These dots are Saint-Pierre and Miquelon, a French territorial archipelago roughly 15 miles off Newfoundland.
Time itself seems like an afterthought here.
The islands are on their own time zone, half an hour ahead of the mainland.
Credit:Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
Then, the islands became a refuge for Acadian deportees.
Time itself seems like an afterthought here.
The islands are on their own time zone, half an hour ahead of the mainland.
Flags flying in front of a house on Miquelon.Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
(Al Capone was both a regular visitor and customer.)
Today, abandoned settlements are mixed in with restored summer homes.
We passed large patches of rocks, once used for drying fish.
A resident of Miquelon.Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
Simon identified the oldest grave, a tipped and rusted iron cross with no markings, from 1876.
We parted ways outside theArchipelitude Museumso I could peruse at my leisure.
Outside, I followed the path to a quiet, rocky beach before returning to the ferry.
Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
Breakfast the next morning at the family-ownedAuberge Saint-Pierrewas an assortment of pastries served in the inns kitchen.
After apain au chocolat, I headed back to the wharf to get the ferry to Miquelon.
On the 90-minute journey, fog rolled across the coastline.
Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
There are three main roads on Miquelon, which is much quieter than its smaller neighbor.
Langlade used to be its own island, but now its connected by a sand isthmus.
We set out for the Chemin des Boeufs, debating which way the fog would go.
A wave crashes along the coast of Miquelon near a lighthouse.Mathieu Dupuis/Legendary Coasts CVB
We were almost on the same latitude as Paris, but the landscape looked completely different.
At a lookout, we watched birds and enjoyed Labrador tea made from leaves along the hike.
A monument outside details the great Acadian upheaval, where French Acadians were deported from Canada under British rule.
If Saint-Pierre is the metropolis, Miquelon is the suburbs, and Langlade is the rural wilderness.
I enjoyed an eclair and coffee while sitting by the water.
I looked across the cove at the colorful houses and boats that make up Saint-Pierre.
(Al Capone was both a regular visitor and customer.)
I walked past the lighthouse, with L’Ile-aux-Marins in the distance.
At the end of the 19th century, there were more than 500 of these handmade vessels.
The true appeal of Saint-Pierre and Miquelon lies in its joie de vivre.
This isnt a place where you plan every hour of your day.
At times, Saint-Pierre and Miquelon feel familiar.
At other times, they feel completely foreign.
But these islands seem happy to be in their own world, living life on their own time.