Skip to main content

Posts

Showing posts from 2017

Adventures in Newfoundland

It's time to get back to my Cross Canada adventures to celebrate Canada's 150th Birthday.  Four more to go...oh oh, the pressure is on! Next up is the province of Newfoundland and Labrador.  This consists of the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador.   This province is the youngest in Canada, joining Confederation on March 31st, 1949.  Previously it had been a colony and dominion of the United Kingdom.  It has a population of over 500,00 with 40% of that population living in the capital city of St John's. I visited Newfoundland for the first time in 2008 and then again in 2010 so my pictures will be a combination of both trips. On my first trip I stayed in a Bed and Breakfast run by a fantastic couple but sadly they had retired when I returned two years later so I stayed in a hostel...but a pretty cool one... Yes, I got to stay in one of St John's famous Jellybean houses...it was the orange one in the middle.  These weren't as colourful as some of

Motoring around downtown Motown

One of my favourite expressions is "never say never".  For example....never in a million years did I think I would be walking around downtown Detroit, Michigan without a care in the world.  While in the past I attended a concert (guess who?) in suburban Pontiac, Michigan I never thought I would actually be in downtown Detroit.  To this Canadian, the word Detroit symbolized the wonderful music of Motown and of course the almighty automobile but most of all CRIME.   Gun shots and sirens were what sprang to my mind when I thought of Detroit.  Nope, you wouldn't catch me in Detroit ever.   Not on the radar at all - nada, nada - in fact I quivered at the thought of even changing buses there. (and trust me, I have seen my share of inner city bus stations in the United States!) Then Paul McCartney announced a tour...which coincidentally was happening around the time I was due to dog sit for my friend Terry in not so far away Chicago.  Hmmm....and not only one concert but two.  A