Discovering Prince Edward Island - Part 2

 

 

Blog 42

 

September 13 was another cloudy day with a forecast of occasional showers. We drove to Charlottetown and parked near the harbour, where two huge cruise ships anchored. Later, some passengers told us that the larger vessel had space for 2000 travellers, more than the residents of most cities on Prince Edward Island.

Bettina and I started our outing in Charlottetown at the Food Hall & Market, where we found the best fudge I have ever eaten, made from potatoes. The local crafts were also tempting. However, when travelling with only a carry-on suitcase, you can only buy things you can consume immediately.

 

We took the boardwalk to see more of the harbour and visited a local art gallery and the St. Dunstan’s Basilica, which was breathtaking. We also found an outdoor patio of a seafood restaurant on a pedestrian street when the sun finally appeared.

We finished our sightseeing tour watching the process of the smaller (1800-passenger) cruise ship leaving Charlottetown. We hardly reached the car when the heavy rain started, creating dense fog. It was a scary drive back to the cottage.

 

The following day, we visited the Prince Edward Island National Park in Greenwich, which has the biggest sand dunes on the island. Under sunny skies, we walked a large part of the trail on a floating boardwalk over Bowley Pond toward the spectacular beach with white sand.

As we headed east, the wind increased, and the sky turned dark grey. By the time we reached the East Point Lighthouse, it started to drizzle.

The drive back to the cottage was another scary affair, with water standing on the roads, poor visibility and heavy traffic. However, it was mild enough in the evening for a barefoot walk along the beach.

 

The sun was shining again the following morning. We strolled through Victoria-by-the-Sea, visiting some galleries and the Island Chocolates Café. Their chocolates tempted us to enjoy truffles and hot chocolate on their beautiful sunny patio.

 

 

Because of the clear skies and good visibility, we followed the coastal road west to get a view of the Confederation Bridge. Unfortunately, a new subdivision will soon obscure the sight - a tragedy for plein air painters in many areas.

 

In the afternoon, we drove east along the shore to the Argyle Shore Provincial Park, where the tide had only started to move out, so we could only walk a short way along the rocky beach. We had more luck at Canoe Cove, where the low tide exposed a large area of warm red sand.

We stopped at Rocky Point for a fantastic view of Charlottetown harbour and continued to the Blockhouse Point Lighthouse on a rugged road. Managing the road in a Toyota Corolla was more exciting than the lighthouse, but maybe we were only tired at the end of the day.

 

 

As news about tropical storm Lee hitting the Maritimes got increasingly urgent, we decided to leave a day earlier than planned. Therefore, we almost missed the most stunning pink and purple sunset I have ever seen because we were busy packing. 

 

 

During the night, the rain started drumming on the roof. The wind howled so loud that I feared we had missed our chance to leave the island. After hardly any sleep, I finally got up as soon as it got light. Two hours later, the sun peaked through the clouds, and a complete rainbow appeared. Nothing indicated the big storm ahead.

We were relieved when we crossed the Confederation Bridge. We still didn’t know where to go because the eye of the storm was fast approaching New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. There were hardly any cars on the road.

After consulting with my husband and my friend Hélène, we went to her house in Dartmouth. We had to drive slowly because the wind gusts pushed heavily against our small car. Luckily, the rain fell only lightly. We arrived briefly before the centre of the storm arrived. Safe in my friend’s cozy house, we watched the dance of the trees while playing cards.