Prince Edward Island

Prince Edward Island is definitely our favourite place to visit in the summer and it was exciting to take Mum and Dad over for their own experience. There is so much to see and do there, we have hardly scratched the surface ourselves, so we planned some new things for all of us and some island must do's too.

The best way to travel there is by the ferry, so we left home early to make it across with most of the day to spare. It was a crazy windy crossing, as the photo's show and a reminder to never trust summer in Nova Scotia. Always have a jacket on hand. The ferry makes for a fun and interesting journey and we always really enjoy it. Our first stop on the Island was the Point Prim Lighthouse, a must see for our little girl of course. The journey there was full of beautiful, interesting little sites. Huge sunflowers, a random buoy tree, a village made entirely of bottles - strange but true! The lighthouse it'self is a beauty. Tall and slim along a rugged coast line. The wind was strong but we had a really fun time there. Our next stop was lunch and then on to the Souris Lighthouse which is one of the only ones you can climb to the top and go outside of the small balcony. The lighthouse was covered with all sorts of memorabilia, lots of sea glass and other treasures and it was fun to see the giant light inside and take a step outside for the view. Not far from here is a famous PEI beach called Basinhead, where they have a bridge that you can jump off into the ocean. I had hoped to do the jump but it was far too cold for me. I was content watching the brave teenagers take the plunge. This really is an incredibly beautiful beach. To me it rivals Australian beaches and the surrounding red cliffs give it that beautiful Prince Edward Island stamp. We had lots of fun exploring the beach and cliffs, walking the boardwalk and playing in the ocean spray. It feels good to have sand on your feet. I love our lake dearly but the ocean really is a special place and I love it. Our timing was great as we narrowly escaped the rain and made our way to the Green Roof Cottage on the Tracadie Bay, our home for the next few days.

The next day Mum and Dad set out for a walk around the Bay and then we all explored Charlottetown which is a favourite. It's a beautiful place with quaint shops and chocolates and all those good things. That night Mum, Levi and I went to see the Anne and Gilbert musical which was just a delight! It follows on the Anne story with the story from the 3rd and 4th books and tells how Anne and Gilbert start their love story. I love everything about it, the music especially and was so happy to have had the chance to see it. There was a big storm that night and we all cuddled in the house and made ourselves at home.

We had some beautiful weather the next day so I took a walk and Levi had his own kayaking adventure and fun exploring the sand dunes. He came back thrilled with his find and said they were just incredible. Then we all set out for and Anne kind of day. We visited the grounds of Lucy Maud's Grandparents home where is wrote Anne of Green Gables and Mum and I took a walk around the grounds together. It is a really special place with the foundation preserved and all of her descriptions of life their alive around you. The crab apples littering the ground, the flowers and paths and shady trees. You can see the lanes that took her to church and the beach and her Aunt and Uncles home not far from there. This place was so dear to her and Anne and her stories was born from it. From there we went to the Green Gables house (her Aunt and Uncles) where the kids got to make ice cream and play games with Anne herself and Mum and Dad took a walk around the beautiful property. It's just picturesque and takes you back to that simple time in history. With the weather so fine we made our way to Cavendish Beach and had great fun playing in the red sand and squishing it between our toes. The netting from the beach had been pulled in during the storm and lay across the beach with all sorts of other treasures from the sea and that was fun picking through. This is another beautiful beach and was a highlight to see. On our way home we picked up a lobster for our Lobster boil that night. Our host at the Green Roof Cottage showed us the ropes and we all concluded Lobster is a whole lot of work! Lobster roll for me next time.

In the morning Levi got in one more kayak before we made our way back across the Island and across Confederation Bridge for home. It was a beautiful little getaway and a place that means so much to us. Every time we go we experience some new wonderful experience of the the Island. See you again next year PEI!