Doin' the New-fun-go-go: Part #3

Day #3

The previous installment of "Doin' the New-fun-go-go" was posted on July 1st. For most Canadians, July 1st is simply Canada Day, the holiday commemorating the signing of the British North America act and hence the birth of Canada as a more-or-less independent country. For Newfoundlanders, it's a bit more complicated. On July 1st, 1916-- nearly thirty-three years before Newfoundland joined Canada-- the Royal Newfoundland Regiment was all but wiped out during the initial thrust of the Battle of the Somme. In memory of this loss, July 1st was declared an official holiday in Newfoundland, called Memorial Day. Following Newfoundland's entry into Canada, Canada Day and Memorial Day were celebrated concurrently, with Memorial Day functions observed in the morning and Canada Day celebrated in the afternoon and evening.

Today, the U.S. celebrates Independence Day, which as it turns out could also have been a very interesting day for Newfoundland. In 1934, Newfoundland, which up until then had been an essentially independent Dominion like Canada, temporarily reverted to being a colony of Great Britain following a severe debt crisis. After the debt crisis was resolved in the 1940's, Newfoundland's future status was in doubt. Some in Newfoundland called for a return to Dominion status; others, including future Newfoundland premier Joey Smallwood, called for confederation with Canada. Then there was the unofficial third option: joining the U.S. as the 49th state. This was a actually a pretty popular idea among Newfoundlanders, with 80% of the population wanting to join the union in a 1947 survey. It was not to be, though; Canada really, really wanted Newfoundland, and the U.S. really, really didn't.

Doin' the New-fun-go-go: Part #2

Day #2: Oh Hai Benny!
It's weird; I'd known for years that there was this weird little movie called "The Room," yet I never got around to actually seeing it until I came to St. John's. And yes, it really was because I went to a museum called "The Rooms." Ha ha ha, what a tool am I.

Anyway, I got up a little earlier on Day #2, but not much earlier. Fortunately, there's a restaurant in downtown St. John's called Nautical Nellies that offers delicious brunches, including smoked salmon Eggs Benedict ("Oh Hai Cheap Title Pun!"). All served with a side of Newfoundland charac-- and there goes the blood vessel in my brain as I realize I was about to write that.

Doin' the New-fun-go-go: Part #1

Now begins the somewhat abridged summary of my trip to St. John's, Newfoundland.

Day #1:

I arrived at St. John's near midnight local time. After some delicious homemade chicken paprikash, I went to bed. I woke up at about noon-ish, still feeling a little groggy from the flight. This gave me my first chance to see my sister Naomi's house in the daylight:

Dis is what we do up in Airport Heights

My apologies for the delay. I've spent the last five days visiting my sister in St. John's, Newfoundland ("and Labrador," I guess. . .) and am now sitting in Ottawa airport on a four hour layover, eagerly awaiting my forty minute flight to Montreal and yet another four hour layover.

I'll be updating the blog with travel stories, pictures, and whatnot soon enough. For now, though, I'll just be uploading pics to my Facebook. But to give you preview of my adventures in North America's Oldest White-person City, I'll direct you to this: Screeching in.

I did that.