Newfoundland is a magical place full of surprises. And the first surprise I came across on our visit started on the seven and half hour ferry boat crossing from North Sydney, Nova Scotia to Port aux Basques, Newfoundland aboard the good ship Leif Ericson.
Fortunately, the ever-wise trip planner, Bernadette, surprised Gordie and I by pre-booking a room on the ship complete with two sets of bunk beds! I haven’t seen that many bunk beds since I used to sleep in the same room as five of my brothers. The sixth brother was still in God’s plans at the time or I am sure he would have been stuffed in with the rest of us.
This was also a lucky day for Gordie because there are only a small number of rooms on board which allow your canine pet to join your quarters. Otherwise, they would have to be tuck in a kennel or left in your vehicle. So, Gordie was one happy pooch snuggled up on the floor between the bunks with his beloved doggie towel. As the ship sailed at 11:15 P.M. it didn’t take much convincing to get us all tucked in for the night.
Bernadette and I didn’t need to flip any coins as we each had our own bottom berth. And as we slipped off to sweet slumber, she was happy to listen to my many boyhood stories sharing a room full of bunk beds with my pillow punching brothers. There were a lot of funny stories and even though it sounded like Bernadette may have been snoring, I knew she was smiling hearing them.
After the first hour, I started to remember how claustrophobic I would feel sleeping in the bottom bunk as a child. To my surprise, I also remembered that I am still claustrophobic! The room was getting hotter, it was hard to breathe, and the top bunk seemed to move closer and closer. I found myself squinting at a big red decal stuck on the bottom of the bunk directly over my head. I fumbled in the dark for my reading glasses, and there it was. A surprise message. “Remove bed rails first before moving top bunk to upright position.”
I bolted from the bunk and flipped on the light. Yikes! You forget how bright those lights can be in the middle of the night. Bernadette kept demanding, “Peter, what the Hell are you doing?” I was on a mission and focused on the surprise message. Suddenly, after successfully removing the bed rails, I triumphantly flipped the top bunks into the upright position. Voila! Instant luxury sleeping quarters for the lucky travellers. And no more claustrophobia for Captain Pete.
The rest of the crossing was comfortable, cozy and calm. Just the way we like it. With no surprises. Our adventures in Gros Morne National Park were soon to begin.