I took the Northumberland ferry from Caribou, Nova Scotia to Woods Island, PEI. I stopped in Pictou for lunch before going to the ferry terminal. I saw Mrs. MacGregor’s Shortbread with a large open sign on the sidewalk so stopped for some cranberry orange shortbread. I also asked them for a recommendation for a lunch place where I could sit outside. They told me to try Harbour House. Boo and I sat on the patio despite it being a little cool but we felt pretty good in the sun. I had their excellent seafood (lobster, scallops, and shrimp) pasta.

The 1500 ferry was cancelled so I had a couple extra hours to waste before the 1700 ferry. We returned to Pictou to walk through town and along the waterfront. Pictou was where the original Scottish settlers landed, it’s considered the “birthplace of New Scotland”.

The ferry crossing was a little over an hour then I had an hour drive to Charlottetown. I spent a week in this lovely city. I wasn’t sure my AirBNB was livable after the hurricane, but they finally got power back about 11 days after the storm and just 3 days before I arrived.

There is an Anne of Green Gables itinerary, with multiple sites around the island. I visited the Anne of Green Gables Museum, privately owned, and the Green Gables Heritage Place, part of PEI National Park. There is a great exhibit inside the visitor center on Lucy Montgomery’s life on PEI and her writing, then you can walk through the house and the grounds. The “Haunted Lane” trail was closed but we walked the Lover’s Lane/Balsam Trail. I was amazed even those were open with all the trees down. I also stopped by the Cavendish Cemetery to see her grave. She had moved away, living in Ontario with her husband, but wanted to be returned to her “beloved island”.

I loved driving around the island, there were so many beautiful views. I did the Central Coast Drive to get to Cavendish and the Anne sites. We stopped by French River and Cape Tryon on the way.

I did most of the Points East Coastal Drive. We started with Point Prim, seeing Woods Island Lighthouse, Cape Bear, Murray Harbor, Montague, Georgetown, and more one afternoon before returning to Charlottetown.

I returned to the Points East drive, starting in Souris then finishing counterclockwise to Basin Head Provincial Park with stops at Red Point and Saint Peter’s.

I only drove west one day, wanting to see several of the provincial parks, but everything was closed. I drove as far as Port Borden and stopped there visiting the 3 lighthouses and had great views of the Confederation Bridge to New Brunswick.

Charlottetown is lovely and we enjoyed our morning walks around the city. We went down to Victoria Park the first morning and walked all along the boardwalk. Another morning we walked over to Confederation Landing.

Charlottetown is the birthplace of Canadian confederation. There was an important 1864 conference between the British Maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, PEI, and New Brunswick, and upper and lower Canada, or Ontario and Quebec. Unfortunately, Province House, built in 1847, site of the conference, is closed for a major 7-year renovation.

There is a statue on the waterfront of William Henry Pope, PEI Colonial Secretary, greeting the delegates to the Charlottetown Conference, September 1864. There is a complimentary statue of Etienne-Paschal Tache, who hosted the Quebec Conference, October 1864. I found that a few weeks later when visiting Quebec City, in Parc Bassin Brown. They were created by Jules Lasalle for the 150th anniversary of the conferences.

Later that week, I visited the Confederation Center of the Arts to see the Story of Confederation within the Confederation Chamber Replica that they moved from Province House. There is a really interesting video, a reenactment about the conference. I also visited the Art Center next door.

We walked through the downtown, seeing Victory Row off Queen Street and continuing up Great George Street with a stop at Saint Dunstan’s. This is a beautiful French Gothic church rebuilt in 1919 after a fire, it has some great stained glass inside.

Another morning, on a different route, I found the All Souls Chapel at Saint Peter’s Anglican Church. Gorgeous!

So many things I wanted to see and do were closed as they continued their Hurricane Fiona cleanup. I tried visiting the Ardogowan Historic Site, blocked off, Port La Joye/Fort Amherst, closed. Both were barricaded and had warnings about large fines if you were caught on the property.

Argyle Shores Provincial Park and Kings Castle Provincial Park were both closed. Except for the Green Gables Heritage Site, all of Prince Edward Island National Park was closed. “Now is not a good time to visit”. Unfortunately, true, for the entire island. Regardless, I had good weather and loved my visit to this beautiful island. I will have to return to see more.

At the end of the week, I took the Confederation Bridge from PEI to New Brunswick. I was surprised by the CA$50 toll. It is cheaper than the ferry which was CA$85.

I really disliked the layout of the kitchen were I was staying, the refrigerator was in another room off the side. It was a very awkward layout but I used that as an excuse to eat out all my meals except breakfast. I was told by a guy in Halifax that PEI has the best food in all of Canada. They do have a wide selection and variety of restaurants.

Restaurants and Breweries

• Lai Thai Had some great spicy basil chicken stir fry and pork dumplings.
• Water Prince Lobster Lobster Roll! Very good.
• Upstreet Craft Brewing Tried a flight, nice patio for sitting outside with Boo. Didn’t try their food menu.
• Prince Edward Island Brewing Went out one evening after a long scenic drive and had a Gahan Blueberry Ale and the After Hours Raspberry Sour.
• Brickhouse Kitchen and Bar this was recommended in multiple guides. I made a reservation for Friday night. I had their lamb shank. I thought it was overdone as lamb should be more pink but all the flavors were very good.
• Fresh Prince Lunch Box I LOVE Vietnamese. Their Bun Bo was excellent.
• I had another great Vietnamese meal at Saigon Cuisine PE, beef, lemongrass, and onion vermicelli.
• I seldom eat breakfast out but really wanted to try Leonhard’s. I had brunch there the last morning before heading to New Brunswick. I made a mistake ordering the Eggs Freda, I was jealous of the people next to me with their Eggs Benedict. Definitely looked excellent, they have a variety of styles including the one I should have ordered, avocado and jalapeño.
• Bogside Brewing and Crafter’s Smokehouse (Montague) A great selection of beer and huge menu at the restaurant (two separate businesses inside the one building). Boo was welcome on their enclosed patio. I had their brisket and a “side” of beans. Huge meal and I had to leave a lot.

I tried the following places based on guide books and a Where To Eat PEI brochure. I don’t recommend any.

• I ordered the Siciliana pizza from Piatto Pizzeria and Enoteca. It was okay but not nearly as good as the pizza I had from Napoli in Cape Breton.
• Boom Burger was also recommended in several guides, all ingredients local to PEI. It was a better burger than a fast food one, of course, but just average IMO.
• I picked up a small box of truffles and salted caramels, both dark chocolate, from Anne of Green Gables Chocolates. They were okay, nothing I would get again. I think they are popular because of their name? They also sell bottles of Raspberry Cordial.

Hurricane Fiona

PEI was hard hit by Fiona. Most of these photos are from around Charlottetown or other parts of the island.