Two Churches in Trinity, Newfoundland (Canada)

 

I had recently written about Trinity [1]. Trinity comes from the Latin trinitus (threefold), but I will only discuss two churches, focusing more on the newer, more imposing St. Paul's Anglican Church than the older, smaller Church of the Most Holy Trinity. The Trinity is a Christian doctrine defining God in three persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ), and God the Holy Spirit [2]. The town of Trinity [3] is located on the Bonavista Peninsula, on Trinity Bay in Newfoundland, and has 182 inhabitants (2021). Trinity was the capital of the salt fish trade in the late 1700s, and nowadays it retains the charm of its 19th-century buildings, which have been restored or rebuilt. Both churches are recognized as Registered Heritage Structures by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Church of the Most Holy Trinity
This church belongs to the Roman Catholic parish and was built in 1833 [4]. It is considerably smaller and entirely white. It left me with an impression of modesty, which, however, does not apply to its upkeep, as I could see that it is regularly cleaned and maintained. Incidentally, the picture of the new Pope had not yet been hung up. The picture of Pope Francis, born Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina (2013–2025), was still hanging there; the current Pope is Leo XIV, born Robert Francis Prevost [5]. The church is a single-nave wooden building dating from 1833. The tower was added in 1880. Masses are only held during July and August. Admission is free, but donations are, of course, welcome.

St. Paul's Anglican Church
St. Paul's Anglican Church is both older and younger than the Church of the Most Holy Trinity, as it is the third church on this site. The current church dates back to 1892-1894; before that, a church stood on the site dating from 1821, and before that, even from 1729 [6]. The 19th century saw the neo-gothic revival architecture, and St. Paul's Anglican Church is therefore neo-gothic in style. The original style can be admired inside, especially since the church has never been painted and every effort has been made to conceal modernizations. "Behind the donated altar is a stained-glass window depicting the crucifixion of Christ illuminated by the rising sun." [7] The church is still used for worship but is open to the public for visitation.

The weather wasn't cooperative during my visit, but that doesn't detract from the experience of visiting the interior of a church; rather under the circumstances a church then offers not only spiritual sanctuary. If you visit Trinity, you shouldn't miss the churches.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Trinity Historic Town in Newfoundland (Canada)
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2025/10/trinity-historic-town-in-newfoundland.html
[2] Look at how complicated and controversial this simple concept has been and still is: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador
[4] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/plan-and-book/attractions/11766600
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_popes
[6] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/plan-and-book/attractions/213089 The figures are taken from this article, but there are differing figures for the first two churches, though these are insignificant. 1730 and 1820.
[7] https://www.heritage.nf.ca/articles/society/st-pauls-anglican-church.php 

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Puffins at Bonavista (Newfoundland)

 

Finally, puffins! Almost two years ago, I reported on a trip to Iceland where I didn't see any puffins because I arrived three months too late, although I wasn't there specifically to observe them [1]. And it almost happened again this time, because they flew away the day after I saw them. But more on that in a moment.

I've been interested in puffins since childhood, because in Enid Blyton's book "The Sea of Adventure" [2], the illustrator Stuart Tresilian [3] drew pictures of these birds. And ever since, I've wanted to see them in the wild.

O.K. the season wasn't over yet, but a day later they would have been gone. It is known that the puffins arrive at the breeding sites by the end of April and fly out to sea in August [4]; so best period to watch them would be May to mid August. Otherwise, you cannot — as a matter of fact — watch them ashore. Lets have a look at puffin in other languages: Icelandic has lunda, German Lund, Swedish lunnefågel, Norwegian lundefugl and in Mi'kmaq it's keskisqunajit [5]. I hope you didn't yawn as the last one has been a hard one.

Puffins are seabirds that feed primarily by diving in the water [6, where you may get more information than a non-ornithologist can ask for]. They breed on coastal cliffs or offshore islands, nesting in crevices among rocks or in burrows in the soil. Actually much like penguins in the southern hemisphere. Probably the popularity of penguins and puffins can be explained by the funny appearance of these little fellows. Only one of the three extant species is found in the North Atlantic Ocean, you might have guessed it: the Atlantic puffin. They have small wings, enabling swimming with a flying technique underwater, but have beat their wings rapidly when flying low over the ocean's surface.

My favorite picture is the first one, where a puffin boldly jumps over the cliff. And yes, feel free to look elsewhere for the really good pictures.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Puffins – Sightings out of Season?
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2023/01/puffings-sightings-out-of-season.html
[2] You can view Enid Blyton's book [2a], first published in 1948, as a PDF file [2b], but without the pictures. I did manage to find one of them though [2c].
[2a] Enid Mary Blyton (1897-1968) was an English children's writer.
[2a] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enid_Blyton
[2b] https://www.riceethiopia.com/wp-content/uploads/Adventure-04-The-Sea-of-Adventure-Enid-Blyton.pdf
[2c] https://www.bluebowl.co.uk/cdn/shop/products/TheSeaofAdventureBook-7_960x.jpg?v=1713370208
[3] Stuart Tresilian (1891-1974) was a British artist and illustrator.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Tresilian
[4] https://visitnewfoundlandlabrador.ca/when-is-the-best-time-of-year-to-see-puffins-in-newfoundland/?srsltid=AfmBOooZlA62GveY5zshMrmc9E41quRZYsxJWtfhB3z6cpwkZWk1mkQL
[5] https://www.firstnationhelp.com/ali/lexicon.pdf Google KI showed Pitu[g]q for puffin, but I couldn't find any reference.
[6] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_puffin

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Trinity Historic Town in Newfoundland (Canada)

 

On the way to Trinity, I had seen a sign for a place called Lethbridge, the bridge over the Lethe River. And although the gloomy weather and a museum-like setting might easily lead one's thoughts to death, Trinity was a very lively place. Trinity is a place where old houses have been bought and converted into small museums, so that a large part of the town has become a museum. It's not a UNESCO World Heritage Site, but it's probably close to something like this. Unfortunately, it started raining harder there, and of course, there was also the time constraint, but I looked at everything that these limitations allowed. Our map of the town, which marked the places to visit,was also interesting. They had copied it and included our entrance ticket on it. The employees at the individual sites only asked us if we belonged to the bus tour group, and then we didn't even need to show it.

The town of Trinity [1] is located on the Bonavista Peninsula and has 182 inhabitants (2021). Trinity was the capital of the salt fish trade in the late 1700s, and nowadays it retains the charm of its 19th-century buildings, which have been restored or rebuilt.

The Trinity Historical Society was founded in 1964; its mission is to boldly go where ... no, that's another story, to "preserve, present and promote the built and cultural heritage of Trinity and the surrounding area" [2].

Even though I like to digress, I have to limit myself and also be clear about what I'm not writing about. The Lester-Garland House (brick Georgian-style house, learning center and home of the archival collection of the Trinity Historical Society), Lester Garland Mercantile (last remaining mercantile building), and The Cooperage (transportation and storage of fish and other goods) unfortunately fall into this category, even though I visited them and found them interesting [3]. 
While I was looking for the last place on my itinerary, I also went to the churches; one is the Anglican church, which is by far the larger one with very beautiful windows and a large organ, as well as a significantly smaller Catholic church, which is entirely white and where the old Pope was still on display at the end of August 2025. Dear reader, I would like to report on these two churches some time later.

Green Family Forge
The Green family worked for over 200 years as blacksmiths in Trinity (1750s to 1955). The forge and a collection of tools, which were used by six generations of the family, were donated to the Trinity Historical Society [4]. The smithy, which can be visited, was built in the late 19th century. While back then they produced horseshoes, anchors and products for use at home, in fishing and farming, today they forge jewelry as well as coat hooks and racks, candle holders, fireplace pokers, and letter openers, which of course cn be bought there. It was interesting for me to watch the demonstrations taking place with two blacksmiths, since one of my grandfathers had trained as a blacksmith but never worked in that profession later in his life.

Hiscock House
Hiscock House stands as a reminder of the resilience of Emma Hiscock. The house was built in 1881 for Emma (née Pittman) and Richard Hiscock, who was a blacksmith, so a forge was part of the property. Richard drowned in 1893, and Emma was faced with the task of raising five children. She managed this through the garden and the shop that belonged to the house and now sells souvenirs. Previously, however, milk, eggs, vegetables, and herbs were sold to maintain the family [5].
I noticed that there was a bookshelf in one room containing many religious titles. The house is furnished to reflect the period around 1910, and I was told that the family was very religious and that when the house was sold to the Trinity Historical Society, the heirs donated the proceeds to the church and also, of course, donated many individual items that are now exhibits. 

It's certainly nicer without rain, but even with rain, the visit is worthwhile. Because of the spaciousness of the grounds, you almost have the feeling of having the museum exhibits all to yourself.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinity,_Newfoundland_and_Labrador
[2] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/
[3] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/sites.html #2, #3 and #4
[4] https://www.trinityhistoricalsociety.com/sites.html #5
[5] https://nationaltrustcanada.ca/destinations/hiscock-house 

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Street Art in St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada

 

St. John is rich in street art, not only murals and graffiti, but also statues, but I'm more interested in graffiti and murals. The first picture, located on McBride's Hill, had been painted in memory of the Great Fire of 1892. It started at a bundle of hay and then devastated a major section of the town [1].

St. John's encourages art with „a public call to individual artists and commercial galleries for submissions of artwork to be considered for purchase by the City for inclusion in the Civic Art Collection“ [2] or even hiring artists to create murals as these reduce unwanted graffiti. I have touched this topic in a blogpost eight years ago: Buchforst and the Murals [Buchforst und die Wandmalerei], in which I wondered: „The murals in the underpass on the east side of Buchforst likely require regular maintenance“ [3]. I don't like if people put their tags across pieces of street art. I think it's very disrespectful. I could live well with graffiti on shabby grey concrete walls. 

I didn't see all of the murals but some picture I'd like to share. There are more to be found on the internet [4].

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/trip-ideas/travel-stories/public-art-in-newfoundland-and-labrador 
[2] https://www.stjohns.ca/en/recreation-culture/public-art.aspx  
[3] Buchforst und die Wandmalerei [Buchforst and the Murals]
https://rheumatologe.blogspot.com/2017/05/buchforst-und-die-wandmalerei.html  (Text in German)
[4] Murals
https://www.instagram.com/nlstreetart/?hl=de  
Graffiti
https://www.instagram.com/graffiti_stjohns/?hl=de  

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Captain Dave and The Prime Berth Heritage Center near Twillingate (Canada)

 

We had another long day ahead of us at the end of August 2025, as we first wanted to drive to Twillingate and afterwards to Gander. On the way there, we stopped at Captain Dave's, who had established a museum with a souvenir shop next to his tourist boating business. He offers boat trips, and you can visit the museum with old items he's collected over the decades, as well as the souvenir shop. It was very interesting and entertaining; I felt very comfortable there.

On NL-340, it's about 8 km before Twillingate if you're coming from the south, 90 km from Notre Dame Junction, 140 km from Gander, 175 km from Badger, and a whopping 620 km from Port aux Basques. "The Prime Berth is the very first place you'll see as you cross the causeway to Twillingate."
The colorful wooden shacks are partly on the jetties, and from Route 340, they and the whale skeleton can be seen easily.

You can book small group, personalized tours to view icebergs and/or nesting birds on the Baccy Islands, explore the rugged coastline of Main Tickle, and also fish for cod [1].
"Prime Berth refers to the age-old practice of holding a draw, or lottery of sorts, each spring to determine the spot, or "berth," where fishermen would set their cod traps during the coming summer. Everyone hoped and prayed that they would be lucky enough to draw the best spot, or "Prime Berth," as it was called."
"David and his wife Christine, a fisherwoman herself, are both extremely proud of their creation and eager to share their passion and knowledge with visitors." So much for the commercial aspects, but if it weren't for them, there wouldn't be a museum [2].

Now let's turn to individual observations.
Outside, you can admire the whale skeleton and jawbones, which are often used in natural history museums. I saw such whale jaws as a child on Texel in the Netherlands [3]. One could also admire baleen. Moose antlers are particularly impressive. Moose in Europe is elk, and so you'll often encounter Germans or other Europeans who say elk because they don't know that in North America it's a different animal, another deer, the wapiti, which is the Algonquin word for this species; elk however is moose in British English. Various shells of lobsters and other crustaceans were also on display.
You could lose time with a multitude of boats, boat types, and models, although I was naturally most interested in the sailing ships, especially the model of a two-masted ship with its gaff and staysails. On this occasion, I remembered "Clipper Ships" by Fred Tate:
"Me and my dad make models of clipper ships.
Clipper ships sail on the ocean.
Clipper ships never sail on rivers or lakes.
I like clipper ships because they are fast." [4] from the film Little Man Tate [5].

 

I'm not that interested in hunting weapons, but they were also on display. The hunter's jargon mentions rifles (in German Büchse), and there were some pretty old weapons on display, some of them rusty, which of course reassured me.
Private pictures, some faded, some fresh, hung in various houses.
One house was covered with pictures of icebergs that drifted past Newfoundland during spring, but they had already melted. When you travel across the ocean day in and day out as a tourist guide, you see enough, because you're not dependent on the experience of one day.
Pictures of houses, sheds, some with people working there.
There's also a video showing the processing of cod, done by Captain Dave himself.

And what else? Cords, ropes, cables, lines, rods, nets, landing nets, floats, weights; washtubs, buckets, barrels; clothing; tools; bottles, cans, boxes, crates, some with contents; roller bearings; snowshoes; chains, anchors. Its abundance is overwhelming. Dave and Christine Boyd not only collected their own discarded items, but also encouraged others to donate items that would otherwise have ended up in the trash or being recycled. That would be a shame. I hope this commercial venture continues to flourish.

I already had a great day there, but in this wake the day developed just as interestingly. Thanks Newfoundland.

Links and Annotations:
[1] https://captdave.ca/
[2] http://www.primeberth.com/
[3] I'm a bit surprised, as there are no whale bones on the site: https://www.texel.net/en/company/ecomare-centrum-voor-wadden-en-noordzee/ But I still have a picture my father took in 1961 with the whale jawbones in front of the Texels Museum and you can see from left to right one of my brothers, my mother, and myself.

[4] http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/l/little-man-tate-script-transcript.html
[5] Little Man Tate is a 1991 American film directed by Jodie Foster.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Man_Tate

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The Anglican Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Cow Head, Newfoundland

This travelogue about the Anglican Church of St. Mary the Virgin in Cow Head almost didn't get written. That's because I thought I should at least have a picture of the church from the outside. It's a white-painted wooden church located on a property right on the water. Next to the church is a botanical garden maintained by the parish [1].

Cow Head has one of the longest sandy beaches in Newfoundland and is within sight of the Long Range Mountains of Gros Morne, just outside Gros Morne National Park [2]. You can visit a lighthouse built in 1909. The town has a population of about 400. An annual theater festival is held there, and there's even a new theater (named in honor of nurse Myra Bennett) across the street from the hotel, but that wasn't really of interest to me. The name Cow Head comes from a rock formation.

I need to go into a bit more detail now. In the area where I live, some say the Eifel is like the Shire in The Hobbit or Lord of the Rings, but here there are many churches, and these churches are open, meaning they are accessible to the public. These are usually Catholic churches, but as a Protestant, I have visited almost all of these churches in the area. When I travel, I also like visit churches, because they simply interest me. In all churches, you discover something you wouldn't have expected. And so, in this church, too, I discovered something I wanted to write about.

So let's move on to this church – St. Mary the Virgin. I visited the church late in the day, and the light was already dimming. But you could still see enough, and you can also edit pictures a bit to brighten up some of the darker areas. It's a simple church with a donated window. I was surprised in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland by how many beautiful stained-glass windows there were. Even the brand-new ones were created in a more traditional style, as was the case here. The church's furnishings were otherwise rather unsurprising, and the parament was green, as it was the time after Trinity.

Then I saw something lying on the back pew of the church. There were several copies of Our Daily Bread [3], which surprised me greatly. They were copies with Post-it notes with names written on them. Our Daily Bread is intended for daily use, with short texts and Bible quotations. I have to admit that I use them myself and always look at them first thing in the morning when I write in my diary. The organization is non-denominational. I just didn't expect these brochures in a rural Canadian church.

I hadn't taken any more photos of the Botanical Garden [4]. If you're visiting the place, perhaps because you're visiting the national park, you can easily walk past it; it's quite close. It's next to one of the few hotels.

 

Links and Annotations:
There isn't much information online.
[1] https://www.newfoundlandlabrador.com/plan-and-book/attractions/35785522
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cow_Head_(town)
[3] https://www.odbm.org/ or more appropriate: https://ourdailybreadministries.ca/
[4] I was asked on this (and other trips) whether I take too many pictures. No, I replied, I take too few. I've never been annoyed by a redundant photo, but I've often been annoyed by the ones I failed to take.

PS: Google Street View has a very nice photo and a loooong link:
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Cow+Head,+Neufundland+und+Labrador,+Kanada/@49.9139101,-57.7901225,3a,60y,339.4h,87.88t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1syx10rMuQe_jEcaeuMsgmTg!2e0!6shttps:%2F%2Fstreetviewpixels-pa.googleapis.com%2Fv1%2Fthumbnail%3Fcb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile%26w%3D900%26h%3D600%26pitch%3D2.1170077682904633%26panoid%3Dyx10rMuQe_jEcaeuMsgmTg%26yaw%3D339.3957136194582!7i16384!8i8192!4m6!3m5!1s0x4b7ecb824305bead:0x250a3483fbbd3ad3!8m2!3d49.9201645!4d-57.776401!16s%2Fm%2F03m9f5s!5m1!1e1?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDkyNC4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D   

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Captain Cook - Lookout in Corner Brook (Newfoundland)

 

If you stay overnight in Corner Brook (Newfoundland), you can't help but visit the Captain Cook Lookout. I must admit that my own experience of James Cook was very Pacific centered, as I had read George Forster's "Around the World," who had accompanied James Cook, and also the logbooks of James T. Kirk himself, or rather, Captain James Cook [1] that is. What initially amazed me most was the accuracy of the map of Newfoundland; this was later clarified, but without taking away the magic of the first encounter with the map.

Corner Brook is a small town with fewer than 20,000 inhabitants, and the number has been shrinking for years. It is located near the Bay of Islands at the mouth of the Humber River, which is called Maqtukwek in Mi'kmaq [2]. The town serves as an administrative center and, of course, offers shops, a university, colleges, schools, and a hospital. "Corner Brook is home to the Corner Brook Pulp & Paper Mill (owned by Kruger Inc.), which is a major employer for the region." This isn't the place to write about it, but I'll take it on.

Captain James Cook (1728–1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer [3]. His fame stems from his three voyages to the Pacific and the Southern Seas, but from 1763 to 1767, he mapped the coast of Newfoundland. I love maps, atlases, my father's map collection, old maps, new maps, and of course, Google Maps. It's amazing how accurate his maps were, because without today's technology, this would have been a difficult task. Keep in mind that he was cruising a rocky coast in a sailboat. Therefore, it's not surprising that he used Newfoundland pilots because of the rocks and hidden dangers. This, and the length of the exploration, in no way diminishes the enormous achievement.

From the lookout, you can see Crow Gulch and, of course, Corner Brook. I also have photos from there of the Corner Brook Pulp & Paper Mill, the vicinity of which I had previously visited; I'm sure I'll write about it. In addition to numerous information panels, there's a larger-than-life statue. I think it's only right to remember James Cook, since he's one of those people to whom the phrase "to boldly go where no man has gone before" applies.

Links and Annotations:
[1] Georg Forster: Reise um die Welt.Insel Verlag, Frankfurt am Mein 1983.  ISBN: 3-458-32457-7.
James Cook: Entdeckungsfahrten im Pacific 1768-1779. Horst Erdmann Verlag, Tübingen und Basel 1971.
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corner_Brook 
[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Cook 
 

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