GLOBE & MAIL

getting real in newfoundlanD

'If you're extra lucky, you'll get yourselves invited to a kitchen party," Terri told us in the days leading up to our Newfoundland vacation. "Friends…

Hi Ken... We had a really great trip. After my initial apprehension about how it might unfold, we settled straight in to it. Couldn't have been smoother in fact. The houses were amazing and the landscape, wildlife, people and destinations all surpassed our highest expectations. The car rental and swap over went smoothly. On balance, while I loved St. John's, I preferred the outports. We probably have a split jury on that though.

Lighthouse picnics and Bruce's Rugged Boat Tour were both memorable and we were glad to have them on the itinerary. We saw whales everywhere but we're really impressed by the pod of Orcas that passed the lighthouse at Ferryland. Picked up some great local music cds and poetry at Fred's and Broken Books, respectively. Loved the people. Everyone working in shops, restaurants, filling stations or just standing at their front gates were all friendly, helpful and engaging. We'd like to import Elizabeth and Gerry and live next door to them. They made us feel part of the family. Elizabeth baked a cake for Liam's birthday while we there. We could be firm friends if we lived nearby.

Approaching my train stop now so I'll need to finish up. Hope we get to have that pint sometime. The SJS at Yellowbelly brewery goes down very easily.

Ken, just to add my 2 bits, John and I had a truly fabulous time with no complaints. Your guide book was amazing, so helpful in fact that John is thinking about producing one for our  beach visitors. (We have a rental here on Anna Maria Island.) Connecting with the locals was a big added bonus. What a different trip it would have been otherwise. It was really fun to see all the relatives and neighbors pouring in for the scoff at Heart's Desire or Delight, now I forget which it was. The Newfoundlanders are an interesting lot and we feel honored to be honoraries. I suppose Becky was our Lavinia, feeling like the responsible one having planned the trip, perhaps, unbeknownst to us, worrying about the accommodations at each stop. We, however, found each place delightful. We think you have a great thing going with the cultural adventure approach and we're so happy we were able to experience it. We brought  a lot of great memories home with us and we're already beginning to miss our new found land. Thanks for sharing.

Our trip to Newfoundland has been spectacular thanks to Ken, Sharen and the Caperace folks! Newfoundland was on my bucket list of places to visit and thanks to all the help from Caperace, our trip exceeded my expectations. Staying at Hipditch house was wonderful. The location was fantastic and it had every amenity needed for a great visit to St. John's. The house s beautiful and the views are gorgeous of the harbour. Visiting the lighthouse in Ferryland, Cape Spear, Signal Hill etc. was terrific, not to mention all the wonderful restaurants in St. John's. Then, moving on to Hearts Delight to stay in the EJ Sooley house was like a step back in time and experiencing life as it was in the outports, so remote and peaceful. It felt like a cross between The Bridges of Madison County (the kitchen in particular) and The Wizard of Oz with that little red gate and picket fence. We enjoyed the day trips up to Bay de Verde and all the wonderful culture and historic sites along the way. Hiking in various spots including right in front of the Sooley property was stunning. The paths were sprinkled with blackberry/bramble berry and blueberry bushes! And then on to the Thomas Mouland home in Bonavista where we enjoyed the cod wars and the rugged beauty boat ride among other things. The travellers diary is brilliant and it was our go to guide throughout our trip. Very well done! Can't say enough about this gorgeous province and all there is to be learned and experienced here. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We will recommend CapeRace to all our friends!

P.s. Ken I also really loved that goats milk soap! We took our used bar with us throughout our journey. And, the face cloths are so appreciated....as well as the cooler bag which we left at the TM house in Bonavista. I am going to Google goats milk soap and buy some if I can find it. Loved it!

I wanted to thank you so much for all your planning and dedication. Staying in such homes with attention to authentic detail was a highlight of the trip. I particularly enjoyed being in your grandparent’s/dad’s home in Heart’s Delight. It was wonderful to be able to connect with those from another time. I was close with my grandparents and regret that we lost the home where they retired: a bucolic part of Suffolk County, Long Island, NY. It is about as rural as you can get around here.

I will remember every detail of that home from the mounted bottle opener in the pantry to the former clothesline in the kitchen-still working! Loved the fact that you kept her framed artwork-so revealing about the life of old. You did an awesome job decorating each home with the appropriate feel and character. I read all the accompanying booklets about each home, down to the paper Sharon wrote about the Newfoundland dialect. I am a foreign language teacher so that was right up my alley. Jerry and Elizabeth were so sweet-loved meeting them and having a musical evening with them and their son and his friend. Jerry has a great, booming voice-he is a great host. Please tell them we stopped over on our way out to thank them again but the place looked dark in the AM so we didn’t knock too loudly.

That is all for now. Hey, can you do a Cape Race for Central NL, the only part we haven’t been to?

The Inn by Mallard Cottage

Raymonds

Fishers Loft Inn

Fogo Island Inn

The Merchant Tavern

Mallard Cottage

Cod Sounds

East of 80