Greetings from Fogo, guys! Yes, we're finally here and having the most relaxing/touristy excursion ever! It's Thursday night night right now but I probably won't post this until I get back in town but that's ok. I had planned on doing some blogging today but Karla and I didn't stop after our 9:45-am rise *yawn* (Yayy - Sleep in for us).
Anyways, I know you're dying to know about our fun Fogo adventures (slash you're definitely not seeing how this is a low-key trip) but I'll fill you all in anyways .. because I can .. and because I know you're secretly jealous that you're not spending the end of your week on a remote island in Newfoundland where there is fog, wind and rain. O Newfoundland..
We woke this morning to pouring rain. I mean pouring! I came to at around 8 but went back to sleep because rain justifies laziness! (in my opinion). When we crawled out of bed, we headed downstairs for some breakfast. In the common area, we met a couple from Ottawa. They had taken a 2-week trip and were traveling across the east coast of the island. We introduced ourselves over coffee, ate together and then found ourselves sitting for upwards of 45-minutes and discussing funny/scary stories of camping, polar bears and dogs. It's the little things, people ..
After we finished breakfast, we cleaned up and headed out on an adventure. Adventure 1 was to walk to an artist studio that was 3-minutes from the B&B. As soon as we drove 30-seconds and got out of the car, we got back in because the weather was just terrible. Adventure 2. Gallery search!
Karla had told me about an artist named Adam Young who was from Fogo. She had seen some of his work in the past and loved how abstract his paintings were. We found his studio and stopped in only to find out 1. he was a grade 2 school teacher who wasn't at the studio at that time and 2. when he got home that evening he would be getting ready to head out of town. . . so we decided to head for some caffeine.
We grabbed some coffee from the do-it-yourself machine at Island Bake Shop and sat discussing good books and how cool it would be to open a yoga studio in Fogo (big dreamers).
The amount of deserts available was very overwhelming. It shattered my little heart that I couldn't indulge in anything.
So I decided to live vicariously through the enjoyment that Marie and John would have if I delivered them some delicious looking/smelling cinnamon rolls.
After our 'wake-me-up', we ventured out to all the small towns throughout the island. Our first stop was in the community of Fogo.
We took some pictures throughout the drive but it was so ugly outside that a lot of our time was spent in the car. We stopped into the This 'N That store where we picked up some cashews to snack on as we drove, some wild blueberry jam for our friend Blair at work, and I got a sterling silver peace symbol ring. I'm obsessed with the peace symbol ring that my favourite Starbucks worker wears (creepy V) so I knew I had to have it when I saw it.
This art gallery was the upstairs of a closed down church. The original paintings on the wall are pastel work done by a lady named Therese Frere. Therese Frere was an artist from Quebec who loved the artwork of Fogo. She created her work only in pastel and donated many of her originals to this gallery when she was put into a home.
We then ventured to Heering Cove Art in Shoal Bay. This gallery is owned by Winston and Linda Osmond.
Not only do they sell art work, they sell quilts, home decorations and homemade jams/relishes.
Quilts, purses, Christmas ornaments, coasters, jewelery and so much more.
Winds and Waves was by far our favourite gallery and they sold prints by Adam Young.
And we both bought one!! We were actually so excited so I got the lady at the desk to take a picture.
Karla bought 'Crimson Sunset' and I bought 'St. John's Night Scene #1'. His artwork was breath-taking and it actually took us a while to pick our favourite.
*Hashtag ourfirstprint*
We left Winds and Waves with two giant smiles and decided it was time to grab some late lunch/supper so we headed to Nicole's Cafe.
We arrived an hour before the menu was changing for supper so we were limited to what we could ordered. We asked if we could grab a coffee and read our novels while they were in transition and Deb (the hostess) was happy to let us.
I drank three coffee and two water while Ms. Hunter enjoyed a lovely glass of wine.
We sat and read for a while and before we knew it, it was time to order. We were both starving, as we hadn't eaten since breakfast, so everything looked appetizing. I went with the roasted chicken and blueberry almond salad with the mystery vegetable.
And Karla went with the cod and mashed potato, also with the mystery vegetable.
After supper we were pretty lazy so we decided to head back to the B&B for some relaxing and reading.
As per my schedule, I needed to get a workout in so I went with a 25-minute core and conditioning ..
Followed by a little more Jaycee Dugard.
It was getting pretty late (late as in 8-pm) so Karla and I finished up our reading and headed to the Osmond's for a visit. John and Marie weren't home so we made tea and sat with word find puzzles. I mean, c'mon.. when was the last time anyone made time for a good ol' fashion word find? It was great!
Shortly after, John came home and we all sat and chatted and drank tea and told stories and had laughs :) It was beyond great to see that man since I adore his amazing family and consider them my own. He said that Marie was at the club for a birthday so Karla and I ventured up an hour and a half later and played 4 games of pool.
After our 2-2 finish in pool, we decided to head back to read and get some sleep.
Day 1 on Fogo Island was truly awesome! It's hard to find the time to relax and limit all stress in our lives sometimes. Fogo is definitely a getaway that justifies this.
Hope you all had a great Thursday and I shall post our Day-2 adventures sooner than later!
Have you ever been to Fogo Island?
Interested in seeing the place?
Ever consider taking a 2-day getaway to absolutely nothing?
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