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Introducing Newfoundland & Labrador
The other provinces pick on poor Newfoundland and its chilly counterpart Labrador. ‘We’ve got the Rocky Mountains!’ Alberta taunts. ‘We’ve got sophisticated big cities and wineries!’ Ontario brags. ‘We’ve got sophistication, wine and the Rockies!’ British Columbia is such a show-off. Even Atlantic mate Nova Scotia gibes, ‘We’ve got cruise ship tourists and fertile farmland!’ They all stick out their tongues at Newfoundland: ‘All you’ve got are rocks, bogs and a wretched economy. You’re not really even connected to Canada.’
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Guess what, provinces? Rock and bogs be damned, because travel industry mavens just picked Newfoundland as a new global hot spot; it shares space on the worldwide Top Ten list with the likes of the Seychelles and Abu Dhabi.
This place has it going on. Rocks can be cool, especially if they’re ancient and hikeable, like the ones in Gros Morne National Park. And being a remote island has its advantages: it means you’re surrounded by drifting blue icebergs from April through early July, and spouting whales in August. Pile on seasonal activities – skiing at Marble Mountain (no queues!) in winter, kayaking at Witless Bay (alongside whales!) in summer – and you’ll see why we’re talking hot spot.
But the thing that truly sets Newfoundland apart is its personality. You’ve heard of offbeat? This region is so offbeat it even has its own time zone (a half-hour ahead of the Maritimes). Cod tongues, moose burgers and partridgeberry pies are some of the unusual foods that warm local plates. And the accent? Well, suffice it to say Newfoundland has its own dictionary for all its quirky words and pronunciations.
You want to be a trendsetter? Set course for this odd floating rock.
Last updated: Feb 17, 2009
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