PEI – Arts & Entertainment

PEI = Anne of Green Gables

At least for a majority of people (John excluded). We toured to Cavendish to visit the Avonlea Theme park. Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery wrote the novel Anne of Green Gables in 1908, and since that time it has sold more than 50 million copies. She went on to write 5 sequels about the red-haired orphan Anne Shirley. The setting of Prince Edward is vividly described in the novels, based on Montgomery’s memories of her childhood home.

Avonlea village is a historic representation of the community of Avonlea from the novels -with both historic buildings and recreations. Actors are found throughout the park role-playing characters from the story. We enjoyed the setting, and more than that – I was happy to see so many children touring the village and experiencing “all things Anne Shirley”. A timeless story.

Interesting Fact: The novel Anne of Green Gables has been included in the Japanese school curriculum since 1952. Japanese families travel to Prince Edward Island to visit the Green Gables farm, and many Japanese girls idolize Anne Shirley.

Artisans are abundant on the island: painters, potters, weavers, and crafters. The one rule I have about purchasing souvenirs on this journey is that they have to be locally made – so we decided to stop at The Great Canadian Soap Co. in Brackley Beach. This is a family-run operation that produces goat milk soaps and other products. From the parking lot, you walk past the barn, home to the goats whose milk is used in the products. The shop is filled with delicious smelling soaps and lotions – all made with goat’s milk, which contains natural moisturizing elements. Great for anyone with eczema or psoriasis.

Every shop we visited, had Scottish music playing. While in Summerside, we visited The College of Piping & Celtic Performing Arts and took in a mini concert. Opened in 1989, the College has a mandate to preserve and promote the Celtic heritage of PEI. Instruction is offered in highland dancing, Island step-dancing, drumming and bagpipes. Over 500 students attend classes and workshops throughout the year – some from as far away as Australia.

That was enough culture for one day!

Prince Edward Island

I can’t believe we have never visited PEI – it is beautiful! It might be the smallest province in Canada, both in area and in population but it is large in scenery. Prince Edward Island is 2195 sq. mi and has 140,204 permanent residents. The coastlines are stunning – with plenty of local restaurants to stop at and fill up on seafood.

Both John and I were pleasantly surprised to see how much agriculture there was on PEI – and how varied it was. The island produces 25% of Canada’s potatoes, but we also saw wheat, barley, oats and 1 field of canola. The soil on PEI is a bright red color, with high iron- oxide content. The texture is fine sandy loam, and field are well drained. Fields were planted on a much smaller scale than the Prairies, but it was easy to see that producers took pride in their operations.

Loved this farm name.

Driving around some “less-travelled” roads – I mentioned to John that I wanted to find a farmers market to buy some berries. His counter-suggestion was that we pick our own as he pulled into a U-PICK, saying “it will be fun”. So we bought two containers and he went to pick blueberries while I picked raspberries. It was fun – for about 10 minutes. Then the mosquitoes started swarming me. Also, I was unaware of the unwritten U-pick etiquette, which one of the elderly pickers was quick to school me on. “Young lady, you need to start on a section between two flags and pick it clean. You can’t wander through the patch looking for the biggest, reddest berries. You will never get your pail full that way.” In the end, John pretty much filled his bucket and I got about ¼ of a pail, but it was an experience.

Confederation Bridge

The Confederation Bridge is 12.9 kilometres long and it connects New Brunswick to Prince Edward Island. It is the longest bridge in the world that crosses ice-covered water. Prior to the construction of the Confederation Bridge, all crossings were made by ferry (the ferries do still operate). Construction of this fixed-link was done between 1994 and 1997. The curved bridge is a two-lane highway, resting on 62 piers. Most of the bridge is 40 meters above water, but there is a section that rises to 60 meters to accommodate larger ships. Construction required over 5,000 workers, and the total cost of the bridge was 1 billion dollars.

The economy of Prince Edward Island was boosted by fixed link of the Confederation Bridge. Tourism increased, as it became easier to access the island – which also improved the feasibility of exporting food products from PEI. Potato acres increased dramatically as it became more efficient to transport the spuds off the island. Seafood – which is time sensitive for delivery – also increased in exports from PEI.
The view from the bridge is pretty impressive. Speed limit is 80 km per hour – and with the truck, I was able to see over the cement guard walls. You can see the ocean, but because the bridge curves – you can also see it in the distance as you drive across. It takes about 12 minutes to cross, depending on traffic conditions. Bikes and pedestrian traffic are not allowed on the bridge. Officials do monitor weather conditions, and close the bridge when there are high winds, visibility issues or extremely icy conditions. Tolls for the bridge are paid when exiting PEI – it was $44.50 for our truck to cross.