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The Capital of Kindness: How 9/11 made Gander into a tourist destination
Source: Washington Post
The Capital of Kindness
On 9/11, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador showed stranded travelers the true meaning of compassion. And that’s how it became a tourist destination.
Story by Andrea Sachs Photos by Jennifer Roberts
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
Dianne Flynn pressed play on the stereo and released the voice of country singer Alan Jackson into her home in Newfoundland. Her husband, Derm Flynn, listened to the words intently, his face and thoughts drawn inward.
Derm, the former mayor of Appleton, sang along in a near whisper.
I’m just a singer of simple songs / I’m not a real political man.
I sat across from Derm on the leather couch where, 18 years ago, an American had slept after his plane was diverted to eastern Canada following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In all, 38 commercial planes and four military aircraft were forced to land at Gander International Airport. More than 6,500 passengers descended on several small towns in central Newfoundland. Appleton was one of them. Gander was another.
In “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” Jackson repeatedly asks us, “Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?” I was in Washington, on my way to work. My mother, who was also sitting beside me on the Flynns’ couch, was sailing with my father in Croatia, far from a telephone. Dianne and Derm were in Appleton, preparing for more visitors than the area had ever handled in one month, much less one day.
-snip-
Current events are causing me to sleep less and curse more. No rom-com movie or carb-heavy meal or puppy yoga session can dispel the sense of dread I feel as I watch the pillars of tolerance and decency wobble and threaten to fall. I have tried to find a release close to home, but none of my usual therapies are sticking. I needed a more powerful pill to lift my spirits and remind me that good people and selfless deeds still exist. So I decided to fly north of the border and due east for some mending. If 9/11 history served correctly, Newfoundland could restore me.
-snip-
On 9/11, the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador showed stranded travelers the true meaning of compassion. And that’s how it became a tourist destination.
Story by Andrea Sachs Photos by Jennifer Roberts
SEPTEMBER 3, 2019
Dianne Flynn pressed play on the stereo and released the voice of country singer Alan Jackson into her home in Newfoundland. Her husband, Derm Flynn, listened to the words intently, his face and thoughts drawn inward.
Derm, the former mayor of Appleton, sang along in a near whisper.
I’m just a singer of simple songs / I’m not a real political man.
I sat across from Derm on the leather couch where, 18 years ago, an American had slept after his plane was diverted to eastern Canada following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In all, 38 commercial planes and four military aircraft were forced to land at Gander International Airport. More than 6,500 passengers descended on several small towns in central Newfoundland. Appleton was one of them. Gander was another.
In “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” Jackson repeatedly asks us, “Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day?” I was in Washington, on my way to work. My mother, who was also sitting beside me on the Flynns’ couch, was sailing with my father in Croatia, far from a telephone. Dianne and Derm were in Appleton, preparing for more visitors than the area had ever handled in one month, much less one day.
-snip-
Current events are causing me to sleep less and curse more. No rom-com movie or carb-heavy meal or puppy yoga session can dispel the sense of dread I feel as I watch the pillars of tolerance and decency wobble and threaten to fall. I have tried to find a release close to home, but none of my usual therapies are sticking. I needed a more powerful pill to lift my spirits and remind me that good people and selfless deeds still exist. So I decided to fly north of the border and due east for some mending. If 9/11 history served correctly, Newfoundland could restore me.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/magazine/wp/2019/09/03/feature/how-a-canadian-region-became-the-capital-of-kindness-and-an-unlikely-tourist-destination/
The view of St. John’s from Signal Hill, Newfoundland, Canada.
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