The Colour of St. John's

[imec]

A distinct feature of St. John's, the capital city of the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, is the brightly coloured paint of the traditional wooden houses in the older part of the city. Heritage regulations stipulate that these homes must be kept in the traditional style and be painted using the traditional colours in order to maintain the unique character of this quaint city (one of my favorite cities in Canada).

[bixaorellana]

My eyes popped out of my head! This is so pretty, so cheerful, so livable. No wonder this is one of your favorite places. It looks so much like a real place, unmarred by that false perfection sometimes seen in preservation projects.

I adore the yellow doors on that blue house. I lived in a small town and painted my front door that exact shade of yellow. People used to comment on it all the time.

As always, your photographs are a delight above and beyond the subject matter. Thanks!

[lagatta]

that is wonderful, imec. Funny, the many steep hills and bright colours remind me of Valparaiso, a port city at the other extremity of America!

A friend is flying to Newfoundland tomorrow. Yes, it will be chilly, but I know there is a lot of rugged beauty to see.

If you were there on business, perhaps you were staying at that Sheraton?

[lola]

Fun, imec!

[cristina]

imec, I have had great pleasure looking at your photos.

As you know, this is my mother's hometown, and these pictures depict Jellybean Row, very close to her childhood home. I talked to her tonight about your photos (she is forum-shy), and she became very animated about the subject, as well, I know she would love to see these pictures!

[Jazz]

Lovely and unexpected, Imec! I like that there is a sanction re: painting and restoration. I've never been to Newfoundland and want to go one day, especially to see the wild horses on Sable Island...have you seen them?

[Deleted]

Sept 6, 2010 2:48:42 GMT Jazz said:

Lovely and unexpected, Imec! I like that there is a sanction re: painting and restoration. I've never been to Newfoundland and want to go one day, especially to see the wild horses on Sable Island...have you seen them?

I believe Sable Island is a way's off from St. John's,NF,closer to the Nova Scotia Coastline. I recall reading a wonderful little travel book on Sable Island some years back and always wanting to go to see the wild horses etc.

Wonderful pictures Imec,very reminiscent of many of the small fishing villages off the coast of New England,Maine in particular. Thanks for these.

[imec]

Thanks everyone. St. Johns really is a pretty place and the surrounding landscape possesses a rugged beauty like I've not seen elsewhere in Canada. What really makes a trip here so special however is the the people - some of the friendliest, wittiest most genuine people I've found anywhere in the world.

re: The Sheraton - no I wasn't staying there but have stayed there previously while it was a Fairmont.

re: Sable Island - no I've never been but would love to.

Stay tuned for post card of another area within St. John's!

[Deleted]

Excellent, imec. I love towns made out of wood -- they seem much more relaxed for some reason, but at the same time I wonder if there has ever been a "Great Fire" in such places.

Even though the architecture is completely different, it looks like the residents go to the same paint store as the people of Luxembourg. After the obligatory unity of French color schemes, Luxembourg is the same riot of color as St. John's the minute you cross the border.

[bjd]

What a coincidence -- I just received a postcard from St John's. On the picture, you see white houses, with two rows of brightly coloured strips. Now I see them close up -- it looks pretty and so different from the usual Canadian city.