Anne and the Island Tour

Originally published on 16 July 2015.

Today’s the day we go to Anne’s house! Well, L.M. Montgomery’s house anyway.

Mom and I have been waiting for this experience since we were little girls. She has been waiting longer than I have! Mom and Joel slept in a while, but I just couldn’t help myself. I went out for a run! Victoria Park was just a few blocks from our Inn, and I saw on the map that it’s right next to the water. I figured that would be a pretty place to run, and it was! I passed some beautiful homes on the way to the water, and when I got to the park, there was a lovely boardwalk just waiting for me! I like running on boards much more than on pavement or concrete. I was just feet above the water and the red, rocky shore. The air was salty and smelled like the sea, there was a gentle breeze, and I thoroughly enjoyed the scenery! There was even a cute little red and white lighthouse at the end of the boardwalk where I turned around to go back to the Inn. I recommend it! 

Now that I’d run, it was time for a quick shower and a big breakfast! Mom and Joel were still getting ready to go, but I couldn’t wait much longer for food. So I walked back into town and stopped into Receiver Coffee Company, recommended to us by our waitress the night before. No lie, I had the best vanilla latte that I’ve ever had in my life. It was perfectly sweet, creamy, caffeinated, and delicious! And then came my breakfast sandwich: bacon, fried egg, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a special sauce between to perfectly toasted slices of bread. Incredible! Or maybe I was just that hungry, but I’m pretty sure it was just that good!

I ate it on the way back to the inn, and guess where mom and Joel wanted to go for breakfast… Receiver! Oops! So we went back. Mom got the bacon and eggs, and Joel got the breakfast sandwich like me. They enjoyed it, too!

And then it was time to make our way to the bus for our tour of the island. We stopped in a couple of shops along the way, where mom tried on this hat:

Yes, she went back and bought it later that day!

We made it to the bus in plenty of time and set off in search of the true PEI. First stop: The PEI Preserve Company. I love preserves! The man who owns it started out in his grandmother’s kitchen just making preserves on his own, and now he sends preserves out all over the world! Mom and I both ordered some to be sent back home. I thought we would also eat there, but when we arrived, the bus driver said we only got 15 minutes. too bad! That is definitely something to come back for!

Next stop: Lobsters! We went to a small fishing village and learned how they’ve been catching lobster for generations. Did you know PEI lobster is now a certified sustainable seafood? Eat up!

Then it was onward to the iconic red shoreline of PEI! Did you know the waters around Nova Scotia and PEI are the warmest waters north of the Carolinas? Amazing! People can swim here in the summertime, even being this far north. Their beaches have red sand, not the typical white sand we think of at the beach. There are beautiful rocky cliffs along the shoreline, too, and the tall green grass that grows there sways with the wind. It’s truly peaceful and beautiful. I would have liked to stay longer. Guess I’ll have to come back!

And now, for the crown jewel of PEI (at least for the millions of people who loved the books)… Green Gables! I learned so much about Lucy Maud Montgomery and the Anne books. She was one of my favorite authors growing up, and not just because of the Anne books!

She was all but an orphan as a toddler, and she went to live with her grandparents. Her grandfather’s cousin owned a lovely house on a beautiful piece of property. It wasn’t called Green Gables, but it was the inspiration and the model of the house and farm in her Anne books! There is even a Lovers Lane and a Haunted Wood! They set up the house to look like L.M. Montgomery described it in her books. It’s wonderful! We even took a walk down Lovers Lane and, like Anne, I imagined my ideal man (Steve) walking along with me, holding my hand and stopping to give me a smooch.

I love it! The whole experience just made me so happy.

And then it was time to head back! We took a shorter route to get back to bus’s meeting point and saw a few other things along the way, including Victoria Park and my running spot! When we alighted from the bus, mom and Joel decided to get a late lunch/early supper from Dave’s Lobster Roll restaurant inside Founders’ Hall, and I decided to squeeze in a house tour on the other side of Charlottetown. I knew if I hoofed it, I’d just make the last tour!

Or not. I did get a tour, but it was less than 15 minutes (the visitor center said it was an hour long tour) and the girl giving me the tour was obviously bothered that I was there so late in the day. And they closed earlier than their website said they would, which is another reason I got a bit of the shaft. It was pretty much a waste of time and $5, especially since I took time out from my family to take the tour! Bummer. But it happens!

I got a lobster roll of my own and headed back to the room to meet up with mom and Joel. We shared some chocolates they’d gotten while I was off doing my thing, and I ended up going out again to pick up some Cows ice cream, as recommended by many! My sweet tooth really got a mouthful last night!

What will we get into next? Stay tuned to find out!