Newfoundland/Labrador were the last Province to join Confederation, in 1948. Labrador is on the mainland and borders Quebec. I have never been there. Newfoundland is an Island in the Atlantic Ocean. The Strait of Belle Isle is between them. There are about 550, 000 people who live here.
The History
The first people to live here were the Boethuck First Nation Tribe. John Guy, from England brought the first settlers here.
They became fisherman and traded the cod, (that the salted), and cod fish oil for molasses, salted meat and sugar and items made of wool.
Other Europeans came to fish in the Grand Banks, off Newfoundland, since the 16th century.
King Charles I pass a Navigation Act to try and stop the trade between the Europeans and Newfoundland.
The Newfie’s are a stubborn people and wouldn’t follow this law. The area near St. Johns became a trading center.
Smugglers used to come here to trade tobacco and French Brandy. Most of the smugglers came from the state of New England.
England appointed a Governor, to destroy every building he saw. He told them what they got raw, they would get roasted, and what they wanted roasted they would get raw!
They ignored the Governor, and rebuilt what was destroyed. They broke all ties with England.
These people were Canada’s first pioneers.
St. Johns
I have only been to St. Johns, the capital city, once, for two days. The people here sound like they come from Scotland.
The population of the city is almost 100, 000 people. It is very cold here in the winter, (-9 Cell), and warm in the summer, (+20 Cell).
We stayed at the ABBA Inn, on Queens Road. It was rated a 4 star hotel, but it was a nice as a 5 star.
They are fun loving people and you will always find a pub to have a good time in. One thing you must not try is Screatch, (it’s made from scraping the bottom of the barrel).
What We Did:
We went to see the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador. There collection told the story of the history of this area.
We took a City Tour that drove us through the city and the Avalon Peninsula. While we were here, even though it was summer, we saw a few large icebergs floating past us.
The only place it stopped in the city was at the Court House and the Confederation Building.
We ate breakfast at the hotel and had both lunches in a pub.
We ate lobster at the Crooked Crab Café and Savage Lobster Restaurant. I’m sure each lobster was over 2 pounds.
We felt like eating Chinese food so we went to the Magic Wok Eatery. They charged a lot and the food was only so-so, and I don’t recommend it.
We bought some local handicrafts at Bidgood’s Cottage, and a small watercolor painting at the Art Emporium.
My Final thoughts:
The weather is very cold in the winter, so the best time to visit here is in the summer.
We had such a nice time here that we would love to come back and explore more of the Island. Maybe next time I’ll see an Auk!
Thank you for reading my review.
©LL2004