BY MERCEDEZ QUINLAN
(Editor’s Note: Mercedez Quinlan is a Sudbury resident who recently travelled to Newfoundland.)
Newfoundland has its own time zone, its own language and its own unique style of living — with kindness, humour, hospitality, and a way of making visitors feel welcome.
My husband and I decided to drive to Newfoundland to go skiing this past Christmas season. On the ferry to Port aux Basques, Nfld., we decided to sleep on the narrow banquettes along with everyone else. The ride was long and the snoring was loud.
When we disembarked, there was no snow to speak of. It was about minus three degrees Celsius and the view was breathtaking. The sides of the roads were bordered with enormous inverted rock cones — a gentle reminder of why Newfoundland is called the Rock.
We arrived at our friends Gord and Lee’s house, to stay for a couple of days. They turned out to be the most gracious hosts we have ever encountered.
Northern Life’s travelling reporter captured this coastline on a recent trip to Newfoundland. Photo by Mercedez Quinlan
We visited a local art gallery, owned and operated by Lee’s cousin. Gord and Lee bought us a painted stone puffin as a gift.
After that, we walked on the shore and started collecting polished stones, as they make great souvenirs. Caught up in the beauty of the stones, our collection quickly grew to well over 100 pounds.
We were driving over a mountain range when Gord stopped his vehicle as we were going downhill. He put it in neutral and the vehicle proceeded to back up the hill.
“This is our magnetic hill without the theme park,” he said.
We had a wonderful meal of salmon and scallops. Another night we had a true Newfoundlander treat of corn fish and potatoes with fried onions.
We were enjoying our holiday but there was still no snow. Marble Mountain has the best skiing east of the Rockies, and it usually collects about five metres of snow per year. This year, there was none.
We decided to visit Gros Morne National Park. Along the way, we stopped to go zip-lining down Marble Mountain.
We zip-lined over an amazing gully and waterfall. On the way back to our friends that night, we narrowly avoided hitting a moose on the road.
The next day we decide to explore the surrounding area of Port ‘O Port. We hiked two walking trails and two beaches, which showcased why those commercials on TV are such accurate portrayals of an incredibly beautiful area. Huge limestone structures jutting out to the sea, trees misshapen by the strong winds, the beautiful beaches, or the constant sound of the ocean crashing against the rocks, which become works of art as well, kept a constant smile on our faces, and continuously took our breath away.
On our last night we were treated to a typical Newfoundlander Saturday Night. We gathered in Gord’s shed — basically a mini house with a real fireplace. The evening was spent listening to Newfoundlander music, telling stories, and playing darts. We left with a gift from Gord and Lee of a cooler packed with local fish. We both loved Newfoundland.
The sights, the food and especially the people will keep us going back for as long as we can.
