My Favorite Places - #1 - Prince Edward Island

I think I'd like to share some of my favorite places with you - not all at once, of course, but every now and then when I'm stumped for something to blog about.

I'll start off with Canada's jewel in the ocean, Prince Edward Island, the smallest of the provinces and territories. We take a trip over whenever we go home to Nova Scotia, which isn't very often any more. It's a beautiful island, famous for its red soil, potatoes, miles and miles of beautiful beaches, lobster and seafood restaurants, and home of Green Gables, the setting of the Anne books by Lucy Maud Montgomery.

PEI (small white island) in relation to Nova Scotia and New Brunswick

For years the only access to the island was by huge ferry boats. It took just over an hour to get from Nova Scotia and/or New Brunswick (depending on which ferry landing you took) to Prince Edward Island. The kids especially used to enjoy those ferry rides, however cold and windy they were on the ocean waters of the Northumberland Strait.

Equipped with lifeboats

Lloyd and I enjoyed the ride too - 2005


The Nova Scotia flag flying alongside the Canadian flag on the ship's mast

The first view of PEI from the ferry - Borden, PEI

In 1997 the Confederation Bridge was finally built which made PEI much more accessible to mainland Canada. This 12.8 km (8 mile) long bridge is "the longest in the world crossing ice-covered water", although the Northumberland Strait only has ice in the very coldest months of winter.

Aerial view from the bridge website

Lloyd and me on a dock in Charlottetown, PEI

Of course no trip to PEI is complete without a visit to Cavendish Beach and Green Gables, where the Anne books were set.

Lloyd and Randy were more interested in playing at the Green Gables golf course than in visiting the Anne museum house.

Wendy and I also played miniature golf while the men played the real thing.


While they played Wendy and I walked around the area, stopping to visit the grave of Lucy Maud Montgomery - her headstone has her husband's name on it - MacDonald - with her name in smaller form underneath.



Having visited the house/museum on a previous visit, and having enough Scots blood in us to want to avoid paying the entrance fee again, Wendy and I just walked around the road behind the house and took pictures





Then we all walked down the boardwalk to Cavendish beach. It was a cool windy day so not many people were around.



From another trip back there, this is our granddaughter, Layla, playing in the red sand of Cavendish.




Then we went down the coastal road to the small fishing village of North Rustico, where their chief claim to fame is a huge seafood buffet. It seems that in PEI in the summer you're never very far away from a seafood buffet with loads of lobster, mussels, clams, shrimp and other 'regular' food of course.

The fishing wharves of North Rustico

North Rustico Light with lobster pots scattered around the base.

Lobster traps

So there you have it - one of my very favorite places. If any of you have a chance, it's well worth the trip to see this gorgeous peaceful province.