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.
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