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there in 2005, the city's inhabitants (and no doubt people from the inland Maritime provinces) broke a Guiness World Book of Records for the most accordionists playing the same tune simultaneously for five minutes. There were 989 accordion players assembled in Bannerman Park, along with thousands of people who just came to witness the event! From August 3-8/08, St. John's will be hosting the international North Atlantic Fiddle Convention, which I'm sure will be every bit as exciting.

For anyone with an interest in religious history, I would recommend visiting the absurdly opulent Roman Catholic Presentation Convent and School (ironically founded for the purpose of educating girls from poverty-stricken families). It was completed in 1850 and is located in Cathedral Square, not far from the much newer arts complex known as "The Rooms". As well as being treated to an in-house recital at the convent, which featured an Icelandic flutist accompanied by a Canadian pianist, I got a close-up look at a marble bust, created by Giovanni Strazza, known as "Veiled Virgin". One of the convent's nuns, who kindly took me on a mini-tour of the convent, spoke quietly and with great reverence of this treasured artifact.

Although St. John's still has many quaint family-owned shops, bed-and-breakfast inns, and restaurants serving traditional food, the international retail conglomerates have already staked their place among the local gentry. So, if you prefer the familiarity of U.S. and Canadian chain stores and hotels, some of them are conveniently located on the waterfront and offer spectacular views of the town.

The rumors concerning the hospitable nature of Newfoundlanders towards their visitors are well-founded; however, they do tend to speak very rapidly, some employing a thick accent and often using particular words or phrases not common in the rest of Canada. Even with my own Celtic heritage, I had to ask certain people to repeat or translate what they were saying a bit more slowly or clearly.

I wasn't lucky enough to see one of those legendary glaciers, but a whale sightseeing boat cruise yielded positive results for the rest of my family.

Three years later, I still retain fond memories of this music-and-arts-friendly town and look forward to returning there next summer for my son's graduation from high school.

Learn more about this author, Diane Wells.
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