This was probably the toughest trip I’d ever (not really) planned.  See, St. John’s used to be a yearly trip for my family – every summer we’d drive from the West Coast over to St. John’s.  As a kid, it was fun and exciting.  The big city had a bunch of stuff that Corner Brook didn’t have (like Wendy’s, Burger King, the buffet at Emerald Palace, a mall with a fountain), so it was new and exciting for us.

Now that I’m older I find that trips to St. John’s are more about the people and less about the places.  Hanging out with awesome friends is awesome (and, let’s face it, you’re no longer the type of person who can hang around a mall for 5+ hours).

When my friend R. won a 2-night stay at an Atlantic Canadian Hotel, we decided to go to Newfoundland.  It was not only her first time going to the Island, it was also her first time on a plane.  I was her default Newfie connection, but since I hadn’t been to St. John’s for 5 years, I was sure that some things had changed.  Could I be a good tour guide when I was practically a visitor myself?

Oh, and did I mention that I took her to Newfoundland in February?

There is a difference between St. John’s Winter and Halifax’s Winter.  In Halifax there’s not much snow, but the wind will freeze you through and through (today is an example: the windchill is -21 celsius).  In St. John’s it’s colder and there’s more snow, but there’s not that much wind (so barely any windchill).  I can take the cold, but not the wind.  R. is a Nova Scotian and she can take the wind, but not the cold.

It was going to be an interesting trip…

Also interesting was when I took her up Signal Hill.  We’d rented a car so we didn’t have to walk (a very good choice).  Cabot Tower was closed for the season, but you could still walk around the top of the hill, look out across the ocean – that kind of stuff.  After Signal Hill we drove to Fort Amherst, on the other side of the harbour.  It really put Signal Hill in perspective, looking at it from the other side.

Yes, that’s a hill in Newfoundland.  You should see our mountains.