All the pretty houses in one of the most remote cities on the planet

Cape Town's brightly coloured houses in Bo-Kaap were painted by former slaves as an expression of their freedom - and are now world famous.

 

But they are rivalled by the "jellybean houses" in St John's, Newfoundland, in Canada, 

 
The colourful terraced houses, or row houses as the locals call them, of Jellybean Row in St John’s, the capital city of Newfoundland and Labrador, are a magnet for photographers. 

St John's is a wonderfully quirky city full of characters and there is a story, perhaps true, perhaps not, about how the vibrant streets were created. 

 

It is said that homesick sailors of yesteryear would look to the shore to see the welcoming sight of their homes in the distance. 

It was necessary to paint their houses in bright hues to make them shine through the veil of fog that would often blanket the city.  St John's is so foggy that it once had an ice hockey team called the St John's Fog Devils - owned by a distant relative of mine, I believe. 

Now tourists can enjoy the colourful streets of downtown on a two-hour photography tour - and learn tips and tricks of photographing the houses in the oldest city in North America. 

See www.newfoundlandphototours.com/