After an uneventful 3 hour flight we arrived in St. John's. We picked up our rental car and made our way to the hotel only to find our deluxe suite was not ready. So we went for lunch and a little shopping. We had lunch at a quaint well renowned cafe on Duckworth Street (Bagel Cafe - they really must change that name). We were chatting with a lady who said it took them 3 days to get here due to bad weather cancelling their flights so we felt extra lucky that we arrived on time with no problems. It was a little chilly (10 degrees Celsius) but it warmed up quickly. After lunch we walked along the harbour front in the beautiful sunshine enjoying the fantastic views with our private historian, Kyle, who apparently had done several essays about Newfoundland in school. We enjoyed the views while learning about some history. I was quite impressed with his knowledge (which I knew to be on point since I had travelled here several times for work). Then we went back to the suite, got settled (Theresa had a nap - the wuss!) and then went out for dinner ( fish, of course) and more sight seeing to George Street & Signal Hill. Signal Hill offers coastal hikes and sweeping views overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. It was the site of St. John's harbour defences from the 17th century to the Second World War and is where Gugliemo Marconi received the world's first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901. After seeing the spectacular sunset we did a bit of driving around to get our bearings. Then it was home to an early night as we were all fighting to keep our eyes open after a very early start to the day. 
 
St. John's is a beautiful city full of history and colourful sites. Here are some fun facts about St. John's: 

• St. John's is the capital and largest city in Newfoundland & Labrador. 
• St. John's was incorporated as a city in 1921, and is considered by some to be the oldest English-founded city in North America.  
• It is home to the oldest street in North America - Water Street.
• St. John's has more bars per square foot than anywhere else in North America. George Street is well known for it's party atmosphere.
• It is located on the eastern tip of the Avalon Penninsula in Newfoundland.
• The Port City of St. John’s is the most easterly port in North America and the closest point of land to Europe.
• St John's is one of the top ten oceanside destinations according to National Geographic Magazine.
• Due to its strategic location, St. John's has been vitally important for centuries for explorers, adventurers, merchants, soldiers and all manner of seafarers.
• It had a population of 211,724 as of 2014.
• The majority of the population in St. John's Newfoundland descends from both Ireland and England.
• Signal Hill in St. John's is where Marconi sent the first transatlantic wireless signal in 1901.
• Its name has been attributed to the feast day of John the Baptist, when John Cabot was believed to have sailed into the harbour in 1497, and also to a Basque fishing town with the same name.
• Newfoundland has its own time zone - 1.5 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time. This is where the sun first rises in North America.

The people here truly are some of the most friendly and helpful people I've come across in my travels. During our walk, we came across Buddy (a fellow) on the street who asked for spare change for beer, hookers or bubble gum. Talk about honesty! Some people think of "Newfie" as the other "N" word as it can be offensive to some locals but I think of it as a term of endearment. 

Newfoundland lingo can be very confusing. It's quick talk with abbreviations and was probably used to quickly communicate on fishing boats in rough and windy weather. Many phrases and speech patterns descend from the Gaelic once spoken by Irish settlers or the dialects of those who hailed from the West Country of Eng­land. In fishing outports that were isolated for much of the last 500 years, these ways of speaking held fast. The accent heard in St. John's is very similar to that of Waterford, Ireland.

I hope to be having a time with me Ducky (having fun with my female relative, in this case Theresa) and me nephews in this right (very) beautiful place. I just hope that I don't find me treasure t*** up in the rhubarb (female relative, Theresa, falling over, tripping, or passing out due to intoxication). 

So stayed tuned me ol' c*** (my friends) to hear about all our adventures…