost home!
For radio nerds like Gus and myself, a visit to St. John’s wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Signal Hill. This is where the first transatlantic wireless signal was received by Marconi in 1901.
Kevin and I were lucky to have Gus as our local guide. In a small fishing town a bit outside of St. John’s we were enjoying the best Fish and Chips in Canada – and probably the world 🙂
It was 10 years since Kevin and I had our last beer together. Back then we were both exchange students in Switzerland. A year that that would change both of our lives. I havn’t stopped travelling since! By the way, they know how to party in St. John’s. Saturday night is just as wild here as the craziest places in Latin America. Who would have thought?
A big thank you to Gus for the perfect welcome to St. John’s and yet another show of Canadian hospitality. And to Kevin for coming all the way out from Toronto to celebrate. Sometimes I feel like the luckiest person in the world 🙂
And then it was suddenly over. Checking in with the bike at the airport, it was time to leave North America. Thank you for welcoming me with such open arms. I will be back soon.
What a fitting end to a fantastic journey! I must say, this is one of my favourite bicycle touring blogs!
Thank you so much Stephen – that’s a very nice feedback to get. Happy New Year from the airport in Copenhagen. Flying down to South Africa now!
Congratulations on completing another big milestone. I have enjoyed riding along with you since the beginning. Was a real honor to have you stop by on your way through New England!
Enjoy your time off. Can’t wait to see your photos and adventures from Africa.