All Roads Are Uphill

I enter a lot of give aways on Facebook and Twitter.  I have had success on Twitter and received books, earphones, and dvds. But the best give away that I have won was a trip for two to Newfoundland. This gift was awarded to my by eone (entertainmentone) and MAXXIUM Vacations. I entered this give away as a result of visiting Newfoundland last year. I visited the site of the (at then) upcoming movie The Grand Seduction. I was interested in watching this movie and decided to follow its Facebook page in order to keep my eye on release dates in my area. As a result, I saw and entered the contest to win the trip.  

During the last week of  school this year, I recieved an email simply stating, "You have won the Grand Seduction contest", and would I please call Dione to claim my prize. I assumed that I had won tickets to see the movie, never imagining that I had actually won the grand prize. After a few back and forth emails and phone calls, and a nail biting mathematical skill testing question was completed, I had actually won The Grand Prize!  

I am currently writing this blog post at the Sheraton in St. John's, Newfoundland! This gift was a trip for two.The first person who came to my mind as my travelling companion was my dad. For as long as I can remember, Dad has always talked about visiting two places: Alaska and Newfoundland. Those who know my dad will recognize that he is the last person on his list of priorities. He is the most selfless person that I know. I could not forsee a time when Dad would consider taking a vacation for himself. Winning the contest was a complete gift for me and one that I was able to extend to my deserving dad.  

As I mentioned, I had visited Newfoundland last summer. I loved the trip that I was fortunate enough to be apart of and knew that I would return to The Rock one day. Upon returning home, I began following various Newfoundland Facebook pages, including Iceberg Quest Tours, who would post impressive and beautiful images of humpback whales and icebergs. It was a goal of mine to see and iceberg up close one day. Thanks to Christina from MAXXIUM Vacations who set up our vacations very quickly, Dad and I were able to get to Newfoundland during a year reported to be full of a bumper crop of icebergs.   And so, the day arrived when Dad and I were able to set off to Newfoundland.  

Our morning began with a very early flight from Toronto. We left at 6:45 and arrvied in St. John's by about 11:30. We left behind the torrential rain and cloudy skies of Ontario and landed in the beautiful, sunny and warm province of Newfoundland and Labrador. We left from a booming metropolitain airport where we were assigned gate D43 and arrived at the much smaller St. John's airport where we deplaned at gate 3 (of 5 gates total).  

St. John's Airport has three baggage claim collection belts. We arrived at baggage claim and before our luggage so I headed over to the car rental company where I was the only customer and received my car with in minutes. As I was completing the paperwork, Dad was able to get the luggage and we headed out to the car.

A short drive to our hotel had us there a few hours before check in time. Fortunately, a room was already for us and we were able to check in early. We took our luggage to our room and did a bit of unpacking and drying (our suitcases were a tad wet from the rain in Toronto.  

Having only eated a scone from Starbucks in Toronto, Dad and I decided to find a small bite to eat. We shared a sandwich at a local cafe in the hour we had before our planned tour.  

Dana, of McCarthy City Tour, met us at our hotel in a large sized van. We were the only two customers for this tour, which gave use a very personalized experience. This tour was a St. John's city tour which included detailed historical information about St. John's and Newfoundland as well as stops at Cape Speare, Signal Hill, and Quidi Vidi. Dana was an unbelievable tour guide who provided us with highly educational and interesting information with a great sense of humour. I would highly recommend McCarthy City Tours if you are ever in St. John's.  

I have decided that I need to visit the ocean at least once per year. And today, I remembered exactly why. The views from Cape Speare were spectacular. We were able to look out to the Atlantic Ocean as well as back to the harbour of St. John's and the city beyond. We were excited to see three separate icebergs, although they were very far out to see, and a very demonstrative humpback about 500m from shore.  

Dana's stories about the history of Newfoundland attest to the strength, tenacity,  and capacity for survival of the people of Newfoundland. Their collective history is a history I am glad to have learned more about and am appreciative, as a Canadian, that Newfoundland history is Canadian history.  

Our tour ended around 5:30 back at our hotel. Dad had a rest and I went to pick up some groceries for dinner and snacks for our journey tomorrow. I felt in desparate need for some fresh vegetables after a day of carbohydrates! Fortunately, the grocery store was conviently attached to the beer store and I was able to reconnect with an old friend of mine - Iceberg Beer.  

After dinner, Dad and I headed out for an evening stroll down to the water front where we walked around The Terry Fox Mile One Memorial. I had visited this site last year but it was no less significant or heartbreaking this year. Terry Fox is a true hero of our country and a personal hero of mine. I appreciate any time that I can be provided with a reminder of a person who lived their life with such high standards.  

Dad and I got a bit turned around on our why back to the hotel. But we learned that all roads in St. John's are indeed uphill. Of course, we were redirected by some friendly Newfoundlanders who were more than happy to help us find our way.  

We topped our evening off with a Skype session with our family which is a great way to end the day. I also enjoyed the end of this day with a bottle of Iceberg beer.  

Travel days can be long and tiring but this day has been worthwhile, interesting, and I am filled with a sense of peace at the end of it.   I am so thankful to have been given the gift of this trip and am so thankful that I am able to share it with my dad.