Blogs from Prince Edward Island, Canada, North America - page 5

Geo: 46.2365, -63.1282Day 5Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island Oh, Canada! Who knew Prince Edward Island was the birthplace of the Confederation? Certainly not I. More about that in a bit.We departed New Brunswick and traversed the Confederation Bridge that spans Northumberland Strait, linking Prince Edward Island to NB. The bridge is 8 miles long, making it the longest bridge in the world that crosses over water that freezes. It cost C$1.3 billion and opened in 1997.As the Canadian saying goes, "Eight months of winter, and four months of construction." It takes a while to build things here.Along the way, Allison took time to remind us of the Gander, Newfoundland story when 9/11 occurred. The town of 10,000 people took in almost 7000 airliner passengers who literally “dropped in” on them that fateful day.Here's a link for ... read more

Today we headed to the west part of the island which is largely Acadian. The accents here are French, as are the signs. On the way there, you pass crop land intersected by streams and hardwood forests. As you head west, the land becomes flat and the trees stubby. PEI grows 25% of Canada's potatoes. There are fields of potatoes everywhere your eye happens to fall. Have I told you that Tim loves potatoes? He considers them to be young French fries in waiting. We drove through Summerside and stopped at a little local restaurant called Sharkys where we got a table with a window so that we could watch the fisherman unloading their catch on the dock. Tim ordered fries with the works, a staple in PEI. The fries come with fried ground beef, green ... read more

Somewhere I read that in PEI, your heart rate will slow, your smiles will last longer, and you'll sometimes forget where you left your shoes. We just got here and it's already happening. How can it not when every drive takes me past gabled farmhouses, gentle sloping hills and seaside villages? It is so peaceful and bucolic here. Each curve of the road brings a new panorama into view. Today serendipity brought us to Rustico, at first glance a salty little fishing village. But look harder and you'll discover that it's actually a popular tourist area. We popped in to get a coffee and found a long, red sand beach that was shallow and warm. It was hidden behind sand dunes and we only found it when we went for a walk in that direction. There ... read more

When Don told us on Monday what was on the list for the week, we had a hard time believing we would have it all done by Friday. Amazing what happens with vision and effort meet!... read more

Despite the cool breeze, we had a tasty meal and enjoyed the sunset on Thursday 8/6... read more