10/10

I’m typing this up while trying to watch the leaders debate, so please forgive the somewhat sparse nature of this post.

I arrived in Prince Edward Island yesterday via a ferry from Nova Scotia. I ferried over from Newfoundland on the overnight run, which means I slept in a reclining chair and somewhat blearily managed to see the sun rise over the Atlantic (without my glasses on, though, so it looked like it was probably pretty!).

It’s been interesting arriving in PEI. After many weeks of having very hectic schedules or long drive times, suddenly the distances are little and I’m finally … relaxed? Is that what this feels like? It’s an adorable little province. I’ve been trying to slow down, and this is the place to do it, where there’s not a billion things I want to see or do or try.

Landing in PEI means that I’ve now been to all 10 of the Canadian provinces.

So the hostel I’m staying in is the best one I’ve ever been in. Charlottetown is a lovely little city, and the hostel is close to the water and close to the downtown area so I’ve spent my evenings strolling around.

Yesterday I went to Founder’s Hall first. It’s the story of Confederation, really. Confederation is a really big thing here, since the conference here in 1864 is where they decided to move towards what would become Canada. Founder’s Hall was interesting enough, though I do think the animatronic beaver waving a flag on top of a cake might have been going a bit far.

I also visited the oldest lighthouse in PEI, Prim Point. It’s also one of the only round ones, interestingly.

Today I went up to the PEI National Park and visited the Green Gables house, talking a few lovely strolls in the area which helped inspire Anne of Green Gables. It is beautiful. The Anne of Green Gables thing is an incredible industry here. There’s way more Anne-related attractions but I stuck with the one and the walks. It’s amazing how many people were there, how many different nationalities are just mad for Anne. I saw grown women dressed up as Anne to visit the site today.

My favourite parts were the walks through the woods. They were beautiful and peaceful.

Then, since I was already in Cavendish, I went and checked out the beach and the dunes and watched seabirds for awhile, as well admiring the red rock and soil that makes up this province.

I spend some time doing scenic coastal drives. It really is a delightful place, with gentle hills, crop lands, idyllic looking farms and so on.

I’ll be spending one more day here, then taking the Confederation Bridge west.