“Have you ever seen my home, a place you may not know, have you ever walked the street of only bars? Have you ever seen my band, Have you come to Newfoundland, if you’ve never, would you ever see my home?”
I was neither born nor raised in Newfoundland, but I can safely say that the country has a very special place in my heart and the song by “At Ships End” hits the nail on the head. Every time I return to St. John’s, Newfoundland’s capital, I feel like I’m coming home from a year-long vacation. For those of you who think I am stuck in the age of discovery and referring to the whole of the American continent: Newfoundland is an island to the east of Canada. It is the most friendly and welcoming place I have ever visited and it is a bit of a tourists secret.
Downtown St. John’s has a distinctly jolly feel to it because the houses all have different colours. Walking through the streets of the city is a pleasure where most people walk with a smile on their face. If you show the slightest interest in crossing the street, even if you are nowhere near a cross-walk the cars will stop and let you cross.
I like to be where the action is, and yet be able to get out and enjoy some peace and quiet. St. John’s combines my two needs perfectly. It is a city for the crafty with its many art galleries and venues for concerts. During the summer there are countless events, most of which are open to anyone who wants to participate. I particularly enjoy the 24-hour art-marathon, the Busker’s Festival, the Lantern Festival and the Folk Festival. Most of St. John’s bars have space for local musicians who  play everything from rock to folk, and dancing is encouraged. Speaking of bars, the annual George Street festival challenges people’s ability to walk straight at the end of the night.
When I go to Newfoundland I turn into a night-person. As much as I enjoy going on adventures during the day, there is a lot that can be said about doing this at night. The haunted house hike is an exciting way of getting to know the “dark” side of the city. A guide in period dress took us through St. John’s at night, retelling many horror stories and other folklore. Cabot Tower in Signal Hill National Historical Park, Canada’s second largest historic park, is also an eerie building, well worth a tour. During the day the view from the tower across the harbour is beautiful, during the night it is otherworldly. Newfoundland’s scenery is comparable to Scotland with its hills and coastlines and its web of hiking trails. I am not an experienced hiker, but Newfoundland has trails for everyone. I could not choose a favourite, the walk around Signal Hill, the East Coast trail, or maybe one of the walks deep into the unspoiled woods which make you feel like you are walking through a Bob Ross painting. Every trail in Newfoundland takes you on a different adventure; while some lead to breathtaking viewpoints, others reward you with blueberries, crystal clear lakes, and maybe even the odd moose. The coastline walks are worth a try too, for a view of the cliffs and it is probable that you will see icebergs and humpback whales at certain times of the year. For those interested in a closer look there are puffin and whale watching tours. This two hour boat tour brought me closer to nature than I ever expected. I have seen a whale skeleton in an aquarium before and thought it enormous, but when a full grown humpback whale was diving only a few metres under our boat I had to hold my breath. I was stunned by the elegance of the biggest species of animal in the world.
The Trans-Canada Highway takes you from the East Coast to the West Coast and I recommend taking at least a week or two to discover the quirky communities and natural heritage sights along the way. The signs along the highway are a laugh and a half when you pass Conception Bay, Bacon Cove, Come-By-Chance, Heart’s Content and many other humorous and delightful towns. On my way across I stopped at Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve to see the old lighthouse and the big 300-foot-high rock jutting out from the sea covered in seagulls and other birds. I could hear, see, smell and feel the birds. Apparently the latter brings luck… and stains on my jacket. Newfoundland’s wildlife is preserved in a handful of national parks. Terra Nova National Park and Gross Morne National Park are definitely worth a visit.
Rated as one of the top travel destinations by the National Geographic, Newfoundland may not be such a tourism-secret for long!