The final in this series… even if it seemed to take four years to write! Newfoundland? oh that’s just another maritime province isn’t it? Lot’s of seafood probably. However in Newfoundland food is very different to what you will find in other regions in the Maritimes. There is a propensity towards “heavy” foods, and I think this is likely something to do with the scarcity of a great variety of greens. In fact we had […]
Drive east from Petty Harbour to the western portion of the Avalon region, and the towns of Brigus and Cupids. The town of Cupid has the honour of being the first English colony in Canada. It is possible to view the remnants of the settlement at the Cupid Plantation, with artifacts on display at Cupids Legacy Centre. Next door Brigus was established shortly afterwards and is a very quaint town. Here you can find Hawthorne […]
The Avalon Peninsula is the easternmost region in Newfoundland, yet is home to half of its population. A short drive from St. John’s is the most easterly point of land in Canada – Cape Spear (National Historic Site). On the right day, Cape Spear is an excellent place to watch icebergs float by, or whales play in the indigo waters of the North Atlantic, throwing up plumes of water. From the top of the hill […]
For a weeks vacation, there are numerous places to visit and things to explore. There are plenty of places to walk along the coast which provide phenomenal scenery, and honestly are quite deserted. We started our time in Newfoundland with a couple of days in the capital St.John’s. It’s the natural harbour that likely drew European fishermen to the region in the early 1500s. The first permanent settlement appeared in the early 1600s, and as […]
July three years ago we vacationed in Newfoundland, or at least a small part of Newfoundland. For those who don’t know where Newfoundland is, look towards the far east of Canada, and you will find the island of Newfoundland, which makes up part of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador (its mainland sibling). It is a place with quite a short summer, known for its proximity to Iceberg Alley, abundance of moose, and of course, […]
I bought “The Little Book of Tourists in Iceland“, by Alda Sigmundsdóttir on a whim, partially because I like reading travelogues about Nordic countries, and there aren’t really that many about (in English anyways). I kind-of wanted to know what had changed in the intervening 8 years since our first visit in 2013. To put this into context, we loved Iceland, in fact we love visiting Nordic countries, mostly for the cultural experiences, and the […]
When we vacationed in Oslo, we visited the Viking Ship Museum or Vikingskipshuset. The museum is located on the peninsula Bygdøy in Oslo and is part of the Museum of Cultural History at the University of Oslo. It houses archaeological significant finds from four Viking burials: Tune, Gokstad, Oseberg and Borre. These are burials where the dead were placed in a grave chamber constructed of wood and placed in a ship, along with grave goods, […]
If you only have a short time in Glasgow and you’re a history buff, then I suggest a quick visit to The Tenement House, which opens the door to early 20th century life in Glasgow (owned by the National Trust for Scotland). It was the home to Miss Agnes Toward (1902-1975) from 1911-1965, and is filled with the possessions of her life. Her apartment takes up the first floor of a red sandstone tenement on […]
If you were to visit one larger Scottish city, then I would whole-heartedly suggest Glasgow. Once scorned as an industrial behemoth, it has clearly shed that mantra in favour of a cultural one. I suppose part of the issue may be the lack of castles, and hence it seems less touristy. Glasgow was once an industrial town, but the decline of its ship building and heavy engineering industries meant that by the late 1990s Glasgow […]
I love funicular’s, actually writing a book on them is one of the things I’d like to do one day. The town of Aviemore, south-west of Carrbridge seems to be somewhat of an outdoor sports haven, and it certainly has a “tourist” feel to back that up, all seasons of the year I imagine. Nine miles out of town is the Cairngorm Mountain Railway. With my love of funicular’s we took the trip up the hill. […]
despite the snow 