Leah Von Hagen

Departure day dawned bright and sunny! As always, we are early to rise and a few last minute things to pack. A big pot of oatmeal compliments of Alan! Then to the airport with last minute hugs of goodbye! Then time to reflect while waiting for the flight!

What an amazing trip we have had! We never tired of looking at ocean and coastlines…there was no end of beauty and awe to stand at the edge of a cliff and look out over the water and rock. We loved the music, clapped our hands to the beat and even tried playing the spoons. We loved the sayings and had fun either trying to understand them or use them appropriately! We so enjoyed the people we met along the way- always so welcoming and always making sure we were okay and experiencing the very best of what Newfoundland has to offer. We loved the seafood and ate as much as we could whenever we could- mussels, cod, scallops, cod, squid, clams, cod, fish cakes and more cod! We were surprised by the weather; everyone told us it would be cold and wet and cold and wet again! But even with Hurricane Dorian, we had fantastic weather. Sunshine, warmth, beautiful sunrises and sunsets and enough rain, fog and drizzle to show us what it can be like for those who live here year round! We loved the Newfoundland Chocolate shop…that one speaks for itself. And, we love that we were screeched in and are now honorary Newfoundlanders!

Most of all we loved sharing this trip with dear friends- Diane, Gary, Heather and Alan. It was made so much better with friends around us. There is a saying “Life is made for good friends and great adventures.” So blessed that we shared this great adventure with our good friends. Special thanks to Heather and Alan for helping plan the adventure and sharing their home and love for Newfoundland with us. Thanks to Kirby and Colin for lending us their van to travel in- so very gracious and kind of them!

We thought back on the supplies we needed for this trip. In addition to hiking gear- hiking boots, rain jacket, micro down jackets, hats, wool socks, gloves and so on, the following were also deemed necessary:
-endless supplies of great wine,
-bags and bags of Hawkins cheezies,
-chocolate bars,
-fudge,
-coffee,
-wine gums,
-Twizzlers liquorice,
-Jujubes,
-G&T…

I probably have forgotten a few items but you get my drift!

This trip has left us thinking about when we can next visit…maybe iceberg season.

But for now, this adventure has ended and we leave this place so much richer for our experiences here. Thank-you Newfoundland and thank-you Heather and Alan! You are extraordinary hosts and thank-you hardly seems enough given all you did for us over our time with you.

So long for now....Read more

Tuesday dawned rainy and a bit foggy but did nothing to dampen our spirits! First off was a yummy breakfast at Rocket’s where we enjoyed lattes, scones, croissants and so on…topped off by macarons- partridgeberry, vanilla and blueberry! Followed then by a tour of local art galleries where we saw fabulous art by so many talented artists- Christopher Pratt, Mary Pratt, Barbara Pratt, David Blackwood, Kym Greeley (Heather’s cousin), JC Roy…

We also went to The Rooms which is conveniently located across the street from Heather and Alan’s place. The Rooms is Newfoundland’s largest public cultural space and what a space it is! The design mirrors the fishing rooms where families came together to process their catch. There were lots of different exhibitions. A fun one was called A Job to Say: Newfoundland and Labrador Expressions where many local sayings were explained so people understood what was meant by them. As well, there was an exhibition called Beaumont-Hamel and the Trail of the Caribou which showed the impact of the 1st World War on Newfoundland and Labrador. A very compelling exhibition.

And, Barbara Pratt was painting in the foyer so we were able to watch her paint and talk to her about her process. Very special!

The day ended with Kern and I being “screeched in” at Christian’s Bar on George Street! What a fun time we had. There were 17 of us in all and Chef Loco (Brian the bartender) made it a unique experience by remembering each of our names more than once. So, we are now honorary Newfoundlanders and proud to say so!

Dinner at YellowBelly Brewery where I had…you guessed it…fish again. Fish tacos! Another stop at Shamrock City for some music. Then home and to bed…tomorrow is another day!Read more