The Other Island

Over here on the west coast of BC (ok, I'm located in the Interior, but I can dream) we affectionately refer to Vancouver Island as simply "The Island", because we all know which little patch of paradise we are talking about. 

On the East coast they have their own Island...Prince Edward Island. 

This picture-perfect speck on the map is just as idyllic and serene as a rabid fan of Anne of Green Gables could hope for. 

We spent one glorious day on good ol' PEI, driving past farm pastures and fields with quaint farmhouses, lighthouses, and glens, and arriving in Charlottetown around noon.

We wasted no time in tasting the "World's Best Ice Cream" at Cow's...I can't remember exactly what flavor I had, but it was probably something with peanut butter and chocolate! It was definitely delicious, but I think it might be a little hyped...or maybe I'm just a little bitter about how pricey it was! Either way, at least I can say I have tasted the World's Best Ice Cream! 

Charlottetown is a really pretty harbour town, and the people there are phenomenally friendly! Like for real. They were super helpful, and would just strike up conversations with us, asking us where we were from, and recommending things to see and do. 

Photo credit: Katharina Zacharias

We also visited the Anne of Green Gables store located downtown, but unfortunately did not have time to drive to visit the actual Anne house, which was a big disappointment for me. I told myself that it was just an excuse to visit sweet little PEI again someday. 

For dinner Steve located this little gem: Water St. Fish & Chips: best fish n' chips in town! AND they even serve GF fish and chips so I could partake! It was very exciting. And the tartar sauce was virtually unlimited, as they gave us a huge squeeze bottle of the stuff. It was excellent! 

Because of the let-down surrounding the Anne of Green Gables House, I was allowed to make one undeniable request, and all I asked was to see the red sands of PEI.

A significant amount of iron in the clay-like sand gives it the rusty red hue, and the mineral rich soil is also the reason that PEI is perfect for farming. 

It was beautiful! We arrived around sunset, and the colors were vivid. It was such a cool experience to dig my toes into the sand I had only read about in the beloved Anne books.
I may or may not have taken some home in a plastic shopping bag, and it may or may not now be displayed in a decorative jar in my bedroom.

Regis was also a fan, but being a real slave driver, he didn't let us dawdle too long. There was a schedule to keep! We finished off the day by crossing the Confederation bridge, which was pretty cool too. It cost about $50, and took about 10 minutes of driving straight ahead to get to the mainland. Not particularly scenic, but kind of amazing! 

We spent the night in a little town outside Moncton, but since I've already covered the interesting part of New Brunswick, my next post will bring us to Nova Scotia!