Atlantic Cruise 2014 - St John's, Canada Slide Show

St John's, Canada

Heading along the Newfoundland and Labrador coast towards The Narrows that leads into St John's Harbor.

First view of Fort Amherst and the Fort Amherst Lighthouse.

The original Fort Amherst Lighthouse was the first lighthouse in Newfoundland and was built in 1810. The lighthouse you see here was built in 1951.

There are some remains of the gun emplacements that were built during the second World War as defence against German U-boats.

Fort Amherst was built in 1777 by the British to guard the mouth of St. John’s harbour. It was named for colonel William Amherst, who had recaptured St. John’s from the French in 1762. There are no visible remains of this fort.

Homes along Cahill Point.

The dock and marina just at the end of The Narrows where it opens into St John's Harbor.

The city of St John's. It is the capital city of, and the largest city in, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It has a population of a little over 200,000, representing more than 40% of the total on the island of Newfoundland.

Our first distant view of Cabot Tower on top of Signal Hill. Construction of the Tower started in 1898 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of John Cabot's discovery of Newfoundland as well as the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Victoria's reign.

Exercising my telephoto lens to its maximum!

In St John's Harbor.

Surveying St John's from Signal Hill. It was at the Battle of Signal Hill in 1762 that the French surrendered to the British, giving up St John’s. The British commander, Lt. Colonel William Amherst, renamed the hill from its old name "The Lookout" to "Signal Hill".

Our ship moored in the harbor.

What stands out here is the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist. We visit the outside later on.

The building at the center is The Rooms. This cultural facility is home to the Art Gallery of Newfoundland & Labrador, the Provincial Archives of Newfoundland & Labrador and the Provincial Museum of Newfoundland & Labrador. Close up pictures of the exterior and interior later in the slide show.

Another view from Signal Hill.

Guglielmo Marconi received the first trans-Atlantic wireless message at his temporary receiving station on Signal Hill near the Tower on December 12th 1901. The “message” comprised Morse code for the letter “S”, three dots. It was sent from Marconi's transmitter at Poldhu in Cornwall in England. Click the image for a closer view.

The tower from the other side. Click the image for a closer view.

A few pictures of the stunning views from up here.

Cannon emplacement on Signal Hill.

The Fort Amherst Lighthouse seen from Signal Hill.

The outside of the Roman Catholic Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Close up of the entrance to the Basilica.

A couple of pictures of some of the more colorful houses in St John's.

More of the colorful houses in St John's.

Beware; Deadly Nightshade!

St John’s Masonic Temple was built in 1894, though not consecrated by the Freemasons until 1897, using bricks imported from Accrington in England. The Freemasons sold the building in 2007, and it now belongs to the Spirit of Newfoundland who put on music shows.

Sir Humphrey Gilbert claimed the area around St John’s on August 5, 1583 as England's first overseas colony thus founding the British Empire in the name of Queen Elizabeth 1st. The plaque is located on Water St near the War Memorial

Heading along the Newfoundland and Labrador coast towards The Narrows that leads into St John's Harbor.

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