August 15: Prince Edward Island

August 15, 2016

We left Baddeck at 7:00 this morning, the Inn still sleeping, except for those of us on the bus.  We who couldn’t get started without coffee found some at a convenience store around the corner.  They didn’t open until 7:00 but the cashier had pity on us.  Early mornings demand some caffeine, especially when it’s cool, foggy, and damp.

An hour or so down the road we stopped at McDonalds for a quick bite or two and then it was back on the bus and onward to the Caribou-Wood Islands Ferry Service for our short ride to Prince Edward Island.  I almost expected to see Anne and Gilbert cruising by in their open buggy on our arrival.

Since we were about a half hour early to the ferry landing most of us exited to either use the porta-johns or stretch our legs. Someone mentioned that there were still some cold cuts left over from yesterday’s picnic, stowed under the bus in an ice-cooler.  So several of us made sandwiches and doled them out, along with the remaining blueberry cake and potato salad.  That’s our Amish heritage coming through: waste not, want not, and all that. 

The vehicles were finally packed in with very little space between them.  We all stayed on the bus until it was parked below decks, then we exited and found whichever spot appealed to us for the half hour trip to the island.  The sky was grey and stormy behind us and blue overhead, more billowing dark clouds beyond them.  The wind was chilly but not unpleasant.  I wandered around on the various decks before finally returning inside when rain advanced toward us from beyond the small patch of blue. 

I had never heard of Cows Creamery before this trip but it seems to be all the rage up here.  Since there was an outlet on board I joined the others in the long line and waited my turn.  I was not disappointed.  The ice-cream was delicious.  Someone told me we would be visiting the actual creamery tomorrow.  Sounds good to me.

Below decks two women were singing folk/celtic songs; they sounded a bit like Alison Krauss. Behind a table a man was handing out free coffee samples for the beans he was selling. Of course I had some.The air was festive and I was anticipating what I believed would be my favorite part of the trip: PEI.

We reached the island in due course and made our way to Charlottetown for an hour to shop.  There were plenty of places to leave our money along a quaint and charming street in the center of town.  I bought a watch and one or two other things I didn’t need. Anne of Green Gables Chocolate Company is another popular local franchise.  With plenty of mouthwatering things to choose from I soon had a bag full of treats to take along.  It is doubtful whether any of these things will survive the journey home; I’m already digging into them at random.  The fox plops are my favorite: potato chips dipped in chocolate. Or heart-attack-on-a-stick.  Whichever.

After we arrived at the hotel a few blocks up the street from the shopping area I discovered my newly acquired watch did not work so I walked back down and exchanged it.  I've notice that people here are very considerate of pedestrians. When I was patiently waiting to dart across, even though there was not crosswalk, a passing car stopped to let me illegally get to the other side.  Only once did I witness any road rage.  Several days ago I heard a man screaming at several walkers that "THERE IS A CROSSWALK.  USE IT!" or something like that.  The puzzling thing was, they were.  Maybe their left foot got outside the lines.  Maybe he had a problem.

We ate supper before leaving for the Charlottetown Arts Center and I once-again chose the pan-fried haddock.  And once-again, it was delicious.  We made it to the theater in good time for the musical of Anne of Green Gables.  Lucy Maud Montgomery made many hours of my childhood more pleasant when she wrote her endearing stories about the fictional red-head and her idyllic town of Avonlea.  I read the books so many times I had many lines from the play memorized.  I’m not sure what it is about the stories that appeals to so many people.  But appeal to them, it does.  The musical was not a disappointment.