WELCOME TO CANADA
WELCOME TO CANADAWe woke up to a glorious sunny (albeit chilly) morning in Charlottetown, PEI. We had a wonderful breakfast courtesy of Maureen from the Charlotte Rose B&B, then took care of vehicle issues before going on our way. John suggested the Tai Chi Garden vegetarian restaurant, so after confirming their lunch hours, we left Charlottetown.
It was an interesting drive to the North Shore of Prince Edward Island; agriculture is the main industry here, and the rich red earth makes for a nice distraction. The farms seem to be all very well-kept, and Elizabeth remarked on the amount of space and freedom the livestock has on the island, and it's nice to see what appears to be very humane and generous treatment of farm animals here.
We drove up to Cavendish Beach (most known for its proximity to the Green Gables center, home of the author of Anne of Green Gables). It is very early in the season here, as most tourists start arriving mid-June once school is over. While the downside is that few things are officially open, the upside is that entry to the National Parks are free!
We spent a few moments braving the wind on Cavendish Beach and marvelling at the sand dunes, took a short drive and stopped at the cute fishing village of North Rustico Harbour before retracing our way to Charlottetown for a late lunch. And what a lunch it was! The Tai Chi Garden restaurant is wonderfully designed and presented, with a small but creative menu. Highlights were the baked spring rolls and pan-fried potstickers. So much so that after our soup and entree, I had another order of the potstickers for desert! A green tea for me and a nutty/sweet herbal tea for Elizabeth warmed and soothed our souls, and it was off to Greenwich, part of Prince Edward Island's National Park system.
Everyone in PEI had Greenwich on the top of their list, and we can see why. After a walk along St. Peter's Bay, we entered a small forested area before emerging on a huge marshy area and there appeared a majestic boardwalk. The boardwalk must be nearly a kilometer long, winding just above the marsh with a big sand dune on the left, gulls flying overhead and the promise of the Atlantic just over the grassy dunes ahead. Sure enough, as we approached the end, the boardwalk turned into steps and then finally a thick rope guided us over and onto the beach.
In addition to free park entrance, another major benefit of visiting PEI at the end of May is the complete absence of other tourists. We literally had the entire boardwalk hike and the entire beach as far as we could see all to ourselves. That said, it was so windy that after only 5 minutes we were ready to find the warmth of our rental vehicle!
After several days of long driving, it was time to finally check in early, so we finished the drive to Hermanville and our stop at the Johnson Shore Inn. It really is a fantastic location with stunning views from our room. However... You do pay a premium for the view and location. As a once in a lifetime experience, probably worth it; for an extended stay, better to mix it up.
The day ended on a tremendous note when we stopped for dinner at the Fiddlin Lobster in Souris. Certainly not where vegetarians would expect to be accommodated, but what a treat we had! Dennis the chef and one of the owners came out to inquire about our needs, and then wowed us with both the quality and quantity of the food: garden salad, fresh (and I mean fresh) PEI french fries and two heaping plates of linguini with herbs, vegetables and roasted PEI potatoes. We barely made it through the food. Barely. We felt like kings and with bellies full went back to the inn for a good night's sleep.
05/29/09 by visitEarth
http://www.visitearth.asia/htsrv23/trackback.php/1166
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