Travels in Canada (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)

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After leaving the ferry at North Sydney, we drove down Cape Breton, crossed the causeway, and picked up Highway 104 heading east. At Westville, we turned north and drove to Caribou where we drove aboard the MV Holiday Island. It takes about an hour and a half to make the crossing over to Wood Islands on Prince Edward Island. After leaving the ferry, we drove to Charlottetown.

Charlottetown is the largest city on the island and an attractive one at that. With a population of around 60,000, it's the provincial capital of Prince Edward Island. It was named for Queen Charlotte, wife of King George III. The good king gained fame in history as being on the throne when the American colonies revolted. This led to the Revolutionary War and independence for the colonies and eventually led to the creation of the United States.

One of the attractions in the city is the Prince Edward Island Regiment Museum. It is easy to find because there is a tank sitting outside of the building along with a couple of other pieces of military equipment. It is administered by military personnel and there is no admission charge but donations are appreciated. This museum contains cannon, a WWI trench morter, and other military equipment. There are uniforms, rifles, a field radio, and various memoriabilia about Canadian forces. Many items date back to the Boer War and before. There is historical information about Canadians in both world wars as well as Korea and Afghanistan. If you enjoy military history, you'll enjoy spending an hour or so in this museum.

Beaconsfield Historic House is located in the center of the city. It is an elegant old structure which dates back to 1877. It was built for James Peake Jr and was equipped with all of the latest conveniences of the day. There was gas lighting, running water, and a type of central heating. The place contained 25 rooms with eight fireplaces. It was one of the city's finest homes. Peake lost his fortune and the house in 1882 and a new owner, Henry Cundall, occupied it along with his two sisters. When he died, Cundall willed it as a temporary home for friendless young women. It later became a residence for student nurses in the mid-1930s. In 1970, the PEI Heritage Foundation purchased it from the Cundall Estate and today it is open to the public. One of the employees takes visitors on a tour of the first two floors of the home. It is furnished with furniture from the 19th century and takes the visitor back in time to how the wealthy lived over a century ago.

St. Dunstan's Basilica is a beautiful old cathedral in downtown Charlottetown. In 1896, the construction of the stone cathedral was begun. It was completed and dedicated in 1907 and, in 1913, was totally destroyed by fire. A new cathedral was built in the form of a Gothic Cross and Gothic in style of Architecture. It is over 270 feet in length and 90 feet in width. One cannot help but see the spires rising above almost everything else in town.

Province House is an imposing structure in the center of the city and is the building where meetings took place in the 19th century which led to the Canadian confederation. This was quite a moment in Canadian history and the visitor is privileged to be able to tour this place. A short film is shown which explains what took place at that moment in history and is quite entertaining. Outside of the building on the grounds which are around it are a couple of statues. One is a tribute to Canadians who served in the Boer War and the other one is a tribute to Canadians who served in both world wars and Korea. I always enjoy seeing a country build memorials to military personnel who served in that nation's wars.

Confederation Bridge is a 12.9 kilometer long bridge that opened in May of 1997 and spans the Abegweit Passage of Northumberland Strait. It has two lanes and connects Prince Edward Island to the mainland of New Brunswick. Some time after leaving Charlottetown, we crossed this bridge and headed west on the Trans Canadian Highway towards Woodstock. After a night there, we crossed into Maine and drove southwest on Interstate 95 to Portland where we boarded a flight for our journey home.

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