Newfie Tidbits

By The Itinerant Introvert on October 13, 2013 • ( 1 Comment )

The Puffin Patrol
Attracted by the bright lights of the big city, puffin chicks wander dangerously into town. Volunteers, known as the ‘Puffin Patrol’, seek them out and return them back to their watery habitat. Petrels, another seabird, are also part of this rescue mission but are less known as they have not received the same press as the puffins.

Globe & Mail article

Witless Bay Puffin Patrol – Facebook group

Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society

The 5 senses of Newfoundland:

Sight
trees, rocks, mountains, bright berries

Smell
the ocean, fish, cigarette smoke in the city

Taste
berries, screech, deep-fried

Touch
hilly St. John’s, damp weather

Sound
the ubiquitous sounds of the distinct Newfie accent; “I’se the by”

Iceberg Alley
Twillingate, Newfoundland has often been billed the ‘Iceberg capital of the world’. Many tourist outfits use the marine ice mountains as their mascot. Like the whales who migrate to the waters of the east coast of Newfoundland, they make their way here usually around May-July. They break off from glaciers in western Greenland and the eastern Canadian Arctic. However, there were few icebergs to be found when I visited. Some contribute this to global warming while some others consider Greenland to be the ‘real’ iceberg capital.

Twillingate

Iceberg Alley

The Flat Earth Society
This organization considers Brimstone Head on Fogo Island, Newfoundland to be one of the 4 corners of the flat earth in which they believe.

A Title
Cape Spear, just outside of the capital St. John’s, is the most easterly point in Canada and the land portion of North America. Its coordinates are:

That’s Entertainment!
Music and musical talent are highly valued. Take a themed tour by seeking out Newfoundland in song. Visit St. George street which claims to have:

“…the most bars and pubs per square foot of any street in North America.” (Website: http://www.georgestreetlive.ca/bars/; Obtained October 13, 2013.)

Visit places mentioned in the songs of Great Big Sea, a well-known local band. In the Woody Guthrie song “This Land Is Your Land“, the Canadian edition, Bonavista is the landmark for the eastern border of Canada. This is the site where Italian explorer Giovanni Caboto, aka John Cabot, first landed in North America in 1497.

That’s a wrap!
Canadian t.v. show The Republic of Doyle is filmed here. Other Newfoundlanders who’ve made a splash in the entertainment world: This Hour Has 22 Minutes; Rick Mercer