I’d spend every summer vacation with my parents when I was a kid. They used to spend two to four weeks each year travelling. And because we couldn’t afford to stay in a hotel, camping was the only way. By the time I left home at 18, I’d visited every province in Canada. As I look back at my camping memories, the one in Battle Harbor stands out most.

It takes a long time to drive to Newfoundland from Ontario, especially when you’ve got six people packed into a minivan. When we arrived on the island, it was raining heavily every day. Therefore, we kept driving north, hoping to avoid it. We jumped onto a ferry (渡船) to Labrador and moved our way up the coast of this less-populated region.

The scenery in Labrador is sublime. You can see long white sand beaches along the Atlantic coast that look inviting, but the water is extremely cold. While standing at the top of a lighthouse, my dad said, “This will be the new Caribbean once global warming hits.”

We soon discovered Battle Harbor, a historic fishing village. In the mid-1800s it had a population of 350 and was considered the unofficial capital of Labrador. When I was there in 2003, it was more like a ghost town, with some broken fish-drying shelves left, reminding me that fishing trade was common. I clearly remember feeling the furthest from anything that I’ve ever felt. Multiple ferry rides and 600 miles separated me from the nearest major city of St. John’s, which is still considered a remote relative to the rest of Canada,

If you’re curious about Labrador, I highly recommend a 2013 film called The Grand Seduction. It’s a delightful comedy about a small fishing village called Tickle Head that’s struggling to figure out its future.

Holidaymakers who are bored with baking beaches and overheated hotel rooms head for a big igloo. Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo hotel. Built in a small town in Lapland, it has been attracting lots of visitors, but soon the fun will be over.

In two weeks’ time Bergqvist’s ice creation (作品) will be nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to replacing it.”

Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was so successful that he designed the present one, which measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks piling 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base; when the snow froze, the base was removed. “The only wooden thing we have left in the igloo is the front door,” he says.

After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. With no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0℃, it may seem more like a survival test than a relaxing (轻松的) hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “As well as a good start in survival training.”

The popularity of the igloo is beyond doubt: it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms. “You can get a lot of people in,” explains Bergqvist. “The beds are three meters wide by two meters long, and can fit at least four at one time.”

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Attractions

Do you:

◆ Love the National Park, value it and hope to safeguard its future?

◆ Wish to see the beautiful landscape of the Park protected?

◆ Like to enjoy peaceful informal recreation within the Park?

Aims

The Friends organization aims are to help protect and improve the Pembroke shire Coast National Park for all to enjoy. We are a voluntary organization and registered charity without financial links to the National Park Authority.

Activities

We encourage everyone to enjoy the National Park through regular talks and visits to interesting places in the Park with expert guides.

We keep an eye on planning applications. Park Authority policies and threats to the National Park such as massive leisure complexes. We work with like-minded organizations such as the Campaign for National Parks to make our voice more effective.

We help children to understand the National Park by sponsoring publications such as an adventure booklet and projects in local schools.

Benefits

◆ Guided visits to places of interest which may not always be available to the general public.

◆ All members receive our regular News and Views.

◆ Talks by experts in their fields on current issues.

◆ A discount is available on Friends items for sale.

◆ Satisfaction of participation in work parties, for those willing and able to be involved.

If interested, please complete the Application Form at www.fpnp.org.uk