Sunny, Foggy St. John's

[SignalHillHiker]

These are some of the photos I've taken in St. John's, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, which is a province in Canada.

For those unfamiliar with the city, it has a population of approximately 200,000 (including the neighbouring city of Mount Pearl and the large suburban towns of Paradise, Portugal Cove-St. Phillip's, and Conception Bay South). It is generally regarded as the oldest European-founded city in North America, although this is contested by several other cities, and for that reason it has a very unique and distinct culture. The city is famous for its liberal social views and extreme tolerance, although it is also quite conservative fiscally. The city is farther south than any provincial capital west of Ontario and enjoys the mildest winter of any Canadian city outside of British Columbia. However, summers are likewise mild. The average daily high only swings 20 degrees Celcius, from about 0C in February to 20C in August. It's best known for its colourful buildings, steep hills, relentless fog, and stunning scenery.

A view of the Basilica of St. John the Baptist and Military Road taken from the Newfoundland Hotel:

A coffee shop on Military Road:

The famous Battery neighbourhood. There isn't a lot of space here to build yet it's a very popular place for tourists to visit and for locals to hike (hence my username). It creates some funny scenes. One home even has the public walking trail cut right across its front patio:

The steep streets of downtown:

A view of downtown St. John's from Signal Hill:

And again, this time from the Shea Heights neighbourhood on the Southside Hills:

St. Patrick's Church. Strict heritage protection laws restrict the height of downtown buildings so this is still one of the tallest buildings in the city:

Prescott Street:

Duckworth Street:

A view of downtown from Southside Road:

The Rooms, our provincial museum/archives. It's meant to resemble the architecture of old fishing stages (If you're wondering why the buildings downhill look a little strange it's because you're seeing the backside of most of them. The red building in this photo is the same one as the red building in the "The city in fog" photo further below):

A nice art deco building downtown:

The hills are steep enough that, in many areas, the sidewalks and lanes are stairs:

The famous George Street stairs. This street is lined with dozens of pubs, bars, and nightclubs. A favourite destination for locals and visitors:

Bowring Park at the edge of downtown:

The fog rolling in past Cabot Tower:

The city in the fog:

And a few more, these taken with my cell phone rather than my camera. The sun breaking through the fog on Duckworth Street:

The steep streets of downtown:

A typical downtown residential street:

And a few more recent ones: