Hello and welcome to my blog! I’m glad you’re here. It’s week 33 in 2022 and I’m hosting Weekend Coffee Share linkup #83. Come on in for a coffee or tea, and let’s catch up.
Today’s post is my postcard from St. John’s. After a long stretch of beautiful sunny days in Newfoundland and Labrador, I finally experienced overcast sky and brief periods of rain, drizzle and fog in St. John’s. I came prepared with my rain gear and took a long walk to explore this historic, artistic and colourful city.
St. John’s (always abbreviated and with an apostrophe) is the most easternly city in North America and Newfoundland and Labrador’s capital. St. John’s is not to be confused with Saint John in New Brunswick, another province in Atlantic Canada.
Art Works
“I just wish people would realize that anything is possible if you try; dreams are made if people try”
Terry Fox (1958-1981)
If you don’t know who Terry Fox is, please read about him here.
Historic Sites
Officially opened in 1962, the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) is one of the longest highways in the world. From St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, to Victoria, British Columbia, the TCH covers over 7821 km and crosses six time zones.
Jellybean Houses
There are blocks and blocks of brightly painted houses on the hilly streets that rise from St. John’s harbour.
Pubs and Music
George Street in downtown St. John’s has some of the best pubs and restaurants in Newfoundland, as well as all types of music – Irish, blues, rock n’ roll, dance, country and traditional music.
It was a wonderful discovery walk in St. John’s.
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Natalie the Explorer 
I love those painted buildings!
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There were many of them in St. John’s. The colour combination is attractive and cheerful.
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Love the quote from Terry Fox, thanks for sharing.
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You’re welcome. I find that quote inspiring.
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Hi Natalie – the colourful houses are just so bright and happy aren’t they. I’d never heard of Terry Fox before and the wiki article on him was an eye opener indeed – his feat made me feel like a bit of a wimp as I limp around with my horrible hip. I love that he left a lasting legacy even though he would have been disappointed not to have completed his entire challenge.
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Hi Leanne, The jellybean houses in St. John’s are attractive and cheerful to see. I think they’re great mood lifters when the local weather is overcast, foggy or rainy. Terry Fox left a long lasting and important legacy in Canada. There is an annual Terry Fox Run all over Canada to raise funds to support cancer research. He was young and courageous to start his run while fighting cancer. Your hip pain is real and you have a positive mindset to manage it every day. That takes strength.
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What an inspiration Terry Fox was and is! Thank you for sharing his story and your holiday photos.
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I find Terry Fox’s words “dreams are made if people try” and his run inspiring. Thank you for stopping by.
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I love the wall art! Thanks for the tour, Natalie. The photos are gorgeous, and I love the quote from Terry Fox.
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Jill, I love that the wall art captures the essentials of Newfoundland (art, music, puffins…). I’m pleased you liked my photos. I love the quote from Terry Fox, too.
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Cabot Tower is kind of menacing to see. Perhaps the idea? On the other hand I like the Jellybean houses. They charm me.
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Ally, I think the Gothic Revival style and stone colour make Cabot Tower look sombre and menacing. St. John’s has blocks and blocks of colourful Jellybean houses that brighten the downtown core.
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You have some amazing artwork here, Natalie. I did read the link about Terry Fox. What an incredible person, so deserving of the honors bestowed on him. I also love the Yellow Belly and the fact that Ally Bean loves the Jellybean houses. They remind me a little of San Francisco. Thanks for linking to both of my challenges. I’ll add yours to the new PPAC coming out this morning as the first link.
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Marsha, Thank you for hosting PPAC and WQW challenges and adding my link. I find Terry Fox’s words “dreams are made if people try” inspiring. St. John’s has amazing art, history, music, food, etc. I tried to share a sampling of what the city offers. I’m glad you liked my postcard 🙂
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It’s fabulous. He was an inspiring individual.
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I love colourful houses,whether on hillsides seen from miles away or to surprise you when you turn a corner. I would be snapping pictures of the jelly bean houses.
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Janet, I also love colourful houses. I took many pictures of the jelly bean houses and will share more in a future post.
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I love St. John’s–especially the JellyBean houses. Thank you for the delightful postcard
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Hi Donna, I’m pleased you found my postcard delightful. St. John’s Jellybean houses are attractive and cheerful to see.
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I love your postcard. We have a Cabot tower in Bristol as well. I like the jelly bean houses especially the name.
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Anne, Thank you for your comment. I believe both Cabot Towers in Bristol and St. John’s were built to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the journey of John Cabot from Bristol to discover Newfoundland. The Jellybean houses in St. John’s are delightful to see and they’ve got a good name.
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The jelly bean houses are such fun. What a wonderful postcard! I really want to explore Canada now…I am off to the other side of the country, Vancouver, soon for a family visit at least!
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How exciting that you’ll visit family in Vancouver soon. It’s a beautiful city. I hope you have a wonderful time in Vancouver.
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What a fascinating and colorful city! I think it would be a great adventure to drive the Trans-Canada Highway and stop along the way wherever we saw something that caught our fancy.
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Yes, a long road trip on the TCH would be a great adventure. I’d love to travel across Canada with a compact RV.
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The jellybean houses are so cute! THey really make the rugged terrian look more inviting…
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Yes. the jellybean houses brighten the city with their colours.
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There’s so much to see in St. John’s. My ancestors landed there from Ireland. I ought to plan a trip.
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Yes, there’s a lot to explore in St. John’s. I think you’ll enjoy the city very much.
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Lovely photos, Natalie. I love the colors (and the dog statues).
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Thank you, Dan. I learned more about Newfoundland dog breed when I visited the dog statues. I’ve taken many pictures of colourful doors in Newfoundland. I hope to share them with Thursday Doors next month.
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I look forward to that, Natalie. Mostly, I’m glad you had a great time.
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Hello Natalie, so good to see your explorations and your photos. I knew of Terry Fox and his legacy lives on. The 0 marker of kilometres was awesome. All journeys have to start at zero from some point! I am back from my self-imposed blogging break earlier than anticipated as my blogging mojo returned!! Thanks for the link up. Denyse.
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Hi Denyse, I’m glad to hear your blogging mojo returned. Taking a break usually gives us new energy and new ideas. It’s good to hear that you knew of Terry Fox and his legacy since you’re in Australia, so far from Canada. Have a great weekend!
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Thanks for sharing some of St John’s! We have something similar to the jellybean houses here in our town, they are called the smartie houses and is basically the same thing, just other building material.
I loved the painted guitar plate (or whatever it is) on the wall, and most of all I loved the quote by Terry Fox. I agree 100% with him. So many people give up their dreams before even trying.
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Susanne, I found St. John’s and Newfoundland in general rich in history, music, and arts. I think you’d enjoy the music and pub scenes in St. John’s.
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With each Newfoundland & Labrador post, I feel a greater draw to visit this very stunning and beautiful place! St Johns is so lovely in so many aspects!
We used to have an annual Terry Fox run in Singapore – we haven’t since the pandemic, but maybe they will reinstate it soon. I think it is because we have many Canadian citizens residing here and the run is always well patronized.
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Ju-Lyn, Now that I’ve visited Newfoundland and Labrador, I’d highly recommend it to others and would like to return for a deeper dive myself. St. John’s is rich in history, music, arts, food and scenery.
It’s good to know about the annual Terry Fox Run in Singapore. We still have it here, all over Canada, in September. I’ll be doing some volunteer work for the Terry Fox Run in Toronto later this month.
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Terry Fox is an inspiration, particularly to those of us who run. It is amazing that he is celebrated and funds are raised all over Canada in September.
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Yes, Terry Fox left an important and amazing legacy. I find his words “dreams are made if people try” inspiring.
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❤️❤️❤️
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Ok. I want to go there! Thanks for the tour
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That’s great to hear. Thank you for stopping by.
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Natalie, you always take us to the most interesting places. I will follow you anywhere!
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Suzanne, Your comment is the highest compliment any explorer can get. I’ll take it. Thank you 🙂
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What a lovely little city to explore. I especially liked the sculptures and colorful jellybean houses. Also, thank you for clearing up a mystery and improving my knowledge of Canadian geography. My in-laws just returned from a 11 day cruise from NYC to Iceland, one of their stops being St John’s. The photos she posted were lovely but I was a bit confused because my husband and I went on a cruise several years ago and stopped in, what I thought was the same city but now I see it was actually Saint John! (I checked Google Earth to be sure). I was wondering why the town looked so different and why they didn’t visit the reversing waters! Makes total sense now. 🙂
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Yes, it’s a common confusion St.John’s and Saint John and they’re both cities in Atlantic Canada. How wonderful that you’ve seen the reversing waters in the Bay of Fundy. Thank you for sharing your story.
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Wow! I love the sculpture and the scenery, and I want to go there!
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Pam, I’d love to return to St.John’s for another visit. Lots to explore in that city.
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Thanks for some ideas for St. John’s!!
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I hope you have a great time exploring St. John’s.
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What a lovely place! St. John’s Harbour looks amazing. Imagine living in one of those houses, with that view! Thank you for this trip, and the coffee 🙂
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Maria, I enjoyed exploring St.John’s. The city is rich in history and culture, and is located right by a natural harbour. Thank you for stopping by.
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I can understand why you enjoyed it!
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Thanks for sharing your lovely walk, Natalie. Having an overcast sky when exploring a city is more welcome than when hiking in nature, I find. When in Victoria, I remember seeing a sign for the end of the Trans-Canada highway.
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Liesbet, When I took my walks in St. John’s, the first time it was overcast. The second time it was just brief periods of drizzle, fog and rain then it cleared up so all was well. The day I left St. John’s, the sun and clear blue sky returned. I visited the end of the Trans-Canada Highway when I was in Victoria before the pandemic.
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St. John’s looks like a great place to visit.
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Yes, lots to explore in St. John’s.
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St.John’s is such a beautiful place. Wow. I would love to visit there. And I remember Terry Fox from when I was a kid. Such an inspiring human being.
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Yes, there are a lot to explore in St.John’s. It’s good to know that you knew of Terry Fox. He inspired many people.
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I’m in awe of that highway! I had no idea you could even travel so far east to west over land.
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Yes, it’s a very long highway. I drove most of it from Toronto to Victoria years ago.
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Thank you for sharing a lovely walk-thru! I’m loving those jelly bean houses! Such lovely splashes of color (especially against a grey day)!
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Melissa, Thank you for stopping by. St. John’s jellybean houses are charming to see IRL. The colours really brighten the city and everyone’s mood.
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I love the jellybean houses!! How easy would it be to tell someone where you live! 🙂
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That’s the idea behind the jellybean houses 🙂
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Love the colorful houses! Also the sculptures and, well, everything in this post. Thanks! Now I need to add another city to my bucket list.
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I’m glad you liked my postcard. There are plenty of places to go and things to do in and around St. John’s.
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What a wonderful walk among the sculptures, Natalie! Truly inspiring! I love how you found the beautiful pops of yellow in many of the images. That last shot of St John’s harbor with the array of colorful homes is amazing! Must be cool to see all that in person. Who knows, maybe one day we will travel the TCH!
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Terri, Newfoundlanders sure know how to paint their houses. There are attractive pops of colours in St. John’s and all the coastal towns that I visited. You’re not far from the Canadian border. I hope you visit Canada and travel the TCH.
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An awesome post, Natalie. Newfoundland is definitely a gift that keeps on giving. Thank you for bringing to my attention how there is also a Terry Fox Memorial on the ‘other’ side of Canada. You likely know we have a Mile 0 at our end, too. I still recall going to Cabot Tower and the excessive wind. The Jellybean houses are always eye candy (get it…lol). Thank you for sharing all of the information and especially the amazing photos! 💕
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Thank you Erica/ Erika. I’m glad you liked my postcard 🙂 Yes, I knew of the Mile 0 at your end and visited it before the pandemic. When I went to the Cabot Tower, it was super windy, too. Fortunately, on the next day when I walked to see downtown St. John’s and the jellybean houses, it was calm.
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And did you understand people when they spoke to you? 😁
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Haha, most of the time 🙂 Good to hear from you, Ann.
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Hi Natalie. I have been trying to catch up on blogs. I thought St. John’s was pretty interesting when I was there many years ago.
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Hi Ann, I found St. John’s pretty interesting, too. I hope to see you again if I go to Vancouver Island next spring.
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That’s absolutely gorgeous
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Thank you for your visit and comment.
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I love all those sculptures! So amazing. And of course the colorful houses.
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Thank you, Kirstin. St. John’s has interesting artworks and many colourful houses.
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A long time ago my family and I did part of the trans-Canada highway. We started from Victoria, Vancouver, and ended our journey in Calgary and Edmondton. On a separate trip through Canada, we went to the Yukon because we were on our way to Alaska. I would love to return to Canada and visit the rest of the provinces.
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How wonderful that you’ve been to BC, Alberta and Yukon in Canada. I hope you get to visit the rest of Canada someday.
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I was very moved at the Terry Fox Memorial. Loved every last thing about St. John’s but wished I had more time. Must return. Looking forward to other posts you do from NFLD.
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Bernie, I wished I had more time to explore St. John’s, too. I have three more posts on NL for September. Thank you for your comment.
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Great Photos! I was especially impressed by the sculpture of Terry Fox.❤️
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Thank you for your visit and comment. Yes, the Terry Fox sculpture is impressive and the quote behind it is inspiring.
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We were in St John’s a couple of months ago.
My husband’s family loves there.
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Thank you, Anita, for your comment. I enjoyed my visit to St. John’s also a couple of months ago.
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Nice Photos from St Johns Newfoundland. I really like the colourful houses, and sculptures that you photographed. I always found it interesting how Newfoundlanders name their villages, Conception Bay, Hearts Desire, Hearts Delight, Twillingate, etc. Everything seems funny or like they are snubbing their noses as stuffy British People.
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Shawn, Thank you for your visit and comment. May I ask how you found my blog? I enjoyed my trip to NL very much. Beautiful landscape, rich history, friendly people and great food.
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Great post and it brings back many memories, especially of the colorful houses.
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The colourful houses are lovely and fun to photograph. I still have pictures taken in St. John’s that I haven’t got around to post yet.
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I quite understand. We kept walking and taking photos. And it seems that as we walked up the hill, around every corner was something else we wanted to take. Eventually we had to give up and move on, but to some other beautiful scene.
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