Over the August long weekend (known as Natal Day out here), we took off to "The Island" which is how us Maritimers refer to Prince Edward Island - still makes me think of Vancouver Island though :)
We took the ferry over (nothing like the BC ferries . . . :( but worth it just to see a different part of PEI). We got there just after one sailing and had to wait for the next one, but it was a nice day so we enjoyed some time out of the car looking around the ferry terminal. Aaron and Jonathan walked on, while I drove the car on . . . and only just barely made it - I spent the last 5 minutes before loading hoping that Aaron had his phone on just in case I had to call and tell him to get off because I didn't make it!
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| outside the ferry terminal |
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| some quality time with Mommy out of the car seat |
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| enjoying the ferry ride in Daddy's lap |
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| our first view of PEI |
The first day we headed back to the eastern side of the island. We took in the sand dunes at Greenwich:
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| the boardwalks of Greenwich |
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| the dunes were huge and parts of them were covered with grasses and small shrubs |
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| learning about the dunes with Daddy . . . aka sleeping |
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| at the end of the boardwalk through the dunes is Greenwich beach . . . well worth the walk |
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| enjoying our first family vacation! |
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| we had this beautiful beach almost all to ourselves |
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| watching the waves crash in from the Atlantic Ocean |
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| dipping Jonathan's toes in the Atlantic |
After Greenwich, we continued eastwards and drove by lots of potato fields and a few windmills
eventually came to East Point Lighthouse set on some magnificent red rock cliffs
From East Point Lighthouse, we travelled south towards Souris stopping in at Basin Head beach to take in the famous "singing sands" - the beach was pretty crowded so we didn't spend much time there, and unfortunately the only "singing" heard was in actuality screaming children chasing each other in the surf
We were aiming to have lunch in Souris, but were unable to find much in the way of restaurants, but we did find another lighthouse!
We headed back to Charlottetown, had some dinner and a quite evening in
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| Jonathan playing peek-a-boo with his burp cloth in the big bed |
The next day we headed towards the Green Gables Shore to take in all things "Anne"
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| Green Gables |
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| Marilla's pantry - note the "Raspberry Cordial" or is it "Red Currant Wine"? |
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| Anne's room with the brown dress with puffed sleeves that Matthew bought her hanging on the closet door |
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| Aaron was very gracious letting me get my fill of "Anne"while entertaining Jonathan |
After Green Gables, we headed northwest and saw some more dunes around Brackley beach
Then onto Cavendish beach which again was super crowded given that the temperature was in the mid 30s and we didn't stay as there was no real shade to speak of and Jonathan is only happy in his tent for so long
Our early departure from the beaches made for a good evening back in Charlottetown to check out the waterfront boardwalk and walk through the streets taking in the sights of the site of Confederation
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| Aaron along the waterfront in Charlottetown |
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| It was a beautiful evening and Jonathan enjoyed the walk along the boardwalk |
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| one of a number of sculptures and other art forms dedicated to Confederation |
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| Signature of John A. MacDonald from the Confederation council |
After we had seen the waterfront, we wandered through the city
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| Jonathan and Aaron sat down with John A. MacDonald and talked about how far Canada has come |
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| Stone outside PEI's Province House commemorating the site of the meetings of the Fathers of Confederation in 1864 |
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| Province House PEI |
After our evening stroll we headed back to the hotel for a good night's sleep and to pack up in anticipation of our departure the next day.
However, before we left PEI there were a couple more stops we wanted to make:
First up was the Cows Creamery Factory . . . where they make the famous Cows Ice Cream. We took a tour and got to enjoy some free samples, as well as the clever marketing department which makes all those great tshirts and gifts . . .
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| Here are some tshirts getting printed |
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| Jonathan was laughing at all the crazy antics the workers put on, while Aaron and I were busy laughing at all the clever ways the Cows company has referenced pop culture |
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| Being a Canadian company, there were a lot of hockey references as well |
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| The breakfast of champions - Chocolate covered potato chips and Raspberry Cordial |
Our last stop before leaving the Island was along the Red Sands Shore to get some photos of Confederation Bridge
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| Here you can see the middle of the bridge where it is slightly elevated and begins to curve towards New Brunswick |
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| You can't really tell, but this is the whole 12.9km length of the bridge, which takes about 10 minutes to drive across |
Well it was a wonderful weekend, and after stopping for lunch in New Brunswick . . . Jonathan has now been in three provinces! We had a great time, but it will be nice to get home and settle down for a little bit before our next adventure!
Cheers for now,
