St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada – Maritimes 2018 – Day 4-5

06/14/18

The airport is super tiny and we had absolutely no line to get through security. We ended up taking the smallest plane I’ve ever been on with Air Canada using a EVAS – everyone had a window seat (minus the first 2 seats – which I had one of) and you can see the pilot and all the gears and buttons. It was a relatively smooth flight however because of the geography of where PEI is located and Newfoundland & Labrador, we had to stopover in Halifax before making it into St John’s, Newfoundland & Labrador.

We stayed in downtown St John’s at the Sheraton Hotel Newfoundland (115 Cavendish Square, St. John’s NL A1C 3K2). Since we arrived in the evening, we took to Signal Hill to catch the sunset. We definitely did not pack appropriate clothing for St John’s weather having gone from 25 back home to 8-22 in Nova Scotia to PEI to 3-5 degrees in St John’s. The view is spectacular from Signal Hill both sides (water side and city side).

St John’s reminds me of San Francisco with all the hilly streets but the beautiful coloured homes makes this town so much more enchanting. We made our way down to George St – one of their famous streets condensed with all the pubs/bars you would ever need. We ate at Piatto Pizzeria (377 Duckworth St, St. John’s, NL A1C 1H8) that night. We started off with Bruschetta and olives and among the 3 of us, we ordered 3 pizzas. We ordered the VPN Margherita ($15CAD) A base of San Marzano tomato sauce, fresh fior di latte mozzarella, fresh basil, EVOO + Grana Padano.), Americana ($17CAD) (Fresh fior di latte mozzarella + garnished with pepperoni) and Dolce e Fumoso ($17CAD) (Roasted garlic cream base, chili flakes, smoked mozzarella, crispy prosciutto, finished with a drizzle of honey + chopped parsley). The best overall of the night – Dolce e Fumoso.

 

06/15/18

We had spoken about waking up early and taking in the sunrise at Cape Spear (The most Eastern point to take in the first light of day) however the weather called for rain. I ended up waking up at 430-5AM to find a layer of fog taking over the skies.

Our final breakfast before getting to our last shoot location of the week long trip was at Bagel Café (246 Duckworth St, St. John’s, NL A1C 1G8). This place is known as the spot for breakfast and no not just bagels. St John’s is also known for their local favourite dish of Touton – (pronounced “tau-tin”) which are deep fried pancakes that is considered a breakfast food. To me personally, it tastes and resembles the Chinese dessert fried dough sticks (Yeoteww). Such a comfy restaurant with all the kitschy interiors you want. I ordered the Harbour main deep fried cod with hollandaise and smoked salmon touton ($17CAD). It was a little heavy but so worth it.

After our shoot, we had a few hours left before we needed to depart to the airport to head back home to Toronto. We had to return to the hotel to check out and once we did, we ventured out to Quidi Vidi (a small fisherman’s village). We went down a steep single laned road and came upon a quaint little neighbourhood. We wanted to have our final meal at the Mallard Cottage (8 Barrows Rd, St. John’s, NL A1A 1G8) but the place was packed and booked up. We walked over to QVFC (Quidi Vidi Fish & Chips) (31 Barrows Rd, St. John’s, NL A1A 1G8). Regina ordered the single piece of fish and poutine as I ordered the Fresh fried Cod bites – the tartar sauce was intense but in a good way and tasting the fish was super fresh and the poutine had more than a good amount of cheese curds to make anyone happy. We drove back up the road and ended up taking in our last sights at Quidi Vidi Battery before making our way to the airport and finally flying home.

I will be back one day to explore more. Our goal of seeing Puffins, Whales and icebergs was not fulfilled. However, from St John’s, a 3.5 hour drive to Elliston you can find the trifecta. Fishers Loft is the best accommodations in the woods but there are also many Airbnb’s out there too. If you want the true feel of Newfoundland & Labrador – visit Trinity Bona Vista.