The Smiling Land

Few Canadian musicians or authors are as synonymous with their home province as Alan Doyle is with Newfoundland. And now Alan wants to introduce the rest of the world to his home, taking readers on a freewheeling, eclectic trip through the province. From Fogo Island to the Southwest Coast, Labrador to Ferryland and everywhere in-between, Alan''s Newfoundland awaits. There are plenty of stops along the way to admire the sites and take in the history and culture. Among the stops, a discussion of Newfoundland''s eccentric place names, which include Horse Chops Island, Bread and Cheese Cove, and, the (in)famous, Dildo. There are visits to wind-swept coastlines and towering crags, former Beothuk, Viking and Basque settlements, as well as more recent settlements, such as Foley''s Shed, a jaunty live-music pub that - as its name suggests - happens to be located in some guy named Foley''s shed. There are savvy insider tips, such as how to score fish and chips and a free ride by hopping into the delivery person''s car as they deliver your food to your desired destination. And what tour of Alan''s Newfoundland could be complete without a short history of what can best be described as ''icebergs that look like things,'' an illustrious history that includes an exact replica of the Virgin Mary that once washed into St. John''s harbour, and the more recent - and far less holy - ''Dickie Berg,'' which made international headlines for looking like . . . well, not the Virgin Mary. Wildly entertaining, informative and brimming with Alan''s classic brand of storytelling and romping good fun, The Smiling Land is sure to delight even the most travel-adverse reader among us.

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