The GypsyNester’s take a rip-roaring ride down the Exploits River! See our full adventure here! >>
A Rip-Roarin’ Rafting Ride in Newfoundland!
The GypsyNester’s take a rip-roaring ride down the Exploits River! See our full adventure here! >>
Beothuk Interpretation Centre Provincial Historic Site
The site marks the spot of one of the last settlements of the Beothuk people, and most of what little is known about them can be found here… CONTINUE READING >>
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
We followed the Exploits River downstream, north beyond The Bay of Exploits where it meets the sea, and stopped in at the Beothuk Interpretation Centre Provincial Historic Site on the shores of Boyd’s Cove.
The site marks the spot of one of the last settlements of the Beothuk people, and most of what little is known about them can be found here.
They were known as the Red Indians to the early European settlers, not for their skin color but for their practice of covering themselves with red ochre, a dye made from the iron colored soil.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
The Beothuk did their best to avoid contact with the new arrivals, just as they had done with the Mi’kmaq who would frequently cross over to Newfoundland from the mainland, so much of their background remains a mystery.
It is likely that they were the people the Vikings encountered at L’Anse aux Meadows and named skraelings, or barbarians, but we may never know for sure.
What we did learn came mostly from Shanawdithit, who was the last known Beothuk survivor before she passed away in 1829.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
The drawings and interviews she provided during the last years of her life are by far the best resource for information on her people’s lives, and seeing them was without a doubt the highlight of our visit to the centre.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Visit the Beothuk Interpretation Centre Provincial Historic Site website
Delve deeper:
More to do in Central Newfoundland
Rafting Down the Exploits River
The Prime Berth Interpretative Fishing Center
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Whitewater Rafting in Central Newfoundland
While we have had some experience with river rafting, the safety briefing was making it clear that what we were about to encounter was a whole lot more water than in our previous escapades… CONTINUE READING >>
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Riverfront Chalets and Rafting Newfoundland, just outside of Grand Falls – Windsor (that’s all one town), sounded like just the spot to tame some wild water.
While we have had some experience with river rafting, the safety briefing was making it clear that what we were about to encounter was a whole lot more water than in our previous escapades.
We received instructions on how to lock our legs under the seat in front of us in hopes of staying aboard the boat, and in case that failed, we learned the finer points of ducking down onto the floor and hanging on like terrified spider monkeys.
Screaming like one is optional, but most likely unavoidable.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
OK, so we may have to go into a protective fetal position, bu it beats bobbing in the rapids… wait, what? How to properly bob in the rapids was the next lesson.
Keep your head up, look for the boat, try not to slam into any huge rocks, grab the rope… got it!
Just to make sure we were all cool with the drill, the first thing we had to do was jump off a cliff into the freezing water, just to get comfortable with the idea of getting slung out of the boat.
We were beginning to wonder why we even had a raft, this was sounding more like it might be whitewater swimming.
Truth is, it was all for our own good, better to be safe than sorry and the crew was proud of their safety record.
They haven’t lost anyone yet and weren’t about to start with us. So we dragged our soaking butts aboard the raft and began paddling.
Nothing to it, until we started aiming for the rapids. Then we started rowing like our lives depended on it, and it wasn’t hard to convince us of the possibility.
Even though the current overwhelmed us, rowing like crazy was our only hope of any control over our path.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
After surviving the first couple runs we began to feel safer, and maybe even a little cocky.
Our trusty guide took that to mean it must be time to bury the nose of the raft right into the teeth of a huge wave.
While this certainly seemed crazy, we were all grinning like idiots and, due to our training in hanging on for dear life, no one went overboard.
When we finally made it to some calm water everyone enjoyed a swim, going into the water by choice. This also gave us a chance to take in the gorgeous countryside of The Exploits Valley.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
As tired as our arms and backs were from frantic paddling we still would have gladly started all over again.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Visit the Riverfront Chalets and Rafting Newfoundland website
Delve deeper:
More to do in Central Newfoundland
The Beothuk Interpretation Centre
The Prime Berth Interpretative Fishing Center
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
The Prime Berth Interpretative Fishing Center, Twillingate, Newfoundland
We noticed right off the bat that The Twillingate Fishery & Heritage Centre had a bit of a split personality, including to the fact that it has two names.
It couldn’t quite seem to decide if it was a serious museum, or a quirky… CONTINUE READING >>
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
Crossing on to South Twillingate Island we noticed a whale skeleton on a pier off to the side of the road. That’s not really something that goes unnoticed.
The baleen bones are a part of The Prime Berth Interpretative Fishing Center, and had their desired effect on us. We turned in to see what was going on.
We noticed right off the bat that The Twillingate Fishery & Heritage Centre had a bit of a split personality, including to the fact that it has two names.
It couldn’t quite seem to decide if it was a serious museum, or a quirky tourist attraction.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
Unusual mannequins performing old fashioned tasks dot the grounds, while interesting artifacts and photos are displayed, albeit somewhat haphazardly, inside old shacks.
The unpredictable blend had an endearing quality though, we couldn’t help but like it.
And we found ourselves learning a lot about the fishing history of the area, including a fascinating video of how one of the fishing shanties, known as a stage in Newfoundland, arrived at this spot.
We had heard stories about floating houses across the water to relocate, and it was pretty cool to see it on film.
Mostly we were amazed that the building didn’t break into a million pieces.
Click here for more to do in Central Newfoundland
All of this almost had us forget the main attraction, an entire reconstructed sei whale skeleton.
We made our way up along the raised viewing platform that runs beside the monstrous critter carcass and felt really small.
Sei’s are the third largest of the whales, they can grow up to 65 feet long.
This example didn’t quite make that size, but we were still duly impressed.
It was after all, bigger than our current home.
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Delve deeper:
More to do in Central Newfoundland
Rafting Down the Exploits River
The Beothuk Interpretation Centre
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
We are so grateful to Adventure Central Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
It’s a Bug’s Life – The Newfoundland Insectarium
We lost ourselves watching leafcutter ants working, bees busily building their hive, and most mesmerizing of all, walking through The Butterfly House surrounded by hundreds of beautiful blue butterflies. The colorful winged insects flew all around us, sometimes even… CONTINUE READING >>
South of Gros Morne National Park, just outside the town of Deer Lake, we came across an interesting diversion, The Newfoundland Insectarium.
What we thought might be a quick stop turned into hours as we took in one fascinating exhibit after another.
We lost ourselves watching leafcutter ants working, bees busily building their hive, and most mesmerizing of all, walking through The Butterfly House surrounded by hundreds of beautiful blue butterflies. The colorful winged insects flew all around us, sometimes even landing on us.
In fact, several of the displays are hands on. We got to hold creatures that looked exactly like leaves, or sticks, or alien beings.
We even got to touch the skin of a devil – a Thorny Devil to be precise.
All of this was overseen by the museum’s director, Lloyd Hollett, who captivated us with not only his knowledge, but his exuberance.
We’ve heard that his schtick about the beehive is becoming legendary.
Most of us may have visited exhibitions such as museums, memorials. I’m sure there is no shortage of experiences that have impressed us and even opened doors of interest. Well-developed exhibitions often offer their own unique souvenirs for interested parties to purchase.
If you are in charge of a related project, lapel pins can be a good choice. They are delicate and beautiful, and easy to store and keep. People can pin them casually on hats, clothes, bags or display them in frames for display. An acceptable price is also a factor that people usually choose them. Come visit Custompins.ca and have a try!
WATCH: Veronica frolics with butterflies, handles some pretty intimidating bugs!
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Go to The Newfoundland Insectarium website
See all of our Newfoundland adventures!
See more about Gros Morne National Park
We are so grateful to Go Western Newfoundland and Newfoundland and Labrador Tourism for making this adventure possible. As always, all opinions are our own.
7 Things Not to Miss in Buenos Aires
Vibrant, colorful Buenos Aires – a city alive with music, dance, history and culture. It was so easy to immerse ourselves; to breathe it in.
Find out our favorite spots… CONTINUE READING > >
Find Evita at La Recoleta Cemetery
La Recoleta Cemetery in should be considered a must-see by any visitor. The ornate monuments are more than fascinating enough to occupy an afternoon, and many of the city’s most famous residents lie in rest here, but most tourists are seeking the tomb of Evita. Her mausoleum can be hard to find, but eavesdropping and tagging along behind a tour group will do the trick. More La Recoleta Cemetery…
Hit The Street Market in San Telmo
Every Sunday since 1970 some 10,000 people descend upon Plaza Dorrego for the Feria de San Telmo. What began as an antique fair has grown into two-hundred and seventy vendors selling almost everything under the sun. It is much more than an open air market, it is a happening. More San Telmo…
Immerse Yourself in the Tango Culture
David, who calls himself a “circus bear attempting to balance on a ball” when it comes to dancing, was surely not going to indulge Veronica’s fantasy of learning to tango during our stay in Buenos Aires. But the clumsy bear proved to be full of surprises when he booked us at the Complejo Tango. This tango complex includes not only a school, but also nightly shows, and even hotel rooms where we stayed backstage next to the dancer’s dressing rooms. The place breathes tango. More on tango in Buenos Aires…
Eat at a Parrilla
Buenos Aires is famous for these establishments. Parrilla simply means grill, and a huge grate of roasting meat is the centerpiece of any good one. La Estancia may be the big Kahuna, filling the tables of awestruck carnivores with enormous silver trays sizzling on their very own beds of coals, but our favorite was a little neighborhood joint called El Litoral. Nothing fancy, just bodacious portions of phenomenal flame broiled beef at a price that made us think we must have been given the special friend’s discount. More about Parrillas…
WATCH: Let the Meat Sweats Begin: Eating at an Argentine Parilla
Cowboy Up At Feria de Mataderos
Buenos Aires is a city fueled by meat, and Mataderos is the barrio, that traditionally supplied that fuel. To celebrate that tradition, and preserve many of the customs of the gauchos, who we would call cowboys, a huge event known as the Feria de Mataderos is held each weekend. Thousands come from miles around to enjoy the food, music, dancing, crafts, and particularly the feats of horsemanship demonstrated by the gauchos. More Feria de Mataderos…
WATCH: Amazing gaucho action & Veronica joins in the traditional dances
Feel The Tradition of La Boca
Perhaps no barrio, or neighborhood, in the city captures quintessential Buenos Aires better than La Boca. Shops and restaurants line the colorful streets, with inventive artwork, live music, and tango dancing spilling out on to the sidewalks. More La Boca…
Cross the River into Uruguay
We found this remarkably easy to do, just hop on a ferry across the river to Uruguay. The delightful town of Colonia del Sacramento lies right across the Río de la Plata, so after a forty-five minute ride on the Buquebus we stepped into another country, and what felt like another place in time. More Colonia, Uruguay…
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
Your GypsyNesters on Generation Fabulous!
We sat down with the fabulous Chloe Jeffreys of the aptly named Generation Fabulous and discussed helicopter mom recovery, staying connected with our adult kids, reinventing middle-age, and the importance of… CONTINUE READING or leave a comment! >>
We sat down with the fabulous Chloe Jeffreys and discussed helicopter mom recovery, staying connected with our adult kids, reinventing middle-age, and the importance of reinvesting in your marriage after your nest empties.
Interested in reading more about the subjects covered in our interview?
9 Things We Wish We’d Known BEFORE We Sent Our Kids to College Our Adult-to-Adult Relationship with our KidsHow our Kids Grounded Veronica’s Helicoptering WaysOur Adventures in NewfoundlandFind Out About Chicken ChasingWatch us Ride Mules Down the Grand CanyonChloe Jeffrey’s Website
David & Veronica, GypsyNester.com
YOUR TURN: How’d we do? Do you have anything you’d like us to elaborate on? Anything you’d like to add? Do you have any stories to share? Fire away!