PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND!

PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND -WOW!!!!!

I had no ideas about Prince Edward Island – what it was like, what was there, what our campground would be like, etc …sometimes that’s the FUN part – being surprised! And let me say, I was pleasantly surprised at it ALL!!!

To get over to PEI, you have to cross the Confederation Bridge – it is a bridge carrying the Trans-Canada Highway across the Northumberland Strait and it links together the province of PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND with the mainland province of NEW BRUNSWICK.  It opened in 1997 and it is and EIGHT MILE bridge!  It’s Canada’s longest bridge and the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water in the winter!

 

As we got nearer to our campground, the scenery became more unique and beautiful – little harbors and inlets with boats anchored, and quaint little different colored houses along the water.

We even found an overlook with a trellis people use to get married because the view is so pretty!  Of course we had to stop and get photos and pretend we were getting married!

The campground was a WONDERFUL surprise – it was HUGE and had so many amenities! And may I say, run like a well-oiled machine!  It was super organized, all the way down to the special garbage bags they gave us to use!

Here are some of the amenities they had

*LAUNDROMAT

*GENERAL STORE

*BREAKFAST CAFÉ

*MOVIE THEATER

*ICE CREAM “SHACK”

 

One half of the campground is on the beach (in the Gulf of St. Lawrence) and the other half is on a basin off of the Gulf. We were on the basin side and were SO excited!  The view as we drove to our campsite was incredible!!

That afternoon, after setting up the trailers, we decided to go over to the beach side to explore “how the other half lived” – haha – they had a shuttle that came and picked us up because it was quite a walk over there (that is how big the campground is!).

The beach side was spectacular as well!!!  So different from our side of the campground – lots of trees, with campsites tucked in amongst them…lots of little lanes with campsites all the way to the end…and then you approach the boardwalk to the beach and WOW!

The funny thing is that the lady who checked us in said that one side was on the basin where the sand was red and “muddy” and where people would dig for clams – and that the beach side was WHITE SAND …I have to be honest…when we started down the steps to the beach, we were all a little puzzled…here are some pictures of the beach and the WHITE sand.

With Leonard and Bob and Bobbi all being from Florida, they really got a chuckle out of it, because in Florida, they really ARE white sand beaches!  It was still a beautiful beach and lots of neat rock formations amongst the sand and water!

In fact, we walked on the beach each day we were there because it was so pretty and peaceful!

That first evening we watched the sun behind some amazing clouds, and we could see rain way off in the distance!  The sun setting behind our Airstreams was so pretty, and the temperatures were so cool so we had all the windows open!  The best temperature for camping – who wants to use air conditioning in the trailer when you can open it up and let the fresh air come in!

We had two days to explore, and there are lots of things to see and do! Our first day took us to the city of Charlottetown…(be prepared, I have lots of photos because there was so much we did!)

First, a cup of coffee at Receiver Coffee and Bakery – the iced mocha was yummy and gave us a little “burst of caffeine” to keep on walking and exploring!  After the coffee, we headed to the Founder’s Market, which has food vendors and shopping vendors.  What a fun place!

It was right next to the boardwalk by the water, so that was our next area to explore.  It winds all along the water, with boats, shops, restaurants, flowers, and even BAGPIPES!  There was a group of young kids playing bagpipes and drums!  They were amazing!

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It was a picture perfect day with bright sunshine and temperatures in the 70s  (we have had the most beautiful weather!) so we just enjoyed walking around, taking in the sights of Charlottetown.

We had lunch at a great little “dive” of a place with great seafood! Sitting outside on a picnic table, enjoying not only the weather but the food…feeling blessed to be able to be here!

After lunch, we took a little tour of ST. DUNSTAN’S CATHEDRAL – it is a church right in downtown Charlottetown,  and it rises majestically among all the other buildings around it!  The original cathedral was built from 1897 to 1907.  A fire destroyed the original cathedral in 1913 and the present structure was built between 1913 and 1919.  It’s more than just a place of worship – it is really a masterpiece of architecture and a symbol of the history of Prince Edward Island.  It has towering twin spires and amazing stained glass windows – AND THEN YOU WALK IN!!!!  The interior is breathtaking to say the least!

Our last day  in PEI took us to Cavendish Beach, then the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company, then to COW’S Creamery and then guess where?….

WAL MART !!!!!  HAHA – we always seem to find one JUST when we need one! Stocked up on our groceries once again..After Wal mart, we found a great place for lunch called Evermoore Brewing and Café – so unique!! And the food was good too!

Here are photos of each of these things:

**Cavendish Beach – beautiful boardwalk!

**Prince Edward Island Preserve Company – fun store and beautiful gardens!

THEY EVEN HAD AN ALPACA!

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**Evermoore Brewery and Café – a neat place with good food!

**COW’S Creamery – a famous ice creamery and cheese shop – we even did a little self guided tour in the back to see ice cream, cheese and t-shirts being made! And of course had to have ice cream to finish off the day! (needless to say we didn’t have dinner that night after a big lunch and ice cream!)

**Wal Mart – JUST KIDDING -no photos of Wal Mart! We all know what they look like!

What a fun day it was and there were so many things to see and do – we tried our best to do them all!

One other thing that I loved as we explored Prince Edward Island – beautiful little churches all around – here are just a few!

Next stop is Nova Scotia and the Cabot Trail, which we hear is simply amazing!!!!! Can’t wait to see more of God’s beauty in Canada!

Until next time….