Blogs from Prince Edward Island, Canada, North America - page 9

Woke up that morning and my roommates were still sleeping so I slipped out of the room quietly. Reception recommended a small diner nearby for breakfast. The food was not really that good and I believe they gave me old eggs as well :(. I quickly packed a day pack with what I would need for my day in PEI. I went to Budget rent a car to get my small car which turned out to be a Fiat 500. I have never driven a 2 door car before so it took some getting use to but I made it out of Halifax without any problems. On the highway the Fiat didn't have a great deal of acceleration so I will have to remember that. To make sure I wouldn't get lost I brought my GPS ... read more

Potato farms, lobster boats, cows, seafood restaurants, ride-on lawnmowers, Anne of Green Gables, and things that contain the word Confederation: what do they all have in common? There are more of these things here than anywhere else on the planet. Especially, ad nauseum, Anne of Green Gables paraphernalia. People even name their cows and lawnmowers after her. This is now an official road trip - we broke 10,000 kms today! Yesterday was a down day, chance to get caught up on sleep, laundry, bike maintenance as both Helli and I feeling under the weather. Walked around historic downtown, very charming area with old brick buildings, tree-lined streets, endless restaurants and coffee shops, quaint expensive boutiques filled today with Holland America Veendam passengers. The cruise ship comes right into town, which is only a few square blocks ... read more

Cape Breton was kind of miserable the first day we were there, it rained most of the afternoon and the rest of the day was cloudy. We drove to Sydney stopping to see the Alexander Graham Bell site...but it was closed. The scenery probably would have been nice in the sunshine but in the rain things just felt dull. So in Sydney we went to the mall. What do else do you do on a rainy day? Well, lots of things, but it was nice just to go wander the mall. We drove back west through a different route and it was much sunnier the next day. The scenery seemed so much prettier! We passed through Antigonish and stopped at cape st. george to see the lighthouse, then drove along the coast until we reached New ... read more

I find it amusing that there are no tolls to get onto PEI, but there is a toll to leave the island. We opted to take the ferry to PEI and will leave by the Confederation Bridge. It is known as The Gentle Island and from what I saw that is accurate. The hills are the gentle rolling type. It is picturesque with the crops, the cows, and the fishing boats. We did a lot of driving to see the different sections and coasts of PEI. Charlottetown We visited Charlottetown two different nights. We both enjoyed this town. The first night we walked around an old section that has restaurants, a brew pub and street music. We ate and drank at The Gahan House. That is where I had scallops for the very first time. My ... read more

We have made good time since the last blog. We drove from our last stop through to Montreal just stopping overnight in some places that don't really warrant a mention. When we got to Montreal it was a bit of a culture shock. Quebec province is French and French only. While the surrounding provinces often list things in English and French there is no such luxury here. Every road sign, business name and all the roadwork signs and instructions where all in French. A GSP unit was essential to find your way around. Luckily most people spoke reasonable English so communication wasn't too much of an issue. Along with the language the people are very much French - they are rather an arrogant type - yes this is a broad generalisation but true none the less. ... read more