Video clip shared by Globalnews via twitter.]]>It wasn't an Ordinary Day for the Queen's Guard. https://t.co/fY3EEl7Pg4 pic.twitter.com/f2JnRRhXls
— Globalnews.ca (@globalnews) June 26, 2017
During the early 1930s, the Newfoundland Railway managers became aware of a local farmer and trapper named Lockland "Lockie" MacDougall. According to his family, Lockie had a weather sense that gave him the ability to read the signs of an approaching storm and the intense winds that accompanied it.
The Newfoundland Railway agreed to pay him as an observer — a "human wind gauge" — the premium sum of $20 a month to warn the nearby Port-aux-Basques rail office of the onset of extreme winds. [Weather Almanac 2005]
]]>Since we've moved back to western NL, we've been enjoying time with friends and exploring the local food scene. You may not think it but the west coast has some of the best eats in all of NL.
We always get asked our top picks and thought it worth a brief post to share our Top 3 selections from the Best Coast. It's important to note that there are dozens of great places to eat but in our opinion, these 3 stand out above the rest.
Madison's
Located in Steady Brook on the picturesque Humber River, you'll find Madison's inside the Marbel Inn Resort. This is a great place for a romantic evening or relaxing with a group of friends.
The regularly updated menu has some favourites such as the Madison Burger and always has a few new twists like the Addition of Lamb Curry and Vineger Pie. Recently sampled both and can say they are mouth watering.
Website - http://marbleinn.com/
Newfound Sushi
Located on Broadway in Corner Brook, this sushi restaurant serves up some of the best fresh local fish there is to be had. Chef Kevin Vincent learned the craft while away and decided to bring his unique sushi offerings to Corner Brook.
Although sushi may not be for everyone, there is indeed something on the menu for everyone. We also guarantee that after you visit, you too will be hooked on sushi.
Website - http://newfoundsushi.com/
Best Coast Cafe
Locals call the west coast of the island 'the best coast'. Being from here, we're obviously biased but can assure you that after enjoying the Best Coast Cafe, you too may start to think it is too.
Also located on Broadway in Corner Brook, this small cafe serves up some of the best food around. The shared photos are enough to leave our mouths watering but once you taste the food, you'll instantly know why this place is one of our top 3.
Our absolute favourite item on the menu is the Fish Tacos. We travel a lot and sample fish tacos everywhere we go. We'd offer these as competition to any of them.
Website - https://facebook.com/bestcoastcafe/#!/bestcoastcafe/
]]>To cap of what was an already amazing May, we headed to Cox's Cove and aboard the 18 foot Mickey McArthy dory of Darren Park. We headed out of Cox's Cove towards Goose arm on a flat calm morning.
Our primary objective was to find and feed Bald Eagles, something that Darren has become well known for in these parts and around the world. We took our time stopping to cast a line but I never hooked anything - probably the first ever for a Darren Park boat tour.
When we arrived at the first known Bald Eagle area, just as if Darren called her and told her we're arriving, she swopped in and perched on a tree.
I figured for sure I was in for a treat. Darren had prepared some frozen fish as an offering that she couldn't refuse. But she did. Instead of taking the bait she just stared at us. Darren assumed it was likely because she was well fed from all the fishermen in the area. I assumed it was the company Darren was keeping for the morning. None the less she just stared.
Not to be totally disappointed, we spotted another Bald Eagle just a short distance away on the beach. This one had already snagged a feed of fish and was preparing to take it back to the nest. This would have been the picture of the day had I had a better lens. I now know for next visit.
I'm skipping over a big chunk of the tour that I'll come back to in a later update to this post. I have a large collection of photos (500 or so to share) but I'm not ready to process them all just yet so I'm and heading right to the visit to Woman Cove and the amazing muscles on the beach.
Darren has this beautiful little cabin directly across form Cox's Cove sitting on the beach amongst a few other cabins. This is where we headed for some muscles. Upon arriving Darren showed me around and took out a photo album packed with smiling faces. Darren thinks the people are smiling because of the tour but after spending a few hours with Darren, I know they were smiling because they know they now have a new best friend.
It's going to be very difficult to top an outing like this one. The pictures offer a sense of the beauty but until you get to spend a few hours with Darren, you'll never really understand the feeling. This guy is the real deal.
We really want you to experience this for yourself so one lucky email subscriber is going to win an outing with Darren Park of Four Seasons Tours. All you have to do is subscribe to our mailing list. We're going to draw for a winner sometime near the end of June.
We've read many books about the events that took place Gander including The Day The World Came To Town. All of them left us feeling very proud.
However, Come From Away has taken this level of pride to a whole new level. Getting to see and hear the stories come to life on Broadway and be embraced by the world, makes us prouder than heck!
]]>
There is just too much amazing talent packed into this festival to possibly take it all in but we are definitely trying our best. Here are a few of our favourite highlights from this past weekend.
Bridget Swift and Dahlia Waller
Matthew Byrne
Tomato Tomato
Jean Hewson & Christina Smith
We hope to update this short post next weekend.
]]>2014 was a record year for Icebergs, Whales, and record breaking temperatures in Newfoundland and Labrador. So far 2017 is shaping up to be a bumper year for Icebergs with more current sightings than recent years. Our gut feeling is it will be the same for whale sightings and our fingers are crossed for more amazing weather.
You've probably already seen pictures like this one of the spectacular iceberg grounded near Ferryland, NL.
We don't yet have spectacular images of this year's whale sightings but we like to remind you of how amazing 2014 was. Maybe you can remember the Double Whale Breach?
Or maybe this Double Whale Tale Video?
2014 was indeed a record year for Icebergs, Whales, and record breaking temperatures here in Newfoundland and Labrador. You've heard the phrase the 100 year storm? Well, we had the 100 year summer with record setting temperatures and July being hottest month on record since 1874. WOW!
Stay tuned, we'll keep you updated as the year unfolds!
The Man in the Mountain trail, also known as the Humber Valley Trail, is located just east of Corner Brook. Take TCH exit #7 to Riverside Drive, first stopping at the Man in the Mountain lookout for a picture of the final destination. Then take the North Shore highway and turn on to Riverside Extension just across the Ballam Bridge for the trail entrance.
The trail is well marked and although it is steep in a few sections, it should be achievable for most with a moderately active lifestyle. Along the trail there are couple of ponds filled with frogs and several vantage points to capture some beautiful views of the surrounding area.
The final lookout is directly above the infamous Old Man in the Mountain allowing you the same spectacular view of the Humber River and surrounding area that he has enjoyed since the formation of the Appalachian Mountains which he is part of.
This trail begins at scenic Bottle Cove, Lark Harbour. Starting from the crescent beach, you wind upward through some forest passing a beautiful waterfall and then pass through a green valley leading to the vantage point overlooking Guernsey (Weebol) Island and the rugged coastline.
This trail is fairly new and well travelled. Although the gradual incline is continuous, it should be achievable for most with a moderately active lifestyle.
Beginning near the base of the Marble Mountain ski resort, you will find the trail entrance behind George’s Ski World near the entrance to the Steady Brook Falls. We choose to take the trail winding up through Steady Brook watching those zip lining back and forth across the falls.
After a brief stop on top of the falls, we headed across the face of the ski hill heading towards the top of OMJ. From there, we hiked up toward the top of the Lightning Express and then headed over the top of the mountain towards the top of the Black Mariah and followed Country Road back to our original starting point.
This hike is definitely steep in places; however, like the previous hikes, it should be achievable for most with a moderately active lifestyle.
This hike can be broken into two 8 km sections. The first is the gentle winding hike through the forest leading to the base of Gros Morne mountain. This alone makes for a beautiful hike in the range of easy to moderate. You could admire the lone mountain from the base and then return to the parking lot.
The second section of the hike takes you up and over Gros Morne mountain. This portion is also 8kms with moderate to expert rating, although if you properly prepare and take your time, it should be achievable for most with a moderately active lifestyle. It takes you up through the rocky valley, over the barren top, winding around the back of the mountain.
]]>
Boat tours are usually a lot of fun regardless of the reason or what you see, it's the energy of the staff and the guests that make a tour great. This one was no exception! We departed Pier 6 on the St. John's harbour front on the Iceberg Quest tour boat navigated by Captain Luke Janes and his awesome crew. We were also joined by Carol Anne, VP of Sales and Marketing for Iceberg Quest, who showed us one heck of an amazing time.
Our adventure started before we got on the boat and quickly escalated to an official "TIME" as the sun was shining and the temperature was increasing. There was little to no wind in the harbour which made it easy for us all to walk about and grab some fantastic harbour "snaps".
Once outside the harbour it quickly turned foggy and a little cold so we huddled around and the crew handed out a few blankets to help keep people warm.
This feeling of being cold only lasted for a few moments when, out of the fog, appeared the magnificent giant. No words can describe the feeling of witnessing such a majestic formation that was created some 12,000 to 25,000 years ago and has been traveling for the past 3 years to visit us here in Newfoundland and Labrador.
Captain Luke skillfully and safely navigated the boat so that we could get these pictures to share and in the process we witnessed the massive iceberg calving. Not once but twice, large pieces of the iceberg broke off and fell to the sea. Thousands of little bergy bits started to drift outward and towards us. The crew were prepared, knowing we were safe, they grabbed a large net and scooped up some ice to share with the guests. Imagine an ice cube that is over 12,000 years old floating in your drink? AMAZING!!!
We know, enough of this, get on with the pictures. They're coming soon.
Hiking and exploring Newfoundland and Labrador allows for some amazing photos and videos. This short video taken from the top of the Man in the Mountain has been viewed over 13,000 times and continues to be one of our most popular videos.
]]>
Exploring Newfoundland and Labrador is our passion and it's a real honour when some of our photos get noticed. The colourful garbage cans of Smith's Harbour, NL has been used in several publications and has over 20 thousand views. Thank you!
]]>When I was very young I was certain that I had found him but when I would describe him my parents would chuckle because they knew I didn't find the infamous "Man in the Mountain". This man is said to be keeping watch over buried treasure on Shellbird Island at the mouth of the Humber River. This is a closer view of what most people are looking for when they spot the "Man in the Mountain". The man is facing to the right and looking down at about 45 degrees. I've circled him and then created an expanded view in the bottom right corner just in case you're still having a hard time finding him. So we have now identified the infamous "Man in the Mountain" but that still does not explain what I saw when I was a child.
I must elaborate a little to add clarity. When I was a child, this Man in the Mountain was sometimes referred to as the the Indian in the Mountain. As a child my innocent view of an Indian man was that of a grand gentleman with head gear made of feathers. So when I was told to look for the Indian in the mountain I of course looked for feathers. And to this day, I swear that I found him. I've done my best to identify him for you in this next picture. Like the picture above I have circled the original view and also created an exploded view in the bottom left corner. See if you can picture him and if not an explanation follows.
In this picture the the Man in the Mountain is the lightly shaded rock and he is looking directly to the left and the two feathers of his head gear point out to the right at about 1 o'clock and 2 o'clock. The feather at 2 o'clock has a single orange (rust) colour band. If you look closely you can clearly identify his mouth with a slight frown and his upper lip slightly curled over. He has a small nose and a pronounced forehead. I've also heard people say that there is a third "Man in the Mountain" but I have never been able to identify him. If you are able to identify either or both "Men in the Mountain" pictured above, or if you have a picture that identifies the third Man in the Mountain, please share your pictures, comments, and childhood stories of "looking for the Man in the Mountain".
]]>When you work in and around startups there are always loads of events you can attend, too many in fact.
Sometimes you’ll get the chance to go to an event in a far flung city, or if you’re being extra fancy you might attend an event in a different country, but in reality in most cases you never really get to experience what the city or country is really like. You’ll see the airport, the inside of a local taxi, the inside of a hotel room and then probably take a taxi to and from the venue and before you know it you’re back in the airport taking the red-eye flight back to Dublin airport.
So considering the above, when I was invited to come to Canada to be a pitch mentor at a Startup weekend by Roger Power of Startup Newfoundland & Labrador I decided that: A) It would be hard to stop me going and B) That if I was going, I was going to go for a week either side of the event to really check the place out.
A few things you might not know about St. John’s:
It’s the eastern most point of North America, jutting way out into the Atlantic ocean. In fact once you head out of St. John’s harbour and head East, like really far East, the next place you’ll land is the Blasket Islands off the coast of Kerry.
Because it’s so close, getting there is fast. The (direct!) flight to St. John’s from Dublin was a mere 4hr 15mins, and on the way back it was even shorter clocking in at 3hr 50mins. Westjet fly direct from Dublin to St. John’s so there’s no messing about with transfers (which are the worst). So in summary… you can get to Canada in 4 hours, not bad really.
And Newfoundland doesn’t play by everyone elses rules. They operate on a timezone that is 3.5 hours behind GMT. Yep… three and a half hours… who signed off on that one?
I had heard through various chats that Newfoundland’s culture was heavily influenced by the influx of Irish migrants that moved there in search of a better life starting from as early as the 1600s.
My initial strolls around the city made it very apparent that the place was indeed very Irish.
On top of that the accent is at times nearly unbelievably Irish. I’ve described it to friends as sounding like an Irish person trying to put on a fake Canadian accent.
I think Startup Weekends are close to the perfect event, the mix of energy, enthusiasm and (unlike nearly all other events) pure and genuine goodwill make it a real winner.
The Startup Weekend in St. John’s was obviously a smaller affair than the sort of scale you’d see at a Startup Weekend in Dublin, but in some ways that’s a good thing. The smaller events are more intimate, less stressful (for literally all parties involved) yet still manage to achieve everything that needs to be achieved. You meet like minded people, you make new friends and you possibly start a business that could really go somewhere.
Ultimately the deserved winner was an idea pitched by Robert Byrne (pretty Irish name) called “Du Jour” that aimed to take the hastle out of recipe discovery.
What made him want to take part in the event? A desire to launch his own business just like his family member before him:
“My father and grandfather had their own businesses and I grew up watching the hard work they put in and the freedom and happiness it allowed them”
As part of a great week of events laid on by the guys at Startup NL we took to the ocean in pursuit of whales and icebergs. Now, I haven’t been on the high seas all that frequently in my life so I suppose I didn’t know what to expect next. 1. There were no icebergs and no whales 2. There were 15 foot swells 3. I could never be a fisherman for a living.
At the time it seemed horrific. I had to relegate myself to sitting at the back of the boat, mouth shut, eyes focussed on the land in the distance (a tactic the more sturdy footed boat goers informed me would help my sea sickness). I recall the lady (in red) sitting beside me enquiring “If I pay you more, can you turn the boat around early”.
In hindsight it was great. I think I described it to Roger as “literally unforgettable”.
Plus, I was only out there for about 90 minutes. All of our ancestors who made the trip from Ireland across the ocean to Newfoundland, Boston, New York etc. would have endured conditions like that or worse for days or weeks, so ultimately I feel a bit guilty that I can complain about our comparative pleasure cruise.
After my first few days in St. John’s I was pretty much in love with the place, I’m not even sure exactly why, I think the city just fits with my personality really well.
Firstly, it’s a small city, which I really like, it would seem. I stayed in an Airbnb on the wonderful Gower St. which was about 3 mins from downtown, which in turn can be walked in it’s entirety in about 15 minutes max. For my $70 a night I got a huge 1 bedroom apartment. For price comparison, the last time I was in New York I paid the same amount for what essentially amounted to a prison cell in a hostel. But a really shitty prison cell.
Secondly, the views on offer range from really nice to outrageously scenic. Take for example the photo below, taken at the mouth of St. John’s harbour, after a 45 minute hike during which I nearly fell into the ocean on no less than three occasions.
I think it’s actually pretty rare that you have moments where you stop, look around, take a deep breath and feel “I’m exactly where I should be right now”, well it’s rare for me anyway, but as I sat there looking off along the glimmering coast and out across the blue ocean it definitely felt like one of those moments.
“But Ed, wasn’t this going to be a post about running a startup from a small city, not a love letter to a city”
Good point.
Two days after the infamous boat ride, once we had both recovered I met up with Sarah Murphy (pretty Irish name), a local startup founder.
She is co-founder of Sentinel Alert, a startup that came to life from a Startup Weekend held in St. John’s 2 years ago. The business specialises in worker safety solutions and has the very humane goal of “Helping bring workers home safe”.
Sarah reiterated what I had heard from countless entrepreneurs during my visit to Newfoundland, the bedrock of the ecosystem was that there was a vibrant, and growing, community.
“There are a couple of really cool things about this city. Firstly our startup community is new, growing & starting to take off (250+ strong!). It’s an exciting time to be part of this community! We regularly pack the house at startup mixers”
One of the problems that startups the world over face is a war for tech talent. Finding the right people ain’t easy, especially when you’re 6,000+ KM from San Francisco and 3,000+ KM from Dublin, with the hub cities like Toronto hoovering up most of the regional talent. For startups in smaller cities like St. John’s this means they have to adopt a more flexible approach.
The first part of Murphy’s approach to finding talent is to get out there and proactively look for it!
“Ask about the people you meet, get to know their passions & offer to help them out. It takes some patience & time. There are basement warriors in every small place, but they want to get to know you. If they commit to jumping in they’re betting on you, the person, not the business.”
Part two of her approach is to realise that in a lot of cases, having everyone under the same roof, in the same square footage just isn’t necessary:
“We’ll build a remote team (from around the world!). It’s important to be open to that in small/remote places”
It seems like literally every person I speak to who is doing something interesting has arrived at that point through a series of events that could never really have been planned in advance. Mark Kennedy (pretty Irish name) of Celtx exemplifies this point well.
He started studying chemistry in University, then changed tack and became a lawyer, only to later be won over by the challenge of creating a big business that was solving a big problem. Celtx is that aspiring big business and they’ve worked with some household name TV production companies.
Rather then upping roots and moving to TV production hubs like New York or Los Angeles, Kennedy is determined to make his business a success from St. John’s. Like Murphy, he doesn’t view the remote location as all that much of a hinderance.
“Living in a remote place is not the impediment it once was.”
According to Kennedy the main challenges faced by startups are 1) distribution, 2) finance and 3) a need for talent.
Distribution is relatively easy “If you’re building an export oriented business selling ones and zeroes, which we are, then the Internet solves the distribution problem for you.”
Finance was admittedly tough to come by, but Mark and co have managed to raise a strong round from investors in the nearby city of Halifax.
And as for talent?
“We ignored the prevailing wisdom on what an employer was supposed to do — how much employees should get paid (it was suggested we pay on the low side because it wasn’t as competitive a landscape for hires), where we should look for talent (people said look close to home), whether to grant options (not to, because no one understood what they were) etc. etc.
We, instead, decided to act as if we were in a war for talent. We pay at the top of the scale. We looked far and wide for developers. And we made sure everyone knew they would share in any success.”
Mark and Celtx look to have a really bright future, and I love the fact they are bucking normal conventions and doing it all from home.
Roger Power (pretty Irish name), and his organisation Startup Newfoundland and Labrador aim to be a catalyst for the relatively new and (until now) fragmented startup scene in the region.
“StartupNL grew out of a need for the new generation of startups to connect with one another and share their talent, knowledge and experiences.”
The formal version of what they do is: “provide entrepreneur-led services that create a self-supporting, peer-to-peer community”, the casual translation of that being: “doing exciting and fun things like hackathons, Startup Weekends and pitch sessions”
I’ve always said that attending events is great fun, but organising them is the activity of a bunch of saints, I just don’t know how they do it (so thanks to the organisers of any events I’ve been to). I suppose it comes down to having genuine passion and a real interest in the bigger picture.
Roger and his Startup NL partner in crime, Jason Janes, certainly have that passion. So much so that not only did the guys organise the Startup Weekend, they organised a whole week of different events across the province back to back to make up a “startup week”. To me this Herculean effort seems like an act of madness. Not to Power:
“You know, it wasn’t tough at all. Like many other startup communities and groups, we treat this as a startup and if you don’t do what the market wants and quickly then that’s a missed opportunity. I hate missing opportunities. The skills, talent, engaging speakers, mentors, venues, food, ideas and all of those things are available — it’s just a matter of assembling them all in one place. Someone just needs to plant the flag in the ground and startup folks all seem to gather around. It’s like the Great Startup Reef”
Power also believes there are great synergies to be had been the startup communities found either side of the Atlantic and he has a great vision for a “North Atlantic Startup Arc” made up of Newfoundland & Labrador, Iceland and Ireland:
“Something amazing happens when the startup tribe gets together (I like ‘tribe’ now; I’m going to use it from now on!). We get excited and that is infectious. Ed, you’ve been in NL and I’ve been in Ireland. I’m sure we see the greater potential. Now as we do more together, the community, sorry, tribe, takes on a different character. It is bigger, bolder and anxious to get to work to take advantage of new connections. Just as no founder should be working in isolation, nor should a startup tribe.”
I loved my time in St. John’s and I’ll be back in the near future, there’s no doubt about that. And I’m really glad I spent a good chunk of time to check out the city properly. The next time you’re heading to an event, consider turning up early, or staying late, even if it’s just a day or half a day, it’s too easy to fall into the “airport to conference center” trap of going somewhere,but never really being there. (I’m aware that last line makes me sound like a cheesy motivational speaker)
I think what I learned from the startup scene in St. John’s is that location is not the strength or weakness it used to be. What I’ve seen is that it really does all start with community. Community is the glue that sticks all the fragmented pieces together and makes 1+1=3. And the key to get a community going in a small city is just to get started, today, even if it’s something small.
Wondering where to start? Well Sarah Murphy put it way better than I could!
“Just do it. Don’t worry about getting the right people in place to kick it off (mentors, backers, gov support) — YOU are the right person. Just find a bar or a coffee shop, pick an hour once a week/month/whatever, and make it a recurring meet & greet event. Put it out there on Facebook, Meetup.com, Twitter & tell everyone you meet leading up to it. You may get 2 people show up the first time, but the next time it will be 4. Then hustle. Enlist those first joiners to help you & ask everyone you know if they know someone who would love to come by. The right people will show up!”
I wasn’t going to include a shameless plug in this post until Roger Power told me I had to :-) I also needed an excuse to use the cheesiest photo that exists of me. So here we go:
I work with startups to make sure that they tell their story in a powerful effective way, and do this backed up by slides that kick ass. I’ve helped startups raise over $7m in the last 2 years, and during that time I’ve also mentored at 6 Startup Weekends (as I say… because they are the perfectevent). So if you need help raising money, or helping Startup Weekend teams kick ass be sure to get in touch.
You can get me at ed@clearpreso.com
I also tweet a lot, and not all of it is nonsense! You can find me HERE
]]>During this lunch hour play featuring St. John's actor Michael Nolan, we experienced a history lesson covering the conception and construction of the Basilica, the generosity and ingenuity of those set on having it erected, and the strength and struggles of those early fisher parishioners that donated their hard earned money to see it become a reality. Yes, it is a history lesson but it is delivered with plenty of humour and just enough emotion to keep you on the edge of your pew. Do yourself a favour and check it out before it's too late.
Each morning when I open my front door, there stands the Basilica often hidden by the rain, drizzle and fog (RDF) but not today. The Basilica stands majestic and unassuming on the outside and is just as beautiful on the inside. https://youtu.be/wPrDhBOGouU Being guided through the front doors after hearing Bishop Fleming share the history of how the Basilica came to be, I was almost expecting to see the building still under construction. His ability to weave the timeline of the Basilica into well-known historical facts about the City of St. John's left me feeling informed but not schooled. It truly was a fun journey that I highly recommend to locals and tourists of all ages. Click here for more information about the play.
]]>
A short time later our lunch arrived and the flag made it's way back to the kitchen to help identify the next order. For lunch we had Ham and Brie on a lovely brown bread, side salad, amazing deserts, and very tasty lemonade. Everything about it was absolutely perfect.
After lunch we relaxed in the sunshine and fresh air enjoying the clouds and watching people fly kites and share stories.
Simply magical! This is a must do attraction. Check out the picture below!
]]>
We are indeed members of this Coronation Street fan base. Sometimes I don't like to admit it but it's out there in the open now, YES, I am a Coronation Street fan! It's about the only show Jackie and I watch consistently. We rely on the CBC mobile app to get our fix but there is never a concern of getting behind on events in this household. As soon as it's available for viewing, we're watching.
Each year when there is a Coronation Street cast visit, Jackie and I jump on ticket purchases right away because they tend to sell out fast. This year's visit by Peter Barlow, the Last Call tour, is no different. We immediately purchased the best seats available and are anxiously awaiting the October 19th show.
You may be thinking, big deal, how interesting can an hour with the cast of a British soap opera be? Well, let me tell you that at the end of each show, I only wish it was longer. It really feels like we are enjoying an intimate evening with long time friends. They share interesting stories from on set as well as some of the gossip from behind the scenes. It really is an amazing evening.
Pictures from Past Events
]]>This summer Jackie and I have been exploring Newfoundland, visiting some amazing places in this beautiful island. Please see previous posts as well as stay tuned for more about our adventures. In this post, we wanted to share our experiences from L'Anse aux Meadows as we feel this is one of the most amazing places in Newfoundland if not all of Canada (pictures below).
To get to L'Anse aux Meadows you have to take the Viking Trail at Deer Lake and travel to the very tip of the Northern Peninsula, about 435km journey. I know many skip over this road trip because of the distance but let me assure you, it's worth every single minute of your time.
Along the way you pass through majestic mountains, see fjords just off the highway and then pass through the most beautiful quaint communities until you reach the barren land scape of L'Anse aux Meadows. Every moment is breathtaking.
When you arrive in L'Anse aux Meadows, many head directly to the Parks Canada site, as we did and we visited the Viking ruins as well as the the restored village. We opted to take the guided tour and our guide was knowledgeable and funny. He shared history of the Vikings as well as local culture and how they may have related. He also shared that there was evening story telling, Sagas and Shadows that was worth the return later that evening. He also shared a few places close by to eat as well as what we should check out the Norstead Viking Village and the Snorri.
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1009,1010,1011,1012,1013,1014,1015,1016,1017,1018,1019,1020,1021,1022,1023,1024,1025,1026,1027,1028,1029,1030,1031,1032,1033,1034,1035,1036,1037,1038,1039,1040,1041,1042,1043,1044,1045,1046,1047,1048,1049,1050,1051,1052,1053,1054,1055,1056,1057,1058,1059,1060,1061,1062"]
[gallery type="slideshow" ids="1064,1065,1066,1067,1068,1069,1070,1071,1072,1073,1074,1075,1076,1077,1078,1079,1080,1081,1082,1083,1084,1085,1086,1087,1088,1089,1090,1091,1092,1093,1094,1095,1096,1097,1098,1099,1100,1101,1102,1103,1104,1105,1106,1107,1108,1109,1110,1111,1112,1113"]
You've heard the phrase the 100 year storm? Well, we're having the 100 year summer here in Newfoundland. Temperatures have been setting records and July was the hottest month on record since since 1874. WOW!
Not only have we been having record temperatures, it's also been a record year for Icebergs and Whales. There have been more Icebergs than anyone can remember and I'm sure you've all heard of the Double Whale Breach right? It's the main image above.
We've been enjoying as much of this summer as we possibly can and thanks to the awesome hospitality of Iceberg Quest Tours and O'Brien's Boat Tours we have this amazing Double Whale Tale video to share.