Farm Dover

Monday, September 2, 2024

"Come from Away" to Newfoundland

Back in June, Ed and I were talking about whether we might squeeze in a trip in August, mostly to escape the heat of Kentucky’s summers. We pretty quickly settled on Newfoundland, an island off the mainland of Canada and the only Canadian province that we had not yet visited.

I knew only three things about this place. One: the novel, The Shipping News, by Annie Proulx is set in a fictional town located in Newfoundland. The harsh and rugged setting stuck with me even more than the emotional storyline.

Two: We recently watched “Come from Away,” the story of Newfoundlanders’ generous response to the 7000 air passengers and crew stranded in Gander after 911. (Come from Away is the term Newfoundlanders use to refer to anyone not from their island.)

Three: It is faraway and hard to get to — seemingly a requirement for many of our travel adventures.

So, in the course of one afternoon, we mapped out an 11-day itinerary and booked airline tickets, one hotel and three Airbnb cottages. And then mostly forgot about it until it was time to pack and go.

We flew into St. John’s, the capital and largest city, and then drove the width of the province, staying for a couple of nights in the Bonavista Peninsula, Fogo Island and Rocky Harbour. On our way back to the airport we spent the night in Twillingate. More on each destination below.

In my mind, it is the spectacular landscape that makes the place: rugged coastlines, dramatic cliffs, with steep mountains that rise directly from the water. There is water, water everywhere: bays, harbours and inlets, fjords, streams and ponds. The vistas are breathtaking, especially when dotted with colorful saltbox houses and commercial premises. The geography is a mix of barren rock, bogs and boreal forests.

The remoteness and harsh climate of the isle influence the flora and fauna as well as the people who live there.

Black Spruce, Balsam Fir and White Birch dominate the boreal forests. Berries and wildflowers abound. It was our good fortune that wild Partridge berries were in season; we experienced them in nearly every dessert form: ice cream, pudding, muffins, cake, bread pudding, pie, even tiramisu. I was particularly taken with the wildflowers that lined every road and the edges of peat bogs. Most I could not identify, but found overlap with the wildflowers of Farm Dover in the Red Clover, Wild Strawberry, Yarrow and Goldenrod.

Moose were introduced in the early 20th century, and without natural predators, have reproduced prolifically. One of our Airbnb hosts noted that most Newfoundlanders participate in a yearly moose hunt, stocking their freezers with hundreds of pounds of meat. Just as I was complaining to Ed that we had not seen even one of the 120,000 moose who call this place home, one crossed the road just in front of our car.

But it is the people that I will most remember from this trip. Most Newfoundlanders are descendants from the British Isles who arrived in the 18th and 19th centuries with hopes of earning a livelihood, especially from the cod in the surrounding sea waters. They speak English with a thick accent, and freely call us me love, me darlin' or me ducky.

We found everyone (without exception) to be kind, generous and forthcoming about their lives in Newfoundland. From our warm welcomes from our Airbnb hosts, to the “Kitchen Parties” where traditional music was played, from every clerk or waitstaff, to the people we encountered on the street or hiking trail, the sense of community was palpable.

Let’s talk about food. We had five fabulous dinners (see below). We had a dozen pub lunches and dinners -- all served with big piles of french fries. And we had a handful of meals from the only source within miles: dingy convenience stores — think Ritz crackers and cheese, potato chips and candy bars.

Of course, we partook of the island specialties of moose burgers, cod and brewis (salted dried cod mixed with soaked hard bread), cod cakes and cod chowder, all served with toutons (fried bread) spread with strong molasses.

Notable was the absence of chain hotels and restaurants, billboards, and outfitter shops. Also, I didn’t see a whale, puffin or iceberg or — for that matter — a speck of litter. But it was the absence of noise that struck us most. We could hear the waves softly lapping in the cove or the birch leaves rustling in the wind, but otherwise it was so peacefully quiet.

I may have arrived with limited knowledge of Newfoundland, but left with a true appreciation for this island and an affection for the people who live here. Would I recommend this trip to others? Perhaps, but only to those who are willing to venture far from home, make the effort to get to know the locals, are good with consuming loads of french fries, and who relish dramatic seascapes and abundant silence. For us, it was one of our best trips yet. So glad we went.

Trip highlights

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St. John's

Capital and largest city
Outstanding meal: The Merchant Tavern
Best museum: The Rooms (Natural History and Art)
Best Brewery: Quidi Vidi Brewery
hotel: Murray Premises Hotel, two nights

Bonavista peninsula

Included visits to Trinity, Port Rexton, Bonavista plus Terra Nova National Park
Outstanding meal: The Fishers' Loft (beautiful kitchen garden)
Best Brewery: Port Rexton Brewery
Stayed at this Airbnb in Princeton, two nights

Fogo Island

Took the ferry over and back.
Architectural highlight: Fogo Island Inn
Cultural highlight: Kitchen Party, a traditional social gathering where people come together to enjoy music, dancing and storytelling
Best hike: Joe Batt's Walking Trail (which ends at life-sized bronze statue of the now extinct Great Auk)
Best dinner: Bangbelly Bistro
Stayed at this Airbnb in Joe Batt’s Arm, two nights

Rocky Harbour (within the Gros Morne National Park)

Outstanding meal: The Black Spruce
Outstanding hike: Coastal Trail in Gros Morne
Best boat ride: Western Brook Pond (fjord)
Outstanding sunset: from the front porch of our cottage
Stayed at this Airbnb in Rocky Harbour, 3 nights

Twillingate

Outstanding meal: Georgie’s, Anchor Inn Pub afterwards for traditional NFLD music
Stayed at The Anchor Inn, one night

Saturday, July 13, 2024

Traveling with the Twins

Earlier this summer, Ed and I traveled to Mexico City with our nieces: Katie and Molly. When we returned, I posted some photos of our trip to Instagram, but wanted to follow up with a blog post detailing our trip -- mostly as a reminder to myself of the great fun that we had.

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From my Instagram post...

Ed and I love to travel and especially enjoy traveling with our grown children. The problem is: they all live busy lives and just aren’t as fancy-free as they once were. So we were delighted when Sister Julie’s youngest girls wished aloud to travel “somewhere with Uncle Ed and Aunt Deb this summer”. Without missing a beat, we responded: “Let’s go to Mexico City.”

Turns out, it was OUR good fortune to travel with Molly and Katie. They spoke Spanish; were expert navigators; and discovered terrific restaurants and museums. They were fun, curious, insightful and, above all, exceedingly kind to each other and to Ed and me.

Thank you, Katie. Thank you, Molly. We will always treasure our time in CDMX with you two. xxx

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Trip highlights

Hotel

Casa Goliana As with our previous trips to Mexico City, we stayed at this 8-room hotel in the heart of the Roma Norte neighborhood. You can't beat the great location, helpful staff, lovely breakfast, sunny courtyard and beautiful rooms.

Molly and Katie in the sun-filled hotel courtyard.

Tour

On our first full day, we booked a 5-hour walking food tour through the Historic Center via Sabores. We made stops at six restaurants, shops, markets and street vendors. It was a great way to get an overview of the city center and also an introduction to some of the best foods Mexico City has to offer. I was especially proud of both girls' willingness to taste crunchy grasshoppers.

Museums

Museo Frida Kahlo (Casa Azul) Katie and Molly toured Frida Kahlo's Blue House while Ed and I walked around the Coyoacán neighborhood. (We had visited previously.) I think the girls loved seeing the personal objects, paintings by both Frida and her husband, Diego Rivera, photos, and furnishings that were part of the ambience where Frida was inspired to create.

Museo Nacional de Antropologia Ed and I had been there before, but we couldn't wait to go back. The museum contains the world's largest collection of ancient Mexican art. It is the largest and most visited museum in Mexico.

Museo Soumaya. A new museum for us -- and it may be our favorite. Beautiful building. Amazing collection of art and sculpture.

Restaurants

One of the reasons we love to visit Mexico City is its abundance of excellent places to eat. One this trip we discovered some new ones.

Taqueria Orinoco

When we arrived at our hotel in the early afternoon, the reception staff sent us out the door and around the corner to a trendy taqueria for just a snack to hold us over until dinner. This counter-service place, well-known by locals and tourists, offers up delicious pork and beef tacos, which we paired with tall metal glasses of cold hibiscus lemonade. Of course, we had to try one of their deserts, plantain ice cream, served to us with four spoons.

Páramo

For dinner on our first night, we again when out the door of our hotel and around the corner and up some stairs to a very fun cantina. Molly and Katie ordered for the table: guacamole, tacos, salad and the best ceviche that I’ve ever had, plus multiple desserts. At the end of the trip, we all agreed this was our favorite meal.

Los Danzantes Coyoacán

After the girls toured Frida Khalo’s house, we met them in the colonial neighborhood for a late alfresco lunch. The food, service, and atmosphere were delightful and we even worked up our nerve to try an appetizer prepared with huitlacoche (i.e., corn smut).

El Parnita

Needing only a light supper, we stopped in this open-air place — just downstairs from Páramo (see above) and were quickly overwhelmed by the immense selection of tacos. We requested our waiter order for us and were delighted with the plateful of tacos he brought to our table, along with large glasses of beer.

El Moro Churreria

I’m sure Katie and Molly got tired of me singing the praises of this landmark place for churros and hot chocolate. But they liked it too; if fact, we went back in the afternoon for a snack of mini churros and a milk shake for Ed.

Lardo

After a morning of museuming, we stopped in at Lardo, an Italian-Mediterranean-inspired café in the Condesa neighborhood, for a pizza and some fried squash blossoms, accompanied a bottle of rosé.

Migrante

For our final evening, we made reservations at this modern Michelin-recognized restaurant. We were well-entertained by the attentive service, the extra courses and the beautifully plated entrées. All a bit too fussy for my tastes, but nevertheless, a great way to end our trip.

Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Mérida: South of the Border, Down Mexico Way

Sometimes waiting for spring to arrive at Farm Dover just seems too hard. Looking out the kitchen window, all I see are shades of brown against a gray sky. I long for some color and some sunshine. And that's when Ed says: "Let's go to Mérida."

That's exactly what we did. Last week, we closed the farm gate and headed to the Yucatán Peninsula. A week of sunny days, spicy foods, and amazing sights was just what we needed.

While most people would head straight for the beaches of Tulum or Cancún, we chose to spend the week in Mérida, the capital city of the Mexican state of Yucatán, known for its rich Mayan culture and colonial heritage.

Most mornings we got up early, before the day heated up, and set out to explore the neighborhood and find a cup of coffee. Our hotel, Casa Azul, served a full breakfast in the courtyard until noon, so we would return for a late morning desayuno, followed by an hour or two reading under the umbrella at the pool, just outside our bedroom door. (The hotel only had eight rooms; for the entire week, we had the pool to ourselves.)

We spent much of the week strolling the beautiful main boulevard called Paseo de Montejo, visiting museums, winding our way thru the local markets, people watching in the Plaza Grande and seeking out places to experience the Yucatecan cuisine.

We ventured out of the city only twice: Once on a tour to visit Chichen Itzá, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, and once on our own to walk the beach and have dinner in Progreso, a port city about 30 minutes from Mérida.

Our day at Chichen Itzá began with a very early morning pickup so that we could arrive at this Mayan ruin before the crowd swelled and the sun grew hot. Our English-speaking guide made a huge difference in our understanding of this pre-Columbian city and of the remarkable peoples who lived there.

Come mid-morning, we left the bulging crowds and moved on to one of the Yucatán Peninsula's 10,000 centotes, water-filled sinkholes that are naturally formed by the collapse of limestone. We descended by stone steps some 150 feet to the water. With a couple of big splashes we found ourselves floating around a most-beautiful natural pool with lush vines hanging from the trees at the top and small springs cascading down on our heads.

A handful of other people were there and we watched in amazement as some of them jumped from high platforms or dropped from ropes into the cool, clear water.

Our last stop of the day was at Izamal, an important archaeological site of the Pre-Columbian Maya civilization. It is known as the Yellow City (most of its buildings are painted yellow) and also as The City of Hills (that are actually the remains of ancient temple pyramids).

A 16th-century Spanish colonial city was founded atop the existing Maya one. Rather than tear down the Mayan city, the Spanish placed a small Christian temple atop the great pyramid and built a large Franciscan Monastery atop the acropolis.

It was a good week. Plenty of time to see the sights; but also plenty of time to just lounge at the pool or linger at the table. We felt safe the entire time we were there. Everyone we met was friendly and helpful. Ed got to practice his Spanish.

We often sat a spell in one of the many distinctive S-shaped sillas confidentes (confidant chairs)

And sure enough, when we got back to Farm Dover, the maple trees were budding; the plum trees were in full bloom and the daffodils were waving their cheerful heads. Yes, spring was on its way.

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