Come From Away

Oh St. John's... I admittedly put off writing this post as I wasn't sure where to even start. Strap yourself in- this is a long one... as we spent 5 full days in this beautiful city. We spent a second night at Pippy Park, and then the next two at the Sheraton. So, this week wasn't totally about #vanlife, but I definitely had to share about our experience here. Also, I should preface this by saying that I visited St. John's two years ago with my good friends Victoria and Heather. We spent a week doing all the must-sees and were able to stay with Victoria's mom. So, this time around I was excited to be a bit of a tour guide for Justin and the rest of my family. Wait what?!

Yup, my mom flew in on the Tuesday, which happened to be one of the worst days for weather that week. It was pouring rain, but we were glad that she was there- she hadn't flown in about 10 years, and hadn't really traveled alone other than within Ontario. She was somewhat tired, so we dropped her off at the hotel and headed for Cape Spear.

Given that it wasn't the nicest day and it was a Tuesday, there were about 6 cars in the parking lot. We were able to explore and get some great photos with hardly anyone around. This is the Eastern most point in North America, and it's pretty cool to stand on the coast and let that fact sink in, especially after having been all the way to the Yukon last summer.

We were a little surprised to see some construction at Cape Spear. A beautiful boardwalk is in the midst of being built, which will be a site to see when all finished. This meant that some of the site was inaccessible. I wasn't overly disappointed as I mentioned I was there before, but somewhat disappointed for everyone else. The surprising part is that it wasn't finished for Canada 150. Oh well.

That evening, we decided to explore Quidi Vidi with my mom. This is essentially a neighbourhood in St. John's with lots to see and do... Honestly I could probably write an entire post just about Quidi Vidi, so I'll just HIGHLY recommend that you pop by and take a walk around. We headed for the Mallard Cottage for dinner. Had I done a better job listening to Victoria and making notes I would have remembered that this is an amazing award-winning restaurant. Not having a reservation meant we were seated at the bar. It was a little cramped, but honestly it ended up being an awesome experience that gave us a first-hand view into the kitchen. We also had the chance to chat with the couple sitting next to us at the bar. In the first of many "small world" moments, it turned out that she was from Ottawa and had re-located to St. Johns. Again, I could probably write an entire post about this restaurant, but I'll leave you with this: If you ever have a chance to ask Justin about his meal here, you should! #codcheeks

View of The "Gut" in Quidi Vidi

The next day my brother Jonathan arrived. The weather was much nicer that day and so we (Justin, Jonathan, Mom and I) headed for Signal Hill to take in the views. This is another must-do when visiting St. John's- because of it's strategic placement, it has been an important spot since the 17th century. The gorgeous weather meant parking was a bit of a bitch and I ended up walking up the last bit of the hill after parking about mid-way up. Hello leg workout! But of course the views were worth it.

St. John's Harbour as seen from Signal Hill

Tesla taking in the views

That evening my brother David and sister-in-law Bec arrived. We all headed to "Get Stuffed" on Duckworth. This is another cute house converted to a restaurant. We were seated upstairs by the window with a view of the National War Memorial. The idea behind their menu is to order a-la-carte allowing you to pair your sides with your main meal... which of course led Justin to order a hot dog as a side. Yes, you read that right. I would highly recommend you pop in here if you are in St. John's.

The next day was Thursday... the big day... the reason my immediate family all flew out to meet us in St. John's (also- check Newfoundland off the bucket list, although who can visit just once). If you are some internet random reading this, first of all, wow and thanks for stopping by, you probably don't know that this was our wedding day. To do this day justice, I will skip over it for now and make an entirely separate blog post at some point. I'll just say it was a beautiful day, in a beautiful place and we're so thankful to have had family there.

View of the city. Photo: Justin Walker

On Friday, we decided to head back to Cape Spear with my mom and Jonathan. Another tip: book a rental car as soon as you book your trip if you're not driving there already. There are many walk-able sites and you can always take an uber or taxi, but I wanted to make sure they made it to this spot, so we went back. That evening, Justin and I decided to begin our trek back across Newfoundland as we knew there was much to see after speeding by it all on our way in.

So not a lot of #vanlife this week, BUT this was a great 5 days filled with amazing food, sites, and some of the kindest people I've ever met- for real... strangers will talk to you like you're their neighbour and they've known you for years! After debriefing with my family, it seems everyone truly enjoyed themselves and I think it's safe to say: St. John's we will be back one day!

Near Bellvue, NL after leaving St. John's

Until next time,

J & S

P.S. although the Sheraton was great to Tesla, she definitely prefers #vanlife over hotel living!