NEWFOUNDLAND!

Last week, we flew to Newfoundland and spent several days exploring various parts of what the locals call "'da Rock."  Although I have been to Newfoundland twice before, this was, by far, the most incredible time I've spent there and we were so glad to be able to share this beautiful place, and some of my husband's family roots, with our children. 

Newfoundland is such a spectacular area of the world--boasting stunning views, lively & friendly people, colourful buildings, and rugged coastal living.  There is nothing quite like Newfoundland air.  It's the kind of clean that only comes with the north-eastern coast--cold, pure, wet, with a bite of salt.  The kind that when you breathe deeply, it gets right down to the bottom of your lungs and cleans out whatever impurities are there.

We spent a few days in St. John's in the Battery which has small unelaborate bright-coloured housing built into the sides of the cliffs overlooking the harbour filled with container ships and docks.  Our views out the windows were mesmerizing both day and night.  We went to sleep lulled by the sound of the ships in the harbour and woke up to the light of the sunrise reflecting off the windows of St. John's downtown buildings in the the morning. 

Often when we travel, we seem to be avoiding hotels.  At this point, life is too crazy to think about four bodies sharing a hotel room, so we've been opting for websites like Vacation Rental By Owner VRBO.com to find more flexible housing--where we don't have to share one big room, we can cook meals and play with toys and not have to sit in the same dark room with our children in total silence with our computer screens turned on low at 7pm.  Sometimes the places we've stayed have all the amenities of home--washers/dryers, pots and pans, laundry soap, and even toys.  And occasionally, you even get a place where they leave cheese, crackers and champagne for you in the fridge!! (Ok, only in NFLD!!)  And almost always, they give you the best locals recommendations for coffee shops, restaurants and shopping etc.  Meaning you get to live like a local, but be a tourist.  They have similar websites or concepts all over the world, so check it out!

There is plenty to do in St. John's and some great shopping, etc.  But mostly we just wanted to check out some of the natural beauty there and around, so that's what we did.  But I feel like we barely scratched the surface of this city, deep in history and rich in culture.

More to come!

You might also like:

• Winnipeg Highlights
• Traveling with Littles. 
• Cottage Hopping: Part 2
• Cottage Hopping: Part 1