The Kindness of Canadians

It is often said that the hospitality and friendliness of Canadians is unrivaled, and on my recent visit to Corner Brook, Newfoundland this stereotype was proven to be incredibly accurate.

I was walking around the town with my mum when we decided to seek some shelter from the humid heat in Corner Brook’s oldest church, the First United Church. We found the church deserted except for two volunteers who had been doing some housekeeping. We struck up a conversation and once they heard that we didn’t have enough time to make it up to the Captain Cook Monument on foot they took it upon themselves to drive us there. Here we were with two strangers who were kind enough to tour us around their beautiful town. The kindness of Canadians really is unmatched!

The Captain Cook Monument overlooks Corner Brook and is a Canadian National Historic Site. James Cook, a British cartographer and explorer, was the first to survey and record the geography of the Bay of Islands near Corner Brook.

From 1763 to 1767 Captain Cook surveyed the greater part of the coast of Newfoundland, including the present location of Corner Brook. The charting of the coastline was the first large scale, scientific survey to use precise triangulation to establish land outlines. Cook’s collection of charts and maps remained standard for a century!

Every winter Cook returned to Britain and every spring returned to Newfoundland to continue his work. However, in 1767 when he requested to return to Newfoundland he was asked by King George III to lead a new expedition instead.

Cook never returned to Newfoundland but went on to explore the South Pacific and Oceania including Tahiti, Australia, New Zealand, and Hawaii.

I am so glad we had the chance to view the landscape around Corner Brook from the Captain Cook Monument. The view is magnificent! The coastline is rugged and holds thick forests, stunning fjords, and lots of little islands. Mountains seemed to fill the horizon in all directions!