Monday Morning . . .

Memorial University Campus, Barnes Residence

I have arrived safely and have had satisfactory sleep in the somewhat spartan settings of a university dormitory. Even before I left the airport in Toronto I ran into someone else attending the conference. We chatted and hooked up with each other after the flight. It's nice to hve someone you know when coming into a strange place.

The flight from Toronto to Halifax was full as was the one from Halifax to St. John's. It's no surprise, then that WestJet continues to make money. We arrived in St. John's at around 10:00 PM local time and grabbed a cab to the university residence. Apparently it's a flat rate to get to the university from the airport by cab which explains the cabbie's driving behaviour. He was generally doing 80 kmh most of the way, even though the roads were wet and the signs said 50 kmh. "If I make this light, then we're okay and we'll make the other three lights. But if it's red then we'll go this way; otherwise we'll have 3 more red lights." I'm thinking, "We're not that much in a hurry. I don't have to go to the washroom or anything." Of we we go, like a rocket along dark and glossy streets, always keeping an eye out for stop lights and police cars, all the while telling us the best way to go. He seemed intent on setting some sort of personal record; the passengers were simply funding the ride.

And now it is morning and my one free day beckons along with the sporadic sunshine and the cool breezes. Let's see what this place is like.