A post by Bill Trophy:
On July 15 to 26, McCarthy’s Party had the pleasure of hosting a large and vibrant group of guests from the Bernard Betel Centre of Toronto. Centre coordinators Irina Shulgin and volunteer Irina Garlovitsly handed the reigns to me, Bill Brophy, as their in-province tour guide. What an honour and joy it was to share our province with these 45 guests!
You never come to this place for the weather, and by and large, this summer has often been less than pleasant. That said, circumstances such as weather didn’t put the remotest dent in the enthusiasm of this group. They dove full bore into the spirit and qualities of this place. The collective joy and enthusiasm they displayed was infectious.
As a tour guide, it is a great treat to share our province with guests who respond so positively; this was the Betel group. While Toronto was sweltering under a heatwave, guests enjoyed a wide and varied collection of physical and visual treats – massive icebergs at King’s point, the Arches, the Dungeon, Cape Spear, Signal Hill, Prime Berth Fishing Premises, Ancient, Picturesque Trinity, the Ryan Premises – the list is endless.
Newfoundland is unique – just about everywhere one visits in it reminds you of somewhere else; Norway, Scotland, England, Ireland, Isles of Man, and so on. This was not lost on the Betel guests, and they loved every scene. They truly believed that Newfoundland is an unheralded, hidden pleasure.
Can you imagine how they will react if on their next journey they included The Big Land – Labrador?
