For starters....
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| Happy Canada Day! |
It was July 1st. after all. We did the most Canadian thing we could do. Dress in red. Wave flags. Get Tim Hortons.
It was off to catch the ferry to Prince Edward Island. There is a bridge, but that was the long way around and who doesn't enjoy a good ferry ride? Indeed.
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| Lobster pots at Caribou.., |
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| Our ferry arriving... |
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| MV Northumberland. Built in 2007 in Norway. Replaces ship that burned beyond repair last year. |
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| The harbour at Woods Island. More lobster pots. |
Very pretty harbour light house. Would be nice if we could dock.
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End visor on the ferry wouldn't go up...we can't dock.
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| Lots of tools and banging... |
While we were waiting, a local PEI person chatted us up. Or we chatted them up. ...and we got some good ideas of where to go and what to do on the island - even if we didn't have any idea where or what she was talking about.
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| Over an hour later...success! |
An hour and 15 minutes late, we arrive Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island...
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| Our Lodging |
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| ...and have real PEI Mussels. |
Walked down to Peak's Quay for dinner. Had some PEI mussels! The real deal. Tom had some PEI oysters. He loved them. (cue Jaws music...). One thing we didn't know, was who was Prince Edward? Asked the server. A local who should have been all over her PEI history, especially on Canada. No clue. We had to look it up and explain it to her. He was Queen Victoria's kid who established and led a fort on the Island. We teased her a bit over it - us weird Americans...
Also, Canada Day fireworks! PEI has the lead. Biggest display! Postponed. High winds.
The next morning we decided on doing an audio tour in the car. Another "Gary" adventure? No. No Guide Along here, either. Instead, "Josh" was our guide. Informative - his speaking voice...bagpipe drone. zzzzz.
However, between the tour, a map, and the unpuzzled advice from our ferry friend, we had a nice day out.
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| The Inn had breakfast every morning. This morning spring rolls and scrambled eggs. Seemed an odd combo, but delicious! |
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| Dalvay by the Sea - one of J D Rockefeller's compatriots at Standard Oil built this summer cottage. |
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Covehead Harbour Lighthouse in the National Park
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| Early settlement in Rustico |
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| Oyster farm in Rustico |
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| Catholic Church in Rustico |
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| North Rustico |
After cruising through Rustico, we got a look at Cavendish cliffs and beach Very close to the setting for Anne of Green Gables
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| National Park emblem |
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| Cliff and beach at Cavendish |
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| Tom ponders the big question. |
Next stop, Anne of Green Gables Heritage Site. It had a home that Lucy Maud Montgomery spent some time at that shaped here novels.
Then, lunch! Back to Rustico Harbour and "On the Dock" restaurant. It took a bit of hunting to find a parking spot, but the setting and meal were worth it! Tom had PEI oysters yet again. (Cue Jaws theme crescendo...)
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| On the Dock. |
Josh droned us back to Charlottetown and a low key afternoon. A bit of walking around the waterfront and finally dinner out at a place that had a big crown on Canada day but now was strangely empty. No problem, though. Good meal. Tom, however, was feeling a bit rugged. (cue Jaws attack music!) The oysters strike back! Tom was down and out of for 24 hours.
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| old hotel |
Also, back at our Inn, we met Bob and Joanne from Ontario. Nice happy hour on hotel deck with long discussions usually centering on "what was wrong with you Americans?" ...we promised them we were trying to fix it...
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| Me with William Henry Pope as he rowed out to greet the "Fathers of the Confederation" |
The postponed fireworks were that night. Sue, Patti and I went. Great show, but only 10 minutes long - no finale. We could teach them a bit about firework shows, I think.
Our last day on the island, Don, Patti and Sue did a self guided walking tour of Charlotte's Town recommended by the tourist info center. The highlight was the Beaconfield House - or the Yo-Yo cookies. A New Zealand creation with a PEI twist.
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| Yo-Yos |
Beaconfield House was built by a sailing ship builder right at the end of the sailing ship era. He went bankrupt just a year or two after the house was built. The next owner bought it in foreclosure and lived there for decades, but never really enjoyed it. After, it was a dormitory for women nurses, before being restored to it's original appearance and becoming a historical home.
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| Tile with the pigment all the way through - not just the glazing. |
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| 170 y.o. Christmas cactus |
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The view from the coupla. The original owner wanted a good view of ship traffic. Bet it pained him to see more and more steam ships...
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| The main Anglican Church in town. |
Interior of this church was faux-marble. A mixture of paint and plaster of paris.
Lunch was at a corner restaurant that was always packed - Water Prince Corner Shop. Delicious lobster rolls and a history lesson. Server was 4th grade school teacher. Our ferry friend mentioned her job was on Nunavut. Weeks on then weeks off. It was not easy to get there. Was this a new province way up north? We asked our server. Yes. Created out of Northwest Territories, partly Truth and Reconciliation for First People.
By dinner, Tom had come back alive and we headed out for an Italian place on Queen Street in the middle of town. Very nice.
A nice way to end the last day in Canada. Now, the long slog back to the messy reality show that is the US.
Oh, Cananda! It was really, really nice!
