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.

PEI Bits and Pieces Part 1

 “The world looks like something God had just imaged for His own pleasure, doesn’t it?” — Anne from Anne of Green Gables

Prince Edward Island is gorgeous, wild in some places, very controlled in some places, like its many farms,  and always with something to enjoy. Its beaches are not like the southern beaches we are used to, and are not really much like the California beaches which I visited a few years ago. (The water is cold, the waves are nonexistent, the jellyfish are purple and plentiful, and the sand is red.) The fields of potatoes or corn or canola are so defined and expansive. The coastal areas are picturesque and wild. What a land of paradoxes!

Prince Edward Island, Days 1 and 2

“It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?” — Anne in Anne of Green Gables 

Anne is so right!!!! I have imagined and dreamed of being here for so long, and my imaginations have at last come true. Kathryn and Saber gifted me a trip to Prince Edward Island for my 60th birthday, and Kathryn has even accompanied me, although book trips are not really her thing. She is doing all the Anne-stuff like a trooper. (Although in full disclosure, she does not enjoy hearing me quote Anne endlessly, referring to her like a real person from my past, or explaining all the intricacies of Anne-related locations.) I am so grateful and blessed that she is with me here.

We stayed (for part one of the trip) in a home-turned-hotel called Dundee Arms in downtown Charlottetown. At 1:00 in the morning I was slightly disappointed to find that we were actually going to be in the annex. Our room was so nice though; it didn’t even feel like a hotel room. Also, it was surprisingly cleaned everyday, even post-covid. I highly recommend this hotel. It is close to so many places to eat, shop, and enjoy. They even had my favorite thing: in-room robes!!!

We got to Prince Edward Island very late on Saturday night/early Sunday morning. We got a taxi to our hotel and went to sleep immediately. I (of course) was up early. I walked about a mile and had breakfast at a local breakfast spot in Charlottetown. Next I walked to a park overlooking the bay. I saw some lovely old churches and a home which has been a Charlottetown establishment.It was VERY foggy, for some of the time, which is obvious in the pictures below. I walked over 4 miles by 9:30.

After Kathryn was ready, we went downtown. There were many tourist-type shops and some great bookstores. We lucked up and found a craft fair set up near the harbor. We bought this unique piece of art created with sea glass found on Prince Edward Island beaches. 

We ate a late lunch at Lobster on the Wharf. My meal, pictured below, was scrumptious! We shopped some more, purchasing nothing, and then had ice-cream at Cows. This is supposed to be the end-all of ice-cream on the island. Neither of us was totally blown away. We made one more stop at another bookstore where I bought Before Green Gables, a book I’ve read but didn’t own. 

We just rested back at the hotel. After the flights and late night on Saturday, tv and Skipbo were relaxing.

Day 2:

I rose very early and headed to the eastern end of the island in search of sea glass at Souris Beach. I was told by the artist we bought the piece of art from that this beach was well known for sea glass because it was in a cove and near Nova Scotia shipping lanes where there had been many shipwrecks. I drove our little rental for the hour trip, being careful not to exceed their strange (to me) speed limits: 90 kmh, 80 kmh, 50 kmh. I found the “beach” and discovered several pieces of glass within about 30 minutes. There were signs posted around the area to be very careful of sharp glass on the beach too. Everything washes ashore here. I got some cool bird shots. It was obviously foggy again. It kind of reminded me of my California coastal trip. I also found another interesting old church on my drive.

When I returned and Kathryn got ready, we headed to an area outside of Cavendish to the Anne of Green Gables Museum. This is actually the home of L.M. Montgomery’s relative where Maude (L.M. Montgomery) actually got married. We walked around the lovely grounds, taking a short woodsy trail where we met up with a sweet kitty! There was a gift shop where we bought some raspberry cordial 😀 We toured the home and then waited for our time on Matthew’s Carriage Ride!!! I booked an hour long ride on a carriage pulled by Matthew on his tractor. We went across the road through gorgeous fields and to a beach overlook. Kathryn and I got to walk along the beach for 15 minutes. “Matthew” was full of information about L.M. Montgomery and her family. This ride was a definite DO NOT MISS for anyone visiting PEI, even those who are not Anne fanatics. (Kathryn agrees!)

The beach was lovely and so entirely peaceful. In fact, “peaceful” is how I would sum up my first two days on PEI. Traffic issues are almost non-existent, people are so kind, everyone is so laid back. Cavendish is about an hour from Charlottetown, so we grabbed something to eat at Captain Scott’s as a late lunch. Even the drive was peaceful. We got take out from another Charlottetown downtown restaurant but weren’t as impressed as we were with Lobster on the Wharf. Another pleasant day on PEI!

We learned that these beautiful yellow fields were blossoming canola fields. Who knew?