Geek Girl Travel: L'Anse Aux Meadows

THE NORSEMEN OF L’ANSE AUX MEADOWS

By Marie Victoria Roberston

Did you know that “Vikings” are only called Vikings when they’re raiding and pillaging? Otherwise, the correct term is Norsemen and Norsewomen. If you drive up to northernmost Newfoundland, you will see the beautiful site of l’Anse aux Meadows—the historic, archeological site where Leif Eriksson and a group of Norsemen landed over a thousand years ago. L’Anse aux Meadows is especially significant since it is currently the only accepted site of a confirmed pre-Columbian expedition (take that, Christopher!) The site was explored in the 1960s by archeologists Anna Stine Ingstad and her husband, Helge. 

Earlier this August, we packed up the car and drove, ferried, then drove some more to Newfoundland (about a 5000km round-trip, for the curious), intent on seeing the archeological site and Norstead, the nearby historical re-enactment village (think Upper Canada Village, but with Norsemen.) Having read The Vinland Sagas, we were curious to see this piece of history for ourselves. It was a heck of a journey, but you haven’t seen Canadian natural beauty until you’ve seen Newfoundland and Gros Morne national park.

The only remaining evidence of the Norsemen's visit to Canada

The archeological site itself might be anticlimactic for those who don’t know what to expect. There are no walls, ruins, or foundations left; instead, we were invited to tour grass-covered mounds, the shapes of which suggest connecting houses and doors and fire pits. This is all that’s left of Leif Eriksson’s crew and their journey to a land they called Vinland-- possibly “Land of Wine”, though if they were hoping to find grapes growing in Newfoundland, they were out of luck. Historians seem to agree that the reason for the journey was partly to find Vinland, and partly to find lumber and ship it back home to Greenland. No one is quite sure why they left, though the leading theory suggests they encountered trouble with the aboriginal people who lived in the area. 

A re-created hut at l'Anse aux Meadows

It’s a bit surreal to stand on the unassuming mounds and picture how, 1000 years ago, twenty burly Norsemen were sitting and eating here. A visit to the nearby re-enactments might help one visualize the settlement. There are, in fact, two such places: the l’Anse aux Meadows site itself has recreations of the buildings suggested by the mounds a few dozen feet away, and there is Norstead Village a short drive away. Both villages are staffed by re-enactors who are as happy to tell you about ancient Norse life as they are to talk about growing up in l’Anse aux Meadows and nearby St Anthony. One of the coolest conversations we had was with the old Norse fisherman, who happily broke character to tell us about playing on the mounds as a child before anyone knew what they were (everyone in the area thought they were the remnants of an old “Indian” village), and how he helped with the archeological dig in the 70s before going to work as a re-enactor.

The Snorri, a replica of the ship that brought Leif Eriksson and his crew from Greenland to Newfoundland

 Norstead is where you want to go if you really want to see characters and learn about old Norse culture. At the entrance, we were greeted by Bjorn Blue-Eyes, the chieftain, who showed us the Snorri, a recreation of the ship that brought Leif and his crew to Newfoundland. In one of the common huts, a Norsewoman demonstrated nålebinding, a technique older than knitting and crocheting. A cheery blacksmith showed us how to make iron tools, while breaking character to lament that the nearest McDonald’s was five hours away. Norstead is right by the water’s edge, and on the day we visited, it was grey and windy—epic weather for learning about this fascinating old culture.  
Norstead is where you want to go if you really want to see characters and learn about old Norse culture. At the entrance, we were greeted by Bjorn Blue-Eyes, the chieftain, who showed us the

 A women's workroom at Norstead Village

I’d like to conclude with a neat piece of trivia. It was archeologist Anna Stine who led the archeological dig at l’Anse aux Meadows, and the artifact that alerted the team to the existence of a Norse settlement was a spindle-whorl, a weight that attaches to the bottom of a spindle used to spin wool. In other words, a woman’s tool. In other words, two women across the centuries were responsible for this hugely important archeological discovery. 

Marie Victoria Robertson is a published speculative fiction writer and playwright, as well as the board president of Jer’s Vision: Canada’s Youth Diversity Initiative (www.jersvision.org). When all the other girls wanted to marry Johnny Depp, she wanted to run away with Worf on the Enterprise. She enjoys giant robots, time-travel paradoxes, and forcing her son to watch Futurama.

How to Become a S.H.I.E.L.D Agent: Avengers in Times Square

HOW TO BECOME A S.H.E.I.L.D AGENT: AVENGERS IN TIMES SQUARE

By Jenn Kelly

I'm a huge 'Avengers' fan. Not ridiculously huge, like, I have mementos all over my house, but I love the show and the movies. So when the boys and I found out they were having a wickedly-cool exhibit at the Discovery Times Square, we knew we had to visit. I just want to clarify that we were already in Manhattan. We didn't make a special trip.

The exhibit opened at the end of May, and Stan Lee, yes THE Stan Lee, loved it. We bought our tickets in advance (about $80 with a discount) and arrived there 10 minutes before opening. They have 'timed' visits by the way. 

We were allowed to take one photo outside. Unfortunately there were no photos allowed in the actual exhibit. 

Upon arrival, you were instructed to create your own 'badge'. My child calls me, 'Bad Mommy'. Don't ask.

Then you were brought into a room where you were debriefed about the situation. All employees were dressed as S.H.I.E.L.D team and they even saluted. Which of course, the kids loved. And me. I saluted right back. Because I'm awesome like that.

Testing room where you complete 4 tests. Strength test in hand-squeezing a lever; arm strength test in rotating a wheel as fast possible; reflex test in tapping on the 'bad guys' on the computer screen; and the fourth was your weight (thanks). Your results were compared to Steve Rogers a.k.a. Captain America. Of course, you failed. It had glass cabinets filled with Captain America trading cards, his shield, his costume and his gorgeous leather jacket.

They had a 'Hulk Room', where the computers took your thumbprint sample and showed how your DNA exposure to simulated radiation would result in you too, becoming like the Hulk. It allowed you to use the special ipad to 'control' the Hulk's movements in punching, jumping up and down and banging your hands together loudly to create a sonic boom.  They had the 'Ironman' room where you could 'become' like Ironman with special eye-sensors to blow up planes attacking you; or you could watch yourself be clothed in his costume and try out the thrusters. They had Thor and Loki costumes and even Loki's staff! And when asked where Mjölnir was, we were informed that it was not on loan from Asgard. I was skeptical about the costumes, asking if they were actually used, and I was told yes. But hubby said they winked at him later, so I'm slightly doubtful. They had a write-up on each Avenger - Black Widow, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, Howard Stark, Margaret Carter..

At the end of the two hour tour, we could have stayed an extra hour, playing with the computers that searched space for life and for other planets, there was the gift shop with their $35 t-shirts, of which I'm regretting not purchasing. And of course, you can also pay anywhere between $15-$75 for your group photo with the Avengers. We chose the cheaper version. At least I look all bad-ass. For a mom wearing a skirt.

Worth it? Absolutely. Even with the four 'games' not working. 

Jenn Kelly is a mom. And wife. And is currently devouring 'X-Men' novels.

Bavaria's Castles and the Romantic Road

BAVARIA’S CASTLES AND THE ROMANTIC ROAD – A FAMILY ADVENTURE

By Sandi Moser

Neuschwanstein castle

While all the cool kids in Ottawa were attending Comiccon, we were on our first family vacation to Europe – Germany, to be exact. Why Germany? After making a shortlist we left the decision up to my 8-year-old daughter. A travel geek in her own right she made the final decision based on the number of castles to visit.

We began the Castle portion of our trip in Schwangau in southern Germany. Schwangau’s main attraction is Neuschwanstein, Walt Disney’s inspiration for Sleeping Beauty Castle. What I didn’t know before planning this trip was that this castle, like many others in this region, is relatively new. 

Hohenschwangau Castle

The construction of the area’s castles started in the early 19^th century, when King Maximilian of Bavaria restored the ruins of a 12^th century fortress to be used as a summer home. Hohenschwangau is a pretty yellow castle, full of paintings and statues of knights, lions and swans (schwan = “swan”). There was a certain homey, family feeling to the castle. It’s easy to see why Maximilian’s son Ludwig fell in love with the region and began his own castle-building endeavors.

By the time Ludwig became king the position no longer had real power over Bavaria. To compensate, he built a fantasy world for himself through his castles. In the mid-19^th century, he ordered the building of Neuschwanstein, his pride and joy, on the mountain next door. 

Being the Disney fan I am I could see the similarities with Sleeping Beauty’s castle in every tower and courtyard. While the exterior of the castle is complete, only 15 interior rooms were finished before Ludwig’s death. Being there, I was struck by the similarities between Walt Disney and King Ludwig II – they both desired to completely recreate and immerse others in a romantic fantasy world.

Linderhof Castle

Our final castle stop in the region was Linderhof Castle, another of King Ludwig II’s creations. Linderhof is the smallest of the castles, and the only one of Ludwig’s to be fully completed before his mysterious death. I’m not sure if it was the relative coziness of Linderhof or the extensive gardens, but it was my favourite of the three. 

From Schwangau, we made our way through the medieval villages along the Romantic Road to Rothenburg ob der Tauber. Rothenburg is the most preserved medieval town in Germany, with its fortified wall still fully intact. The city was founded in 1170 and remained a free city until the early 19^th century. The Night Watchman tour was very informative and helped us to understand the history and how it was so well preserved. The reason? They were defeated in a siege then hit by the Plague, and were too poor to do anything more than recover. 

While I agree with my husband that Rothenburg is very touristy, there were still many interesting nooks and crannies in which to daydream myself onto a Carcasonne game board. And once the day-trip bus tours leave, you have the cobblestone streets almost entirely to yourself.

Rothenburg

Sandi is a 30-something environmental engineer and mother of two from the metropolis of Stittsville, Ontario. Writing for Capital Geek Girls is a new adventure for her, with previous writing experience limited to technical documents, briefing notes and Facebook updates. In her spare time, Sandi enjoys playing board games and video games, reading books, watching movies, and crocheting. She looks forward to sharing her geeky endeavours with you, as well as reporting on the next generation’s response to those endeavours.