Introduction to Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador are the sorts of places that instantly cue strong sensations in the intrepid (or even the imagines-oneself-to-be-intrepid) traveler unfurling his or her first maps of the region: images of remote, fly-in-only harbors, isolated lakes, and towering cliffs; ideas about icebergs floating by with imagined polar bears decamping atop them; salty shanty tales of shipwreck, heartache, and whales that got away. Lumbering moose. Verified Viking ruins. And, oh, the extraordinary places and names covering those maps: Jerry's Nose, Snook's Arm, Leading Tickles, Heart's Delight, Happy Adventure, Chapel Island, Mistaken Point, Misery Hill, Breakheart Point, and Shuffle Board.

This might be the Eastern Seaboard's last best place. (These two distinct geographic areas are administered as one province; thus, the phrase "Newfoundland and Labrador" sometimes refers to a single province of Canada, sometimes to the two physically separate places.) Wild, windswept, and secluded, the province often reveals a powerful paradox. Although the landscape is as rocky and raw as expected -- at times it looks as though the glaciers had only receded a year or two ago, instead of a hundred thousand -- residents here display a warmth that puts visitors to shame even as it makes them feel right at home.

Tourists only recently started arriving here in numbers, and longtime residents more often than not love to chat up the place, offering advice and curious to hear outsiders' impressions. Even the sort of traveler who's usually reluctant to engage a stranger is likely to drop that hesitation after an encounter or two here.

An excursion to The Rock, as the island of Newfoundland is often called in Canada, can be experienced on many levels -- not only for, say, the extraordinary northern landscape and curious northern lights but also for the rich history that catches many first-time visitors off guard. This is where European civilization made landfall in the New World -- twice. First by Vikings, then later by fishermen and settlers in the wake of John Cabot's arrival in 1497.

You'll therefore find traces of North America's original history at almost every turn here. Although other parts of eastern North America -- Savannah, Boston, New Orleans, and Montréal leap to mind -- can claim equally historic lineages, there are few other places in the New World where one feels so strongly that not a whole lot has transpired since those first settlers sailed into harbor centuries ago. History isn't buried here; it's right on the surface.

And Mother Nature is never far away; witness the changing weather, huge cliffs, and fishing boats braving brawny winds and waves. (Locals hardly seem to notice the climate.)

At the very least, learn how to pronounce "Newfoundland" like a local: Say "new-fun-land" quickly. (There's emphasis on the final syllable, but it's subtle.) Here's a trick: Memorize the rhyme, "You just won't understand, till you've been to Newfoundland." There. Easy, wasn't it?

It's All in a Name -- The official name of this province is "Newfoundland and Labrador." But if I kept writing that out, this book would be twice as long (and heavy). So I'm going to abbreviate it to just "Newfoundland" for most purposes in this chapter. Labradoreans, bear with us. We know you're there.