Blogs

If you’re a winter enthusiast, Newfoundland and Labrador is the ultimate destination for outdoor adventure. With an annual snowfall of up to 16 feet, and the activity season running into March and April, there’s no shortage of winter fun. 

Sea kayaking, whale watching, larger-than-life icebergs, amazing nightlife, and incredible food. These are things that I associate with St. John’s and one can experience all of them here in one day.  As of June 2012, I added a new St. John’s experience to that list: ziplining.

Cross country skiing is a great way to get out and enjoy winter in Newfoundland. Cross country skiing is good exercise since both legs and arms get a workout and like its name suggests, you can cross country ski just about anywhere there is snow. But a popular option for many people is to visit a cross country ski facility. Many communities in the province have ski clubs where there are trails groomed specifically for cross country skiing.

 An integral part of the whole Mummering tradition is the making and wearing of a hobby horse. The hobby horse is an odd creation, with a horse-like head, beady eyes, crooked hobnail teeth and a giant hunch back. It has a reputation for being menacing and terrifying— often clearing a room of small children upon entry. 

She stands majestically overlooking the harbour, sharing the dominance of our iconic skyline with the Basilica Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. Built on the same strategic location of Fort Townsend, an 18th century military fort that protected our city, The Rooms houses and protects all that is dear to the people of Newfoundland and Labrador: our history, our stories, our art and culture.

t. John’s is full of colourful characters; People who always have a story to tell. Laura Higenell, is one of those characters. I met with Laura when I first visited the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation. Her artistic, spirited personality exudes a passion for art and Newfoundland. I was surprised to discover that someone who was so passionate for this place wasn’t actually from here.

The St. John’s International Women’s Film Festival is celebrating its 23-year anniversary by focusing on long-form feature length films.

"Hmm, this is really going to be something", I thought as I sat in the car on the way to the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation. My co-worker had just filled me in on what to expect and I couldn't wait to hop out of the car the second we pulled into the parking lot. 

As I sit here sipping my tea, staring out the window at the first dreary day in weeks, I'm wishing I were back in Ferryland, sitting on the cliffs, enjoying a Lighthouse Picnic.

Tonight I spent a magical evening amongst the subtle glow of lanterns at the annual St. John’s Lantern Festival. The festival is a fundraiser for Victoria Park in St. John’s historic west end and runs for one day on the last full weekend of July every year.

Not since the lighthouse keeper and his family sat for meals in the kitchen, has anyone eaten in the cosy rooms of the Cape Spear Lighthouse… but this summer you can!

This is a big year for Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s “Tempting Providence” as it celebrates 10 years of performances around the world. “Tempting Providence” tells the story of Myra Bennett, a dedicated nurse who practiced on the Northern Peninsula. I recently got a chance to speak to Gaylene Buckle, Theatre Newfoundland Labrador’s general manager. “When we developed this play we purposively created it so that it could be performed in a variety of “stages” around the province, from church basements to school gyms.

This is the exact time of year when you might want to start planning your visit to Cape St. Mary’s Ecological Reserve. Not that later in the summer isn’t a good time… or even early fall, but it’s over the next month or two that the perfect storm might just appear.

Newfoundland and Labrador has an enduring Irish culture, which is why we go all out celebrating St. Patrick's day, but some of our Irish history is really quite mysterious, stretching back thousands of years...

The Rooms' Junkosphere exhibit, brainchild of artist and dancer/choreographer Nicola Hawkins, is a commentary on how we create, process and throw away all the junk from our accumulated lives - and the impact it has on our fragile environment.

It's not often that mere mortals can afford to stay in the same luxurious lodgings where royalty once slept. And when those accommodations also boast intriguing links to the ocean liner Titanic, the chances seem remote indeed.

Cross country skiing is alive and well in Canada's eastern most province. Cross Country Newfoundland and Labrador (CCNL) is the umbrella group for cross country ski clubs and there are dozens of kilometres of groomed tracks waiting for any visitor.

Last weekend, hundreds upon hundreds of people in St. John’s paraded through the streets. Men were dressed as women, women were dressed as men. Underwear was worn as outerwear and even small children were merrily sporting bras stuffed with socks over the tops of their various layers. There were lots of ingeniously creative hobbyhorses prancing around and it was almost impossible to count the number of ugly sticks and accordions.

It’s all just another Christmas in Newfoundland and Labrador.

The first time I saw folk trio The Once, I was sitting in The LSPU Hall – the historic downtown theatre in St. John's – watching Feast of Cohen, an annual concert where local artists gather to perform their own versions of Leonard Cohen songs.

It’s almost Christmas. Have you heard?

I for one tend to get a bit twitchy when November starts to gallop towards December and public places set their sound systems to Jingle Bells 101. So I find it helps my Christmas spirit (or lackthereof) to remind myself of the good things about the season. The things that don’t involve frantically running around malls full of people mowing you down to get better spots in cash register line-ups so long there should a surprise pop-up concert by Adele waiting at the end.