My Father tells a great story to emphasize Newfoundland’s unique concept of “time”, whenever he welcomes a group of guests on our 12 Day Comprehensive Newfoundland and Labrador adventure with McCarthy’s Party Tours.
It is terribly important for guests to understand and appreciate Newfoundland’s temporal perspective at the onset of their trip. This will better prepare them for the relaxing pace we find in our restaurants, the bizarre responses received when inquiring about distance (only a flick – just over the way – no more than a few seconds for sure). And explain what might otherwise seem an unwarranted delay in the arrival of your luggage
A fellow comes rushing into a shop (corner store), makes his way directly to the counter and with what little breath he’s retained – demands a newspaper from the clerk.
“Must be down salmon fishing, are you?”, asks the clerk.
“What?”, the visitor asks as he remembers the long rubbers he was still wearing after a morning on the Genevieve River. “Ah yes, yes – we were fishing, but I really want a newspaper.”
“Visiting from New York, are ya?”, the clerk states as he eyeballs the man’s NY Yankees baseball hat.
“Yes, yes, New York is home – but I’m really interested in buying a newspaper.
“Suppose you’re checking the scores, though you might be more interested in the stocks if you’re staying at the lodge. Big money to spend a night there.”
“Hmmm…. Yes, I am interested in checking the stocks so can I please have a copy of the newspaper?”
“Never played the stocks myself, but I have a sister in New York and her husband made fortunes at them. His name is Don Stacotta. Italian fellow. Works with Citibank. Don’t know him do you?”
“What? No. What’s his name again? Oh, never mind. No I don’t know him but I’m just here to buy the paper. Do you have a paper you can sell me?”
“I do indeed. Do you want today’s paper or would you be satisfied with yesterday’s?”
“What? Really? I’d obviously prefer today’s paper.”
“Well, you’d best come back tomorrow!”
Talk about, “having an extra half hour to do everything”, how about adding an extra day to your calendar when you get to Newfoundland?
So….. the service might seem slow at first, but your waitress will be so determined to find a personal connection you won’t even notice the delay. Your cab driver might ask you to hang with him till the next flight pitches so he can fill his van, but you’d be amazed at the conversations you’ll share with the locals – news of anything from the latest run of salmon on the Humber River to a unique perspective on Donald’s Trump inauguration – “At least it helps us forget about Rob Ford!” And your 1pm boat tour might not leave until 1:20 because the last group ran into a pod of breaching whales on their return – Hopefully you’ll take advantage of the opportunity to use the washroom before you set sail or walk down to the landwash to see if the ‘capelin’ are rolling while you linger. That’s what the whales are eating after all.
Island time takes on a whole new meaning in Newfoundland, so its important for you to sit back and enjoy the opportunity to truly relax and revel in its many splendors.
