This is the last stop on our 47 day Canadian maritime
province tour. As soon as we crossed the
bridge it became apparent that this province was different than the others. It was not as rugged looking and it was lush
green everywhere. Perhaps that is part of the reason it is referred to as the "Garden
of the Gulf". It is driven by a
farming economy with lots of rural rolling hills and neat homes and
villages. Our guide would tell us that
the residents of the island were obsessed with the condition of their lawns. Farming
is the major industry which produces 25% of all the potato production is
Canada. There is also a growing mussels
farming effort going and we can attest that these mussels are amazing. Because they grow them suspended in clear
water, they have no sediment in the shells.
The landscape reminded me of the rolling farm land
of upstate New York, where I grew
up-just perhaps a bit neater. Even the
coastal areas seem less rugged and wild than Newfoundland. In any case, it was enjoyable to drive around
the country side and enjoy the scenery.
We stopped at a very scenic fishing village and
noticed right away the osprey nest by the parking lot. One or two folks tried to get right under the
nest for some reason and while I just missed the unload, the biggest bird let
loose with a stream of -let's call it poop- right at them. It was funny to me,
if not those folks and I got one picture of the bird ready to fire again, if
necessary. The rest of the pictures were
without excitement.
We soon realized that "Ann of Green
Gables" was a big deal here, and we learned the story of the author's lifelong love of the island at the
National Historic site. I had heard of
the book but had not read it. Here it is
an obsession.
Charlottetown is the only large city and is where
the first Confederation conference was held to unite the provinces into a new
nation in 1864. I have mentioned this
conference before, but suffice it to say that it remains an important part of the
city's culture including a Confederation learning center and markers and
statutes around the city denoting important persons and dates. "Ann of Green Gables" is also
important here with all kinds of souvenirs available based on the book. We attended the musical of the same name and
I can now saw I know the story. We did
manage to see the inside of St. Dustan's Basilica and do a walking tour of the downtown
area.
We ended our caravan here and each of the 17 rigs
were going separate ways, we certainly enjoyed their company on this very
enjoyable journey.
10 comments:
Another nice recap of that area. Never been to PEI but I am enjoying your posts and pictures. I like the history and stories. What a beautiful church! And the info on Anne of Green Gables is very interesting!
Nice wrap up to an interesting tour. I know of Anne of Green Gables, but never read the book ... I'll have to make a point of reading it before we venture into that part of Canada. Nice capture of the osprey feeding ... oh and that "other" thing too ;-)
I love traveling to those small fishing villages. They are so scenic plus there's a good chance you just find a place to sit down and have a fresh seafood meal.
Nice view of our island. Need to visit the west end where we owned a home for twelve years in Brae next time.
We absolutely loved PEI. Went there when Carrie was young and had read the entire Anne series. It was a BIG deal. That was before the bridge. Sure would love to go back. Wonderful pictures. I must have missed that you were on a caravan.
Okay, we're sold. PEI is officially on our bucket list! :c)
Anne of Green Cables was a childhood fav of my mothers and me, I was named (middle name) after her (Anne) I buy the book set for all the little girls I become friends with and relatives!!! She was a free spirit and an advocate of women's rights...
PEI is a wonderful and scenic province, with lots to see and do. We enjoyed the Confederation Bike Trail, riding on it in several sections. As we rode along, we discovered blueberries and raspberries and had fun picking and eating blueberries and raspberries. We drove Tergel across the 8-mile bridge in a major gale ... something I hope never to repeat. I kept telling Jimmy to "hurry up and get across," vs "slow down, lest we go into the water!" Funny now!
A friend of mine from when I lived in Asheville, NC just loved Prince Edward Island and spent time there every year. Seeig your photos I can certainly see why. I would love to be able to see it.
What beautiful landscape! The Basilica is beautiful. I just love visiting any type of church!
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