I would like to know about Newfoundland (high schools, living)
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I served with many Newfoundlanders, in the Canadian Forces, and they are without doubt some of the funniest people in the entire world, with a very unique attitude towards life.
Coming from a place that is so bleak, with so many hardships, and so little future ( until very recently ) the Newfies are hard people and used to being wet cold and dirty, and still able to crack jokes and have a laugh, usually at their own expense.
The island is know as The Rock " for a very good reason.......It has very little arable soil, and most of it is rocky and forested. Half a million people, and just about as many Moose ( grin ) As a matter of fact, hitting a moose, on the highway, and being killed in the collison, is a common cause of death down there. So is drowning at sea, or being killed while working in a mine shaft. Death is never far away from the life that many live.
Newfoundlanders are great people, and attending a "kitchen party " in the winter, at a out port home, is a cultural experience, for those that "come from away " as mainlanders tend to be called. Clear all the furniture out, and bring in the local muscians, who will play both old and new songs, and the ladies will make a spread of scoff, and the lads will bring the rum and the beer, and the dancin will be gay and the tales will be told. Telling "tall ones " is a Newfie tradition and some of it MIGHT be true, don't yah know ?
With the collapse of the fishery, many rural men from Newfoundfland had to "work away " in other parts of Canada, mainly in Ontario, andmore recently, in the Alberta oil and gas fields. Gone for months at a time, they allways come home, for a few weeks, during the hunting season, to get their Moose, for the freezer.
A big cow moose, after being butchered, can feed a family for the winter, for meat. Obviously, living on a island, surronded by the Atlantic ocean, Newfies eat a lot of fish and other things that come from the sea, such as sea weed, and shell fish. Their ancestry, from Ireland and Dorset in England, is shown is their love of tea and bacon, as a light lunch. Certain brands are favoured such as Red Rose tea, and purity brand bickies ( cookies ).
Depending on where on the island a person comes from, their accent may be slight , or thick as a fog bank. I had Newfie soldiers that I would not allow to get on a military radio, as only another of them could understand them, if they spoke too fast.
If you are getting the idea that I like the people of Newfoundland....you are right.
Lovely people, and most generous, to any one who needs help. Newfoundlanders are amongst the biggest donors to charity, in Canada.
I agree with Jim B --- they are lovely people, really generous and gracious (at least the ones I met ! ) It's a beautiful place. I've only been to St. Johns but found the people really friendly with a bracing sense of humour.
Thanks to all of you for responding to my request. Please keep going. I will just have to bite the financial bullet and go there. I figure to take the Ferry to Argentia then drive to St. John's and all over the rest of the place (as an environmental scientist I just have to walk on mantel rock at Gros Morn Park) and take the other ferry from Port a Bosque. What kind of tourist housing would be relatively inexpensive? We are aren’t fussy.
I was looking at google maps one day and though, hum, wonder what it looks like all the way at the tip of that Island???
Much to my surprise, it was beautiful. I was surprised, nice homes and such great landscaping. I think by now I have googled mapped all of NF, I love it.
I like the areas around Virginia Lake, the new homes and landscaping is really pretty. I can definetely imagine riding a bike around all the streets and hills.
St Johns looks really nice as well, with a good sense of history.
Thanks to all of you for responding to my request. Please keep going. I will just have to bite the financial bullet and go there. I figure to take the Ferry to Argentia then drive to St. John's and all over the rest of the place (as an environmental scientist I just have to walk on mantel rock at Gros Morn Park) and take the other ferry from Port a Bosque. What kind of tourist housing would be relatively inexpensive? We are aren’t fussy.
Thanks again.
I understand that it is now feasible to drive up through Quebec and Labrador, to Blanc Sablon, Quebec, on the Labrador border, and from there take a very short ferry (an hour or two) to the northern peninsula of Newfoundland Island. This would eliminate the necessity to take the 12-hour ferries from North Sydney. The road through Quebec and Labrador is feasible for an ordinary car, but very long and featureless with few services, and is virtually all gravel, with lots of trucks, but as this route improves, Newfoundland will be a lot more accessible.
Greg, you have a very good chance of just being invited home by Newfoundlanders that you meet on the road. Especially if they run across you in out-of-the-way, non-touristy places.
There is absolutely no way you can get any kind of a mental picture of Newfoundland from Wiki or anywhere else, except by going there. It is a unique place on the planet. Nothing will prepare you for the kind of people you will meet there, or their character.
jtur88 - I had not considered the Quebec - Northern Peninsula route. That would start our exploration at the historic Viking settlement instead of making that a long drive from the ferry terminal at Port–au-Bosque. I will definitely develop a trip plan based on this route. Thanks for the idea.
I once drove the entire length, both ways, of the Alaska Highway before it was paved so I am not bothered by gravel roads. If I take this as a solo trip I will use my big Scooter (Suzuki 650 Burgman) but put gravel friendly tires on it first.I have already ridden in the rain and cold and intend to do some riding every month of the year so I will be prepared for wet and cold. I intend to find as many of the "Off the Beaten Path" places as possible and take my time. If my wife’s health allows her to come along we will take the car.
I have been using Google street view and the scenery just gets better and better. Just north of St. John’s there is a spectacular sea cliff that is just amazing.
Do the kids/teenagers in Newfoundland still have the accent, or do they basically sound like they could be from Ontario? Is the 'Newfie' accent propagating into the next generation?
Do the kids/teenagers in Newfoundland still have the accent, or do they basically sound like they could be from Ontario? Is the 'Newfie' accent propagating into the next generation?
No. How would they lose their accent?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
