PEI — Lighthouses and Bottle Houses

 “Isn’t it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive — it’s such an interesting world.”  — Anne in Anne of Green Gables

Anne exactly summed up my impressions of Prince Edward Island in the quote above. The lighthouses were all the same and all different. They were definitely not like the lighthouses in North Carolina. There are 48 lighthouses on PEI. Some have been made into museums; some are easily accessible while others are almost unreachable; some are just right. I was only able to visit 3 (actually two on PEI and one in New Brunswick) on this trip unfortunately; we just had so many other things planned. We did try to visit a couple more and were hindered by fog. The first lighthouse on Prince Edward Island was built in 1845 on Point Prim. There are only two round lighthouses on PEI, and it is one of them. You won’t see it pictured here because I couldn’t get to it this time. Most of the lighthouses were built in a timber frame style which was cheaper and quicker to construct. There are only two concrete lighthouses on Prince Edward Island even today. We visited the lighthouse in Victoria, (pictured above and below) Anderson Hollow lighthouse in New Brunswick, and Cap Egmont. Some lighthouses are near each other, but for the most part, visiting them requires a great deal of driving. When (not if) I return, visiting more lighthouses will definitely be high on my list of priorities. All of the ones we saw were free to look at. While in New Brunswick, one that we tried to see required entrance through a gate because it was on government property. It was going to be $9 for each of us. The fog was so heavy; we asked the guard if the lighthouse was even going to be very visible, and when he said no, we turned around.

This is another view of the lighthouse at Victoria, or Victoria-by-the-Sea as they are now calling the town.

This is the lighthouse we saw in New Brunswick. It is on a bay inlet near a dam or lock; it was hard to tell which. It is called Anderson Hollow, and was built in 1889.

This is Cap Egmont, which lies near an overlook on the southern side of the island. It was tricky getting to it, down a very narrow dirt road, but we did it. I jumped from the car all excited to get my first lighthouse picture, and was instantly attacked by SWARMS  of gigantic, starving, blood-sucking mosquitoes! (Kathryn even has a picture of herself where you can actually see the swarms covering her!) I jumped around, swatting and writhing, long enough to get this shot and a shot of the overlook, and raced back to the car. The funny thing was that two other vehicles pulled in when we did, and those people reacted in exactly the same way. We all cleared out in less than three minutes. I recommend viewing this lighthouse, but take some bug spray! We bought some after this, but didn't really have to use it. (Kathryn did not appreciate it when I told her that Anne had never mentioned mosquitoes being a problem on PEI.)

After our SHORT trip to view Cap Egmont, we saw a sign about bottle houses on the way back to Summerside where our second hotel was located. I remembered reading something about them, so we stopped and were so glad we did. The place was so interesting! The "village" contains a house, a tavern, and a chapel all made of glass bottles. The structures were built by Edouard T. Arsenault. His daughter showed him a postcard from Vancouver Island which had a bottle house on it, and that gave him the idea. His first structure was completed in 1980 and the two others by 1983. He has since passed away, but his family has maintained the village, adding a lovely garden. They allow visitors to tour for a small fee. Kathryn and I had a lovely time. Enjoy the pictures below.