I Heart Prince Edward Island*

Last September the Hubster’s family moved waaaaay across the country to the teeny tiny island known as “God’s Country”. If you know me you know that I don’t just like Anne of Green Gables, I LOVE it. Anne was imagined, written and, in part, filmed in Prince Edward Island and I have dreamed of visiting Anne’s homeland since I first read the books as little girl. So, though we miss his family terribly, I was so excited to finally be able to go out and visit the East Coast!

We booked our flights a few months in advance to give ourselves lots of time to plan and get the time we needed off work.

Note to self: next time we book flights, double check that there are no major political summits happening in the city we fly out of.

That’s right folks, being the brillllllllliant woman I am, I managed to book us a flight out of Toronto on June 25th, the day allllll the delegates and world leaders were flying into the city. I spent weeks before we left reading every article I could find about traffic delays, additional airport security, road closures, business disruptions, etc relating to the G8 and/or G20 summit happening that weekend. Of course I worked myself into a panic and forced the Hubster into the car four hours before our flight. Based on everything I had read on CBC and the Toronto Star I was going to need an obscene amount of time to get to the airport and get through security in time to make my flight.

We left at 10:30am.

We were at the airport and through security by 12:15pm. haha! Did I mention that it’s also a 45 minute drive to the airport, and we parked our car at a lot and had a service drive us over before going through security and we were still in our terminal by 12:15? Yup. I’m awesome.

(Thankfully the Hubster didn’t laugh at me… much. He loves me, neurosis and all.)

Anyway. After a, uhm, “brief” stay in our terminal, we boarded our flight–the first time we’ve been on a plane in nearly five years, and the second “plane” trip I’ve ever taken. I white knuckled the take-off but soon relaxed and enjoyed the flight. Seeing the red beaches and roads from above as we flew into Charlottetown was absolutely bizarre, but we were finally there!

The Hubster’s mom was at the car and crying tears of joy before he had even stepped out–it was so good  to see them again. We had five days to visit and see the sights, and we packed it all in!  The night we arrived was spent touring their new home and town, and we went to see the beautiful red sand dunes before crawling into bed.

Day One was Anne day. We were up bright and early and our first stop was Lucy Maud Montgomery’s ol’ stomping grounds to see the foundation of the home where she penned the romance that has captured the hearts and imaginations of young girls across the world. I learned that Anne of Green Gables was rejected five times before it was finally accepted by a publisher, and her sixth time sending it out was to be her last, regardless of the outcome. Can you even imagine?!?! I don’t even want to think about a life without Gilbert.

Next it was off to see the real Green Gables, a little different from the movie version, but breath-taking none the less. The view was spectacular, and the home itself clean and quaint. It’s easy to see how it could be imagined into the setting for Anne.

It was so surreal to finally be there… to walk through the haunted woods, see the house and taste my first raspberry cordial. It was just… perfect. We spent the better part of the day touring everything “Anne” related before heading home for a lovely BBQ. We were pretty wiped that night and decided to stay in… and my lovelies, my mother in law has done something terrible: she introduced me to the Bachelorette.

I am addicted. *hangs head in shame*

I cannot stop watching! I am slightly in love with Kirk and completely disgusted by Jake (did you SEE his interview with Vienna last week?!) and Frank weirds me out but I kind of want him to end up with Ali (Roberto is too good for her.) How I ever survived without this show, I just don’t know…

Day Two was my big quarter-century birthday! The Hubster whispered a very sleepy happy birthday to me before we were even fully conscious and pulled me close for my first birthday hug. (He gives the best birthday hugs, in case you were wondering.) We went to church then came home for a big birthday BBQ. His family spoiled me rotten with a beautiful peach cake and several adorable gifts, including one that has inspired me to start “crafting”. My family called from Ontario to send their love, and Teep even stayed on the phone for nearly two minutes (because my mother told him he had to. It was my birthday, after all. hahaha). We tried to go for a walk down to the ocean but were viciously attacked by mosquitoes and black flies (didn’t they know it was my birthday?!) and decided to turn back before making it all the way. The night ended with a skype call from Peeah, Fireman and Princess Pea (who is now WALKING) and I really couldn’t have asked for a better day. :)

Day Three it poured. ALL day. We decided not to let it bother us and we made the drive into Charlottetown to see the sights. I wish we could have gotten out and walked around downtown… it’s SO pretty and old! We did manage to find my favourite store of all time though: Anne of Green Gables Chocolates. Raspberry Cordial. Salt Water Toffee. Chocolate Potato Chips. Maple Candies. Fudge. Mmmmm… I didn’t even know where to start! I bought the cutest apron EVER (I’ll model for you soon) and way too many treats. We only went there once. Or twice. Or maybe three times…

Ahem.

Then it was off to Cows! If you have never had Cows ice cream YOU HAVE NOT LIVED. I don’t even like ice cream, but I could eat this magical food all day long. Moo York Cheesecake has changed my life.

Day Four was our trip to see the ginormous bridge that connects Prince Edward Island with New Brunswick and is almost 13 kilometers long. We may or may not have also made a stop at an Anne of Green Gables Chocolate store. and Cows. I admit nothing.

Day Five was our last day there and we tried to make the most of it. We had seen a place to go horse-back riding not far from where we were, so the Hubster, his dad and I decided to try it out. Confession: I had never been on a horse before that day. I have ridden an elephant, a camel and a pony, but never a full sized horse. I was terrified, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to try so off we went. My horse was a bit skittish when we started so I spent most of the ride gripping my reigns and saddle and missed most of the scenery. Thankfully my F-I-L was taking illegal photos so I could see what I had missed. ;)

My M-I-L found out about a hotel that was used in the filming of Anne of Green Gables (the scene where she recites “The Highwayman”) and we decided to pile in the car to see it. The hotel is breathtaking… it’s over 100 years old and the interior is still very similar to the original design.

One our way home we decided to stop and see if we could take some photos on a beach… and we ended up finding the most breath-taking beach I have ever seen. Surrounded by high sand dunes and cliffs, it’s tucked away and was completely empty when we arrived.

We ended the day quietly visiting at home before heading to bed to catch a few hours of sleep before our early flight. It was a perfect trip that went by much too fast, and I already can’t wait to go back.

Is it vacation time yet?