Oh, Newfoundland....

This is "Seaside Restaurant," which I write about later....

A fjord on "Ten Mile Pond" in Gros Morne. Amanda and I hiked this. Guess why it is called ten mile pond? Yup. You got it.

This is "Bottle Cove," which is at the end of the Humber Arm river. This was very, very close to our condo and we hiked around here often....

Amanda and I have been thinking a lot about Newfoundland lately, mostly because our viewing of the movie "The Shipping News" has rekindled a love for a beautiful place. Have you seen the movie? If you have not, and want a strong, heartwarming, profound story, get the DVD and watch it! Kevin Spacey and Judy Dench star, and they are two of the best actors around, for my money!

When we got married, we took our honeymoon in Newfoundland, staying at a condo in Steady Brook, which is near the "city" of Cornerbrook--it is on the west coast, right on the Humber Arm river. We spent a marvelous week there, hiking, looking at some of the angriest seas I've ever seen, exploring Gros Morne Park, and eating the freshest seafood ever! At some point, I should take some of our honeymoon photos, scan them into our computer, and post them (we took our pictures on an "old fashioned" camera...haha

We are adamant about going back to Newfoundland someday--this time, we'd like to visit the east coast and the town of Saint John. The island is amazing and beautiful, and the people there are fantastic. You've got cultural music, a national rum (Screech...which you can now buy at Hannaford), fresh seafood, and kind people. They even have their own "time," which is called "Newfoundland Time," and is an hour later than Nova Scotia and PEI's "Atlantic Time."

"The Shipping News" is a Pulitzer Prize winning book, and I read it while we were on our honeymoon. I can't say I recommend the book: It is REALLY jumpy, vague, and confusing. The screenwriter did a fantastic job adapting the book, and most of the filming is even done in Cornerbrook!! Yeay!

I have so many great memories of the island, but a funny story is this: After hiking around Gros Morne Park one afternoon, we ate at a great restaurant called "Seaside Restaurant." Nothing could be more true; the restaurant was RIGHT on the water (on stilts, actually). I ordered "Wolf Fish," which has been popularized in the past few years due to the fact that Wolf Fish feed on lobsters--thus, their filets have a slight lobster flavor. The waitress, in her true Newfoundland laconic, apologized for the wait for our meal. "Sorry. It is 'really' fresh, so it will be right along." What she meant, we later found out, was that the fish was "so" fresh that it was just unloaded from the boat, alive, and had to be cut and filleted! People are funny there.....

Oh yeah, and I got a parking ticket with a notice that failure to pay would result in a summons before "The Queen's Court." Obviously I found this hilarious and didnt pay....but Enterprise Rental just charged my credit card. Too bad...I was really looking forward to seeing those judges with their powdered white wigs! HA!

Go see "The Shipping News."