The government is right for a change!

Where to from here? -

Tourism Newfoundland and Labrador has been encouraging us to rediscover our province.

They think we'll fall in love all over again if we do. Their vibrant television ads featuring ginger haired children frolicking gleefully through the high grass of L'Anse aux Meadows will warm the coolest of hearts. The print ads in the Globe and Mail travel section boast of a kitchen party the likes of which Toronto has never seen. By all accounts it seems to be working with visitors to the province increasing 6.9% over last year. Marine Atlantic may not be experiencing an increase in visitors (likely due to the multiple issues the new-to-us ferry has encountered and an inefficient reservation system) but the airports are packing them in, these non-residents. A gentlemen from Nova Scotia recently told me that everyone he speaks with wants to visit but can't figure out how to get here. He had tried multiple times to take the Port aux Basques ferry with no luck and ended up just flying to Deer Lake where he rented a car.

Everyone wants to come here this summer and can't.

Imagine.

Meanwhile we're trying to go somewhere else.

Doesn't make a lot of sense.

Tourism NL has been desperately urging us to explore our home plate, sure they even sent us a love letter a few weeks ago in the form of a coupon booklet full of summer packages. Apparently "when Newfoundland and Labrador looks this good, it's hard to resist." And they're on Facebook creeping just like the rest of us. I mean, when was the last time you were pursued and wooed this intensely by the government? I, for one, actually couldn't resist. I went all non-native on the Northern Peninsula recently and I must say, I had a pretty deadly time.

Like in Flower's Cove they've got these living rocks called Trombolites which are the earliest geographical features of primitive life on Earth. Earth! They kind of reminded me of homemade dinner rolls baked in a cake pan before being pulled apart and devoured while still standing over kitchen counters. Funny though, none of the people I spoke with had ever bothered to go have a look at the Trombolites they knew were there with the exception maybe of students and teachers from the nearby school. Everyone meant to but hadn't yet gotten around to doing so.

Then I mentioned the excellent seafood chowder I had eaten in Straitsview only to determine that everyone has heard the food was really good at this particular restaurant though they themselves had never tried it. There was no real reason for not having tried it besides just not having tried it. And that's when it struck me, the government is right for change!

And when was the last time you can remember that happening, right?

We really do need to get out and rediscover our province because we're missing out. Why should only non-residents (tourists) get to enjoy what the Pen has to offer, what Newfoundland and Labrador has to offer?

Though the most unfortunate incident of missing out must be Northern Peninsula residents apathy toward Tempting Providence by Robert Chafe. The renowned stage production has been traveling the world since being commissioned by Theatre NL (based out of Cow Head) back in 2000. They've had over 400 shows and for good reason. The production is excellent, excellent! And I say that as a theatre nerd who rarely likes anything and is hyper-critical of her fellow theatre professionals (theatrical mediocrity drives me as crazy as teenage angst in a grown man.) Again people had heard of the show but just hadn't gotten around to it for whatever reason.

So let's start getting around!

Our beautiful province is all dressed up and waiting for us to come calling. Let's go outdoors and stay there whenever the weather deems it possible. There are first class trails all over the island with incredible views and perfect lunch spots. There are top notch restaurants putting out food you would never think to make, there's table linens and complimentary bread (the potato bread at Trinity's Fisher's Loft is amazing!) There are bbqs, beachfires and beers to be had in places you've only ever seen on the news. I've even started a list of things in Newfoundland I've always meant to do but have never done. Top of my list is: kayaking in the ocean (whales!), Cape St. Mary's Ecological Reserve (birds!) and Rodrigues Winery (self-explanatory!) Yeah, I plan on getting it on with Newfoundland this summer, it's going to be incestuous.