jtp

Looking ahead for "next" January - planning to spend a week touring Newfoundland, any recommendations for where to start...what to read...hotels to consider, links to access... This will be a photography trip for my husband (retirement gift for a trip he has always wanted).

BAK

Just to double check -- you are planning a photography trip to Newfoundland in January?

It will be cold and miserable and grey.

If that's the plan -- some photographers enjoy bad weather -- that's fine.

How do you plan to get there? The best method would be to fly into St. John's, but the alternative is a ferry ride over the north Atlantic, and, since St. John's is worth a visit, a long, long drive on probably icy and snowy roads across an entire province.

The Stephenville area, and St. George's, gives you a chance to get quite close to the water in a circle drive, and Deer Lake's the nearest commercial airport.

BAK

jtp

yes, photography in January... go figure... tourist information is trickling in which is both exciting and confusing, so help from those who know the area is a real plus!
The Plan is to Fly into Newfoundland and rent a car.On this site many people write about how beautiful St. John is, thre is also an airport near Charlo and also Miramichi - recommendations are really welcome from those who know (and love) the area.
thanks.

laverendrye

Have you somehow confused St. John's, Newfoundland with Saint John, New Brunswick? Charlo and Mirimichi are both in northern New Brunswick.

jtp

I did confuser them...I was looking at the wrong map! thank you!

BAK

Of, now that we know you were mixed up, we need to know which of the two, New Brunswick or Newfoundland, is your choice.

And, I still would not recommend either one, if this is a trip of a lifetime,unless he's a dedicated winter scape phpotographer.

and if the goal is a photo trip to Canda in the wintertime, and you are flexible, I'd go to the Rocky Mountains, starting with Calgary and then going to Banff, Lake Louise, etc.

But if east it is, tell us which part.

BAK

jtp

Spent a long time looking at what information has come in- winter is our season, and my husband (newly retired) has wanted to photograph Newfoundland (winter scape)in the winter - a notion he put into his heads years ago...because we will only have aprox. 7-9 days (I am not retired) we always travel north in January as that is our birthday(s). We are traveling from Nortern NEw Jersey (USA). The Air Canada web site is helpful but more so for someone more familar with Canada.

BAK

OK, we know you are convinced.

Assuming there's no typo here (>a notion he put into his heads years ago&lt he'll be able to keep one head warm while the other is outside int eh cold, and then switch and warm up the first head, and cool off the second one.

Newfoundland is a huge province, and the weather is bad a lot of the time, and it's a long, tree-lined drive from one end to the otehr.

And camera stores are sparse, so bring lots of film and spare batteries, etc.

I think you're best bet is to fly to St. John's, the capital city, with the apostrophe s, on the east coast.

This gives you a good, comfortable, convenient place to work out of, with good hotels and good restaurants, and if there's a storm that grounds you, you won't be bored to death.

three or four day trips from St. John's would work well. Cape Spear is the easternmost spot in North America, and that's worth a visit. Lighthouse on top of a cliff with the raging ocean below.

Newfie has a lot of small fishing villages, called outports. some are accessible only by boat, but there's several groups of them in various directions from the city. St. John's is on the Avalon Peninsula, so it is easy to get to water on many sides.

I expect you'll see icebergs in the ocean, and inshore ice floes in the bays.

I would suggestyou try to rent a four wheel drive vehicle to get out and about in the winter. It's a rocky, hilly province with storms.

Film is an inteesting situation; fast film for poor light, or slow film for lots of detail.

If you need to get there in a relay, I'd think seriously about spending 24-36 hours in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and heading southeast from there down to Peggy's Cove, Chester and Lunenberg. It's very different from the Newfoundland coast, and another place where there are lots of photographic opportunities.

BAK

Gavin

I sent a week in St. John's in January a couple of years ago. Great trip. Good photography possibilities but don't expect icebergs because they originate much further north and break loose in late spring. Agree with BAK's idea of staying in St. John's so that if the weather is bad, and it could be, you have some choices. I would not want to be commited to doing long drives at particular times in winter but that goes for most of Canada.

jtp

Wonderful recommendations! Any other web sites you would recommend, books?
I am thinking Air Canada is the way to go, am I correct with this? Hotels in St. John's- I was looking at: Delta St. John's Hotel and Conference Centre and The Fairmont Newfoundland -
THanks for the suggestion to include: Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Peggy's Cove, (I did not think of Chester or Lunenberg). Do you think I could get this in, 7-9 days? That would be ideal! I have not been to Peggy's Cove but my husband was there about 1o years ago and fell in love with the area and the people.
Thank you so very much! As I mentioned we do a January (birthday) trip for each other every year, and next year it will be my turn to plan the surprise! This give me time to study and plan, you all have been great!

BAK

Once upon a time i walked into the lobby of the Hotel Newfoundland, and ...

But, to set he scene. the hotel is on the side of a steep jhill, with the lobby on the upper level, and a deep atrium just inside the doors, and windows on the far side, looking down over part of the city,

into the lobby, and was immediately engulfed by music, as a fine choir of Newfoundland children lifted their voices in unison.

"All the gold in Califintia, is in a bank in the middle of Beverly Hills, in someone else's name..."

Later that night, miles fromhome, in a city known for some good partying, I was leaving the restaurant whn my name was called from a table near the door.

And there, also almost two thousand miles from home, acting as a guardian angel to keep me on the path of right, was the only nun I know.

I don't know the Delata, but as a general rule, a Delta Hotel is a good hotel, usually a little better than you'd think for the price.

As for length of time in one spot; it depends on the kind of photographer your husband is. If he's one of those guys who lies on the ice under a blanket for three hours waiting for the bird to land, well, you'll need all the time in Newfie.

If, however, he's a semi-planner, willing to shoot whenever he happens to be somewhere, you could spend six days in Newfoundland and two in Nova Scotia and one travelling.

Part of the problem with photographers is that sometimes we want to wait for the light to be right, and in Newfoundland this means often rising from the water in the east and setting in the water in the west.

The vast number of coves and inlets means that you can get water to the north, south, east or west of you, if you work at it.

BAK

laverendrye

My favourite guide to Newfoundland is Patrick O'Flaherty's "Come Near at Your Peril". It's worth looking for.

There are lots of good websites, but start with the official government tourist site: http://www.gov.nf.ca/tourism/welcome/default.htm

sluggo

In planning our trip for this summer, I've found www.destination-nfld.com extremely helpful in estimating driving distances, although winter weather could make the information irrelevant. "Come Near at Your Peril," which I read after it was recommended here, is an honest and often funny look at the province, written by a lifelong resident.

BAK

Make it a habit to visit http://www.thetelegram.com/

This is the St. Jophn's daily newspaper, and you can learn lots from it. And get an ideaa of winter weather.

For the next week, for instance, the Telegram tells us that there will be two days of freezing drizzle, two days of mixed sun and clouds, two days of showers or flurries, and one day of flurries, and the temperature will be between minus 8 (centigrade) and zero. So, about 15 to 32 degrees F

BAK

SDD7

About your trip...I would skip Nova Scotia and just make it a Newfoundland trip, if that's your husband's dream. You might consider spending most of the time in the St. John's area, but adding a trip to Gros Morne National Park on the west coast...gorgeous for winter (or any) photography. You could fly into St. John's (YYT), rent an SUV or a car with winter tires (need to request them), stay in St. John's (both the Delta and Fairmont are nice hotels), but drive around the area for day trips. Then fly to Deer Lake (YDF) and rent a car to go to Gros Morne (~1 hour) and spend 2-3 days there. Also, it's better not to use the term "Newfie"...even if you mean it well, it is considered offensive by many Newfoundlanders. Icebergs don't get here until April at the earliest. For flights, Provincial Airlines and Air Labrador fly from YYT to YDF. Air Canada and CanJet have nonstops from Halifax to YYT and from YDF to Halifax. Continental has a nonstop from Newark to Halifax.

jtp

BAK- i've added www.thetelegram.com to my tool bar, great site!
The www.destination-nfld.com site was like a dream come true.
I will keep looking for, "Come Near at Your Peril," (Ebay and Amazon currently are not offering it, even in their used section)
a million thanks again to all!

sluggo

I just checked barnesandnoble.com, which has a used copy of "Come Near At Your Peril" for sale.

waltd

I would certainly obtain a free copy of NFLD's travel planner, which can be ordered from the destination-nfld website. I got the 2003 edition and it's very informative (and colorful). Lots of information you'll find helpful, not to mention keeping you psyched for your trip.

jtp

I ordered the planner, but struck out at B&N with my search for , Come Near At Your Peril - they acknowledge the book but note it is not available - I will keep looking and I am close enough to Manhattan to make this a "city adventure!"
please if you have more recommendations, keep sending them! THe more I discover about this area of Canada, the more drawn to the area I find myself becoming, and planning the trip is exciting! Again, thanks.

kodi

As Walt mentioned , the official tourism book is excellent. It has just about all the information you will need.
I don't know if you have your heart set on a big Hotel (the Newfoundland) but may I suggest a B&B type place. We stayed at b&b's and loved them and really got to know the 'Newfies'. It makes for a very charming vacation. There is a great place in St. John's very close to the Hotel Newfoundland Hotel, called The Roses B&B. we've stayed there a few times and love it. I've also sent other people from this board there and they enjoyed it too. It's in the tourism book you've ordered.
St.John's is a very walkable city. FOr photo ops, I'd suggest Signal Hill, then south of St'John's on the Avalon Peninsula, Cape Spear, and on south of there is the East Coast Hiking trail, which runs along the coast and is beautiful....lots of cliffs and seascapes. WE also rented a cottage, ( more like a house, about 30 minutes south of St.John's. It was a good base, but again, don't know about how accessable the area will be. It's right off the main highway 10 in Mobile and is called Willow HOuse.
In 7 or 9 days you won't have time to drive across to Grosse Mourne, unless you forgo St.John's and focus on the west of Newfoundland.
Air Canada is a good bet, but also try Jetsgo .
Good luck....