Prince Edward Island: Final Day

Final day in PEI, and unfortunately a short day because of our flight! We managed to fit in some more sights while also doing all the admin (returning the car etc.). I started off my day with one final run through the downtown core, past the conference centre and the giant 2018 (in case folks forget the year). 

We decided to go back to Prince Edward Island National Park today, this time entering the park from another entrance. We wanted to access the boardwalk section of the park which involved a stroll through a sandy area, followed by a paved/bridge section. It was beautiful! It reminded me a bit of my trip to Newfoundland (see past blog posts several years back) in Gros Morne National Park. Finally, we ended off our trip with some seafood, because...why not!!!!! PEI, you were great!
-M

Prince Edward Island: Day 2

Today we had the full day to travel  and started off visiting the St. Dunstan Basilica in Charlottetown. Our Airbnb was literally a block and a half away; so we figured it would be neat to check out the interior! We then drove over to the Summerside area and took a look around. It was still pretty early so things were pretty quiet, but we fell in love with the colourful shops on Spinnakers Landing. I'm embarrassed to admit this; but we ended up getting food at McDonalds. Fish and Chips aren't on the Toronto menu at McDonalds so curiosity got the best of us and we had to give it a shot! I can't lie; it wasn't bad at all!

We then drove to an attraction called Bottle Houses- Maisons de Bouteilles; a collection of buildings made out of glass bottles. My photos don't do it justice whatsoever (Google it to see better photos), but it was beautiful! Had a bit of a fantasty feel to it all, especially when the sun came through the coloured bottles. Close by was the Green Gables Alpaca Farm which we decided to check out. Why not visit some Alpacas (and lamas)? Getting up close and personal with the alpacas was loads of fun!
On our way back, we passed by a view of the Confederation Bridge which of course we had to stop and look at! It's wild to see this giant bridge across the skyline...in a previous East Coast trip, I remember driving across what felt like an endless giant bridge, seeing all the potato trucks driving alongside our car xD. We ended off our evening with a musical - a production of Anne and Gilbert (because you can't go to PEI without paying homage to Anne of Green Gables!).
-M

Post-Conference Adventure in PEI: Day 1

This month I attended a conference in Charlottetown! Following the conference, my friend and I took some time off to travel around PEI. We kept Charlottetown as our home base, rented a car, and drove around the Island in what turned out to be a really fun little trip! During the conference we spent a lot of time exploring Charlottetown - my favourite morning run was along the Victoria Park Boardwalk along the water.

Our first post-conference day started out a bit later; we took the opportunity to sleep in and rent the car. We had lunch with some friends before they went back home to Toronto. Our first drive was about an hour out to Thunder Cove Beach where we went to see the Teacup Rock and other cool rock formations.

We spent a fair bit of time there, hanging out on the beach and taking in the rocks before we continued driving along the water stopping to enjoy the sights in the Rustico area. We ended up grabbing dinner at Blue Mussel Cafe and happened to be there during a "Best of the Sea" competition in which this restaurant was part of it! Unsurprisingly the food was fantastic :)

Finally, we ended off our evening at Prince Edward Island National Park. I didn't realize it until later; but this happened to be Summer Solstice (ie. the longest day of the year) which was perfect for catching the sunset off the water/lighthouse! 

 

 

-M

East Coast Lovin': Prince Edward Island

I think I've fallen in love with the East Coast a little bit - mind you it's only been 5 days, but the weather here is my type of weather - a nice cool breeze 24/7 xD.  Today we had a "field study" in Prince Edward Island which for me was extremely exciting.    We first went to the Cape Jourimain Nature Center where we learned about some natural history as well as the history of the bridge connecting New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island.  It turns out before the bridge was built, in order to deliver mail and get from the island in the winter, a few poor souls had to walk across the ice with a boat in tow as often parts of the water was melted and other parts were not.  After that we visited the Province House in Charlottetown where the fathers of confederation first met followed by a live music theater performance depicting Canadian Culture.  Then the most exciting part: Avonlea Village!!! We walked around and met Anne and Gilbert catching some live reenactments as well as dressing up ourselves.  That was followed by a trip to the Green Gables National Historic Site where we learned a bit about Lucy Maud Montgomery, and finally an all you can eat mussel dinner before heading back.  Needless to say, it was all very exciting and Prince Edward Island was absolutely gorgeous.  I think in the future I'm going to have to come back and spend a bit more time in the Maritimes!  

-M

P.S I've been listening to my biffle Alanna Matty on repeat for the past hour.  Y'all should definitely check out her new cover: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aK_4OVpjf8U