Last summer, these discerning travellers took a magical trip to Newfoundland. We wrote about how much we enjoyed hiring a private guide and visiting places like Gros Morne National Park, the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows and the puffin colonies off the coast of the Bonavista peninsula. Well, it seems that it was such an inspiring trip that Patty’s new book is about it!
Captivated by the magic of this island on the edge of North America, Patty has conjured a tale where the family in question takes the same tip we took last year, but for very different reasons. If you’re looking for some armchair travelling and thinking about family dynamics, you just might love this book.
The book is available from most online booksellers. Enjoy!
Anyone who reads our travel stories knows we are fans of private touring. We’ve hired private tour guides in France, Turkey, Chile, Costa Rica, Ireland, and the list goes on. Why, then, would we do a Newfoundland tour any differently? Exactly!
This summer’s travel took us to the island of Newfoundland on Canada’s east coast. As it happens, Art was born in the province’s capital city, St. John’s, and lived there until he was seventeen, but he had never seen the western part of the island. Patty had been only to the Avalon Peninsula, where St. John’s is located. But we knew there was so much more to see. So, we embarked on some research to figure out who might be doing private touring in the area.
Of course, several companies in Newfoundland do group tours—the dreaded bus tour. That’s okay for someone who likes to travel in groups, but it is not our thing. We finally discovered that McCarthy’s Party, one of the largest tour companies in Newfoundland, would consider developing a customized itinerary, arranging accommodation along the way, transportation and a private guide.
So, after a bit of back and forth on the itinerary, we booked our tour and were off.
We flew from Toronto to Deer Lake in western Newfoundland, where our guide, Carl, met us at the baggage area. See the terrain as our plane descends into Deer Lake.
Then, we boarded our private “truck” (a black 2023 Chevrolet Suburban Premier) and were off to Cornerbrook, where we began our immersion into the Newfoundland culture and terrain.
We knew that five-star accommodation wasn’t in the cards in that part of the world, but the hotels, motels and inns where McCarthy’s put us were the best in the area, and we knew what to expect. That first night, we stayed at the one-hundred-year-old Glynmill Inn.
We were off along the Viking Trail to Gros Morne National Park the next day.
It was a spectacular day for a three-kilometre hike into Western Brook Pond, a landlocked fjord where we spent a few hours on the water admiring the breathtaking scenery. (We wrote about that day in a previous post.)
We spent overnight in the tiny village of Plum Point at the Plum Point Motel (two nights there)…and the next day, we travelled farther north to the Viking settlement at L’Anse aux Meadows with a stop in St. Anthony to visit the world-renowned Grenfell mission. (See our private transportation below.)
We spent the next day back in Gros Morne, exploring Bonne Bay and hiked the Tablelands.
After overnight in Rocky Harbour, we were off to the centre of the island to Gander. You might recall Gander as the centrepiece of the Broadway musical “Come From Away” because this is where so many of the 9-11 airliners had to take shelter for a week after the World Trade Center disaster in 2001.
Our next day took us to the stunning Bonavista peninsula, where we visited the spot where John Cabot allegedly landed in 1497 and the charming village of Trinity.
Then there were the puffins. What can we say? Against the spectacular backdrop of dramatic cliffs and pounding ocean waves, we hiked to several spots to observe the magical puffins. These Atlantic seabirds are indigenous to this part of the world, breed in large colonies on these coastal cliffs and are so distinctive with their brightly coloured beaks.
One of the most interesting places where we parked and hiked to see these birds was a village called Elliston, which bills itself as the “root cellar capital of the world.’ And they have good reason to do so! The root cellars, along with the magnificent scenery, make the place so worth the visit.
All along the way, Carl, our guide, led us to fabulous little spots, including tiny restaurants where we sampled staples of Newfoundland cuisine every day at lunch—fish cakes, homemade breads, partridgeberry cake, cod au gratin. We could never have found these by ourselves, which is one of the reasons we love private touring with a guide.
It rained during the final day of our trip. So, Carl arranged appropriate activities. First, we had a private tour of Vernon’s Antique Car Museum (read more about that here), then a tasting and lunch at the Newfoundland Brewing Company.
We finally ended in St. John’s, where we did our own tour of special places in the city. (More about this city visit in the next post.)
One of the extra bonuses of travelling with a private guide is the opportunity to have someone take photos of the two of us together! Such a treat! (Okay, the third one’s a selfie.)
There is no doubt in our minds that private touring is well worth the extra expense. And you can’t put any price on the memories we created on our Newfoundland trip.
It’s only rarely that we pick up recipes in our travels. As often as we dine in wonderful places and eat amazing dishes, it’s clear to us that recreating them at home usually leads to disappointment. But there are sometime extenuating circumstances…
We haven’t traveled to Art’s original home in St. John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, for a few years, which we wrote about in a previous blog post, but every so often the nostalgic memories of food from a different life and time overtake us, and we pull out the old fish and brewis recipe to embark on what we lovingly and respectfully call “Newfie Night” for a few dear friends.
But cooking fish and brewis for entertaining can be a challenge – have you ever smelled salt cod when it’s boiling away on the stove? It is truly revolting. So, we had to find a way to (a) reduce the cooking smell, and (b) involve the guests in the preparation of the meal.
Traditional Newfoundland fish and brewis represents a culinary tradition that is based more on practicality than intention – but the practical obstacles to acquisition of ingredients seems to have sparked incredible creativity on the part of cooks all over ‘the Rock’ throughout its history. For many years, the availability of fresh ingredients throughout the long, cold winters resulted in a plethora of salted cod and items like hard bread which were both practically indestructible – and no refrigeration needed. So, cooks prepared a dish that used this hard bread and boiled salt cod with a dressing of pure pork fat and scrunchions – which are without any doubt the tastiest part of any dish to which they are added. Scrunchions, for those of you who have not had the pleasure, are small pieces of pure pork fat fried to a delightful crispiness. The taste is unadulterated joy – but be sure to have your cholesterol checked!
During our last Newfie Night for friends, we decided to document the method we use. It’s a tweaked version of authentic fish and brewis. Tweaks include using boned salt cod (to avoid having to remove bones and the possibility of missing one), adding oregano for flavor, and frying it up in the fat rather than pouring it over to improve both the color (visual presentation) and the texture (a bit of crispiness).
It is surprisingly delicious – and guests even asked for seconds! Here’s the video…
Cape Spear: The eastern-most point on the North American continent
It is the easternmost point on the North American continent, and the city of St. John’s in Newfoundland (actually it’s Newfoundland & Labrador which is the official name of the province), Canada’s tenth province, is Art’s home town. Well, the easternmost point is actually Cape Spear, but that’s just a hop outside the city. Although he moved away many years ago, every time we go back to visit what is affectionately known as “the Rock”, we are blown away by the rugged beauty and the increasing cosmopolitanism. Recent offshore oil exploration and production have given an economic boost to the city that it hasn’t seen in some generations. And now, it’s the Canadian province with the most amazing advertising imaginable. (See the video we’ve posted at the end.)
But, maybe the most impressive promotion for the city of St. John’s itself is the CBC television show The Republic of Doyle. If you watch that show in HD, you can’t help but notice that St. John’s is one of the characters. And although we’d venture a guess that the colors have been enhanced, St. John’s truly is a character.
The last time we visited was for a high school reunion – the reunion of a class that graduated so many years ago it’s hardly worth mentioning! But, we had a chance to play tourist in a city that we actually thought we know so well.
As you fly into St. John’s, it’s easy to think that you’ve ended up at the end of the earth – as your plane reaches the shoreline of Newfoundland you begin to get a sense of place right from the start. And you must remember to keep an eye out for icebergs (at any time of the year – but in the spring in particular). St. John’s is, by the way, the oldest English-speaking city on the North American continent. With a population that’s shy of 200,000, the city itself is not large but if you seek them out, you’ll find all kinds of amenities that are worth the trip.
We’ve stayed at most of the better hotels over the years – the Delta and the Hotel Newfoundland (which has been under a number of banners, most recently the Sheraton but it used to be a Fairmont) – which are also the most expensive. Recently, we’ve stayed at the Courtyard Marriott which is well-located on the harbor-front , has immense suites with great views, a lovely little bar with a view of the “narrows” that frame the harbor entrance looking out to open ocean, is reasonably priced, and because it’s a Marriott property, has wonderful staff.
At Battery Park overlooking St. John's: Son Ian made the pilgrimage with us that year
St. John’s is well-known as the North American city with the most bars per square foot than any other. We can’t provide any source for that statistic, but trust us, if you take a summer trip to the city and wander downtown to George Street as you must, you will not dispute this statistic at all! But for our money, these discerning travelers are smitten with the fine dining scene in St. John’s. There are many fine restaurants along Water Street including Bianca’s which is worth a visit, but our current favorite is Bacalao on Lemarchant Road, which is known for its quintessential Newfoundland cuisine using local products. It even won a national award for “hyperlocal food” recently. We’ve eaten there several times, and both the service and the innovative food offerings make a return trip there in the future a must.
The there is a bit of shopping…do not go to the malls in St. John’s. You will be disappointed. But do go to the boutiques for women’s clothing. Along Water Street, my personal favorite is Johnny Ruth. Oh, the owner has created a gem of a space with a truly inspired and well-edited collection of often Canadian designers. I’ve bought Comrags and Brenda Beddome there in addition to a number of others. Also nip into Twisted Sisters Boutik while you’re on Water Street.
The Rooms, St. John's: Art & Ian take in the view of the narrows
No visit to St. John’s would be complete without a visit to The Rooms. The name is a bit misleading – this is an architectural masterpiece that is truly uninspiring from the outside. But step inside and it’s a different story. Beside the fact that The Rooms is an extraordinary museum with all manner of Newfoundland history , both natural and other, it has the most amazing view of the harbor and beyond from a window that was artfully situated to provide just such an experience.
On our most recent visit there, it was Saturday, it was raining heavily and there were two bridal parties taking refuge for photo shoots. The window makes a dramatic backdrop.
Now that Art’s parents are both dead, we have less reason to visit than we used to. But we’ll make the trek from time to time – just for the food and Johnny Ruth!
(Flight times: from Halifax it’s an hour and twenty minutes; it’s 3 hours and 34 minutes direct from New York on United).
A sample of the Newfoundland and Labrador advertising campaign…
The Discerning Travelers 
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