Prince Edward Island 25 to 28 August 2016

---

Prince Edward Island 25 to 28 August 2016



We were really looking forward to visiting Prince Edward Island (known as PEI) as I had read so much about this pretty island and Canada's only island province. It is the smallest province by both area and population, but is also the most densely populated province.



To get to PEI we had to drive over the monumental Confederation Bridge, which is almost a visitor attraction in and of itself, crossing the Northumberland Strait between New Brunswick and PEI. It stretches 13 kilometres across open water to the island. Crossing the bridge takes approximately 10 minutes and is open 24 hours a day. We paid $46.50 toll which is collected on the PEI side we returned to the mainland.



After driving over the bridge we stopped at the Gateway Village, located just off the Confederation Bridge. The village covers 14ha and offered food and retail shops aimed at tourists. We popped into the Visitor Information Centre which provided free maps and tourist information. We got so much information there AND they booked our 3^rd night’s accommodation on PEI as well as booking us to see the musical, Anne of Green Gables which is in its 52^nd year and the final night of the season in Charlottetown.



We had excellent information on getting to our accommodation in Stanley Bridge. We were staying at The Gables of PEI which is a ground of 2BR houses rented by tourists. They were very new and very comfortable.



"The Island", as locals call it, is well known for its beautiful sandy beaches and dunes. It is also the home of the gregarious Anne Shirley from Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic Anne of Green Gables. It became the "Cradle of Confederation" after the Fathers of Confederation met there in 1864 to discuss the possible union of five British North American colonies. Canada was formed three years later in 1867.



PEI is recognized for its red soil and sand that emerges from the break down of red sandstone. The high iron content of the sand gives it its rusty colouring and prominence. As the islanders say, “There are no white dogs in PEI.”



We were certainly looking forward to our next few days.



PEI is also known for its seafood so the 1^st night we decided to go to New Glasgow where there was the famous “Lobster Suppers” a restaurant with over 400 seats. There was a line-up when we arrived but they soon found us a table. On the menu, we could order 1, 1.5 & 2lbs of lobster. The standard addition to the meal was fresh bread rolls, abundant fresh salad, a large bucket of mussels, clam chowder soup and a choice of deserts and coffee. We are not big eaters, but oh my, we put a dent in it. The whole meal was delicious.



Neither Sheryl nor I previously liked clam chowder. I last had some in San Francisco and didn’t like it. However, this chowder was beautiful. The mussels were also delicious dipped in either the chowder or melted butter. After this and the salad, on came the lobster. We also dipped this in butter. Yummy. They provided us with a plastic bib, and even Sheryl wore one. It was a great night. All this was accompanied with a lovely Chile Sauvignon Blanc.



Everything was very close in distance and we were 10 minutes along the road to the Lucy Maud Montgomery open air museum. She was the author of all the Anne of Green Gables books. The museum told the life of Lucy and included an outlet for all her books. The Anne of Green Gables house was part of the complex. We saw several visitors walking around with pigtails like Anne Shirley used to wear.



Our 1^st full day on PEI was spent driving around the western end of the island. The highlights were the Potato Museum (!!!) at O’Leary. PEI is known for its potato industry globally. We saw extensive hectares of potato bushes growing all over the island. In O’Leary there was also a quilt gallery where we popped into for Sheryl to buy some Anne of Green Gables fabric. The western end of PEI had red beaches and cliffs and many, many different shaped and coloured lighthouses. There is even a Lighthouse Society as there are so many on the island due to its many headlands and coves.



All over the island was a very pretty drive, through undulating farmland dotted with beautiful little villages. We found 100s of craft and art galleries all over the island as well. In the winter they receive many metres of snow and as you will see by the photos, it is very green in summer. We were starting to see some leaves on the trees turning the brilliant autumn colour but we think we might be 2 weeks too early.



The second day we spent driving around the eastern end of the island. Here there were more farms with a sprinkling of vineyards. One of our many stops was at the Myriad View Artisan Distillery at Rollo Bay on the southwestern coast. The alcohol outlets (all owner by the Government) and in fact the whole of the industry is highly regulated by the Canadian Government. However, this Distillery was privately owned and sold whisky, gin, brandy, vodka and a ‘moonshine’ brew called Shine. We were taken for a quick tour through the distillery.



The southern coast was particularly beautiful with its multiple coves, specifically at St George, Cardigan and Georgetown along the Northumberland Strait. It was another wonderful day even though it showered with rain from time to time and the day was cloudy. It didn’t dampen our enthusiasm towards getting out of the car and admiring the incredible sand dunes, cliffs and beaches.



The next day we drove to Charlottetown. Charlottetown is the capital city of PEI and we found that it was a great place to visit. It's a quaint and pretty town, small enough to be able to walk around, and has lots of good restaurants and bars.



We saw St. Dunstan's Basilica in the distance and Province House. This National Historic Site has functioned as the provincial legislature since 1847. Founders’ Hall – Canada’s Birthplace Pavilion was another local site, with an important role it played in the Confederation of Canada.



Our main visit into the CBD was to Confederation Centre of the Arts where there was also a Saturday market. The Confederation Centre is open year-round and showcases the best in the Canadian visual and performing arts. It houses several theatres, an art gallery, Mavor's Bistro and a gift shop. This was where we attended the Anne of Green Gables musical. We loved the singing, dancing and story of this timeless production. The theatre was oldyworldy and very quaint. I even bought a bag of jubes and they only cost $2 not $5 like they would cost in Brisbane!!!



After thoroughly enjoying the very professionally presented theatre show, we popped across the street to join the line at a Cows Ice Cream outlet. Cows Ice Cream is voted the best in Canada year after year. We also saw many types of “cow-themed” merchandise like apparel, mugs and calendars for sale. My chocolate fudge icecream was so creamy and smooth (and very sweet). All 3 of us were feeling guilty at eating icecream at 10.30 at night (in replace of dinner)…..but what the heck!!!



Our accommodation in Charlottetown was on the ground floor of a private home which was well appointed and about 3km from downtown. On the morning of 2/8 we packed up after breakfast and headed for the Confederation Bridge and to say goodbye to PEI. We were heading towards Nova Scotia.



Our lasting impression of PEI will be the very friendly people, extremely willing to help and guide tourists, cheaper than the mainland, more relaxed and tastefully less developed and predominantly potato-farming community, sprinkled with corn, apple and wheat crops. This was all wrapped with picturesque coastlines and beautiful countryside.

---