Newfoundland or Bust

Adventure Newfoundland

It's a yearly cycle - enjoy New Years, savour a week or two of snow and winter weather, and then spend the rest of the winter and much of the spring dreaming about and planning our summer vacation.  So, it is my pleasure to let you know that after considerable deliberation we are going to Newfoundland this summer.

And by "we" I mean my mother, the husband, and myself.  And by Newfoundland I mean only the Great Northern Peninsula (the part in green on the map below).

Northern Peninsula

This area is rugged and wild and known for its icebergs, 

source

and whales, 

Langford Adventure Co

and Viking settlements, 

L'anse aux Meadows via please take me to

and fjords.

Gros Morne via National Geographic

We've got the plane tickets bought and accommodations booked so I guess that means we're really going.  I'm excited to be staying in a lighthouse keeper's house on a remote island off the northern tip of the peninsula.  I'm looking forward to the hiking, and smelling ocean breezes, and listening to waves, and eating seafood.

Newfoundland is such an interesting province.  I've been there twice before, but never to the Great Northern Peninsula which has not one, but two UNESCO World Heritage Sites - Gros Morne National Park and L'Anse aux Meadows National Historic Site.  

Newfoundland is so different from the rest of Canada.  I've gathered together a couple of interesting tidbits about The Rock (as Newfoundland is known as) for your enjoyment.

Did you know ... that every year icebergs break off from glaciers in Greenland and float down along the Labrador current to Newfoundland.  The 400 - 800 icebergs that reach Newfoundland every spring and early summer have given the area the area the name "Iceberg Alley".  They even have a website dedicated to locating icebergs (see Iceberg Finder).  Because of the cold winter and spring, a bumper crop of icebergs are expected this year.  At least something good will come out of that long cold winter!

Did you know ... that Newfoundland is famous for its accent and homespun turns of phrase.  Have a listen to this interview to hear some of them explained.

Do you have your summer sorted out yet?  Do you like organizing your trip or do you prefer to wing it when you are there?  It's always difficult to strike a balance between free-wheeling and rigidly organized, isn't it?  I hope we've struck a balance between the two.

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PS,  Have you been voting for the project to help develop improved speech therapy training programs (which you can read about here).  If you have, I send you hugs and kisses.  If you haven't, then click on over and give the project a thumbs up.  It's as easy as that.  I've discovered that you can't vote every day, but after a few days the button seems to work again. Thanks again.  You're the best.