I really loved our visit to Newfoundland. The province is actually called ‘Newfoundland and Labrador’ (NL), with Labrador being mainland Canada next to Quebec. Some impressions as we head off:
Newfoundland is a beautiful and quiet place. I already knew we all do better in off-the-beaten path and, dare I say, unpopular places. Crowds and busy places are soul sucking (to me). It was such a great place to start our journey. No rush, no crowds, no fuss.
Newfoundland is low key. Canadians in general are high in humility, low in bravado.
No signs of extreme wealth or poverty or homelessness. A bit of very polite panhandling in St John’s, though not much.
No signs of rapid growth that has afflicted parts of North America . No signs of gentrification. Not overridden by tourism.
Lots of visible support for LGBTQ+. The tiniest bookstore (“Running the Goat” in Tors Cove) had a book of poems by transgender youth of St John’s.
As for us, if this was training wheels for what lies ahead then it served us well. Everyone did a great job figuring out some of the dances of travel: adapting, communicating, venturing, trying and generally embracing whatever is thrown your way. The mystery that is this journey is now officially being demystified. We can do this! Amazingly, in just a few short days from home I’m also noticing sweet benefits of this time together. We’re having more conversations, different conversations and some deeper conversations too. Life feels simpler. Being together is the default vs something that takes effort. That’s the heart of it. Just some “Day one” impressions :)
Some parting shots of St. John’s harbor, so lovely!!! And frozen seafood sold in a vending machine in the airport!!
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