from $895* per person	3 Days	October
Comfort accommodations		Exertion level: 3
Operator: Adventure Canada		12 people max

Literature, music, visual art, theatre - Newfoundland has it all, and in abundance far beyond anything you might expect of half a million people. Join celebrated Newfoundland writer Kevin Major for an insider's look at the culture of his Island, three art-filled days at the edge of the North Atlantic. Let him take you through the multi-hued streets and back lanes of St. John's, to his favourite galleries and music haunts. Meet artists and poets and musicians (sometimes all three in one). Spend time in their studios. Hear them explain their art. Listen as they read from their award-winning books, and relax and chat with them over wine. From the intimacy of an ornate nineteenth century reading room to the sweeping views of the city from the ultramodern galleries of The Rooms (what The Globe and Mail has called "one of the world's great small museums"), you'll know you're in the midst of a culture like no other in North America. Aesthetically, you might think yourself in Europe. Whether walking the stage of the LSPU Hall (where Mary Walsh and Rick Mercer honed their skills) or enjoying a pint and a song at The Ship or The Crow's Nest, you'll know for sure you've fallen into the arms of a spirited arts scene.

Food? Of course. Whether your preference is fine international cuisine or fish'n chips at Ches's, St. John's doesn't disappoint. Shopping? That, too. From books personally autographed, to paintings and prints, to fine and funky crafts.

On the third day you'll take the scenic route to the historic settlements of Cupids and Brigus, along Conception Bay, an hour outside the city. In Cupids, discover the landscape that became home to the first English settlement in Canada, established by John Guy in 1610. Take lunch in what was once St. Augustine's Church, now Cupid Haven's Tearoom. That afternoon we'll venture to Brigus, one of the most beautiful of Newfoundland's outport communities, and one thoroughly steeped in history. Here is to be found the home of the famous Arctic explorer Bob Bartlett, as well as a cottage that in 1914 was the residence of American artist Rockwell Kent (before he was forced out by locals who suspected he was a German spy!). Through the centuries there have sailed from Brigus countless fishing vessels, often bringing salted codfish directly to the markets of Europe and South America.

Then it's back to St. John's for the evening meal together in one of the city's finer restaurants. There'll be chance to relive the three delightful days, before offering a final rousing toast to Newfoundland's culture and people.