Concrete Crafts

Along with puffins, I really enjoy boats. I loved boats way before Andy Samberg loved them; he ain't got nothing on me. I just didn't feel the need to brag with a song.

Today, I got to ride on a ferry, which is a fun kind of boat. Why? Because cars get to go on it! The ferry was going to Bell Island and leaving from Portugal Cove-St Phillip's.

Here is a map for your viewing pleasure:

So, I'm not quite sure why there is a dash in Portugal Cove-St Phillip's or if it's even okay to just say "St Phillip's, but either way, it's about a 20minute drive west of St. John's. Everything is kind of a 20min drive outside of St John's, which is nice. And after that it's all just wood. And moose hooked rugs.

But, yes. The ferry leaves from the port in Portugal Cove and it takes about 20 minutes for it to get over to Bell Island. It is called Bell Island because there is a bell on it. At least, that is what my cousin says. It's not that grand of a bell either. But who am I to judge? 

Bell Island has really good fish-n-chips.

Bell Island is also the place for one to get their concrete crafts. That's right! If you've wanted to add some sort of concrete craft to your art collection, look no further than Bell Island. Just expect extra shipping charges due to the weight.

And, yup. Bell Island. A bell. And fish-n-chips. And concrete crafts.

Oh, and here's a bit of interesting information: after the 8:10PM ferry, the service stops being every half hour and the next, and last ferry of the day, isn't until 10:30PM. FUN FACT!

Another fun fact: there is no Tim Hortons on Bell Island. This is something that only became painful once we were stuck on the island for 2 hours.

We managed to escape finally and made it back to the sprawling metropolis that is St John's. And I got Tim Hortons. And life was good again.

things to know about puffins

Now, when you go to Newfoundland, just as when you go to any sort of tourist-y place, you are bound to come across a gift store or five. Gift stores are great because they give you a basic idea of what that particular place is all about.

Sometimes (okay, all the time) it might be stereotypical. But do your friends really want you to bring home some sort of overly "unique" gift from, say, New York City. The sort of gift where you can't tell where it's from? And your friend has to ask, "Hey, where is this gift from? I can't tell because there is nothing identifying about it. Maybe you just bought this at the mall or something. You know what, just take it back. And also, I don't think I really want to go to that movie with you tonight anymore. And give me back my shirt, the one you borrowed last week."

Heck no. They want a Statue of Liberty balancing on an apple in the middle of Times Square and there's a button and when you push the button, that Alicia Keys/Jay-Z song starts playing.

And if that's not New York enough, there's always those I <3 NY t-shirts.

Where was I?

Newfoundland. Right.

Well, when you go into a Newfoundland gifty store you are bombarded with the following images:

fishing boats
Newfoundland dogs
puffins
colourful houses

And you know what? It's all bollocks. Because my cousin is a real Newfie, and she doesn't live in a colourful house. Okay, well, actually it's red. But, she doesn't have a Newfoundland dog, nor does she own a fishing boat. In fact, she thinks boats are boring. And, to top it all off, she's never even seen a puffin before.

That's a crying shame, that is.

But I like puffins. I think they're rad.

Today I learned that there are three kinds of puffins. The Atlantic Puffin hangs out along the east coast and the two other kinds live out on the west coast. It is often called "sea parrot" or "clown of the ocean". But they do not talk. Or make balloon animals.

And then I got kind of bored reading about them on Wikipedia. But here's some stuff with puffins on it.

Oh, and also, on a napkin, I was told that "awful nice" is a Newfie kind of phrase. And I say that all the time! Look how Newfie I am.