After visiting the “Cabot Trail” in the north of Nova Scotia, it was time to say goodbye to Maren. So we drove back to Halifax and dropped her off at the airport. While Maren was waiting for her flight back to Germany, Raghu and I continued to the small town of Caribou, where we wanted to take the ferry to Prince Edward Island (PEI). With still an hour left before departure we cooked some dinner, but had to eat it before it was fully cooked as it took longer than expected.
We arrived at Dave and Anne’s place late at night, but were still greeted warmly. They are the parents of Sarah, our former exchange student, and had invited us to visit them on the island. Both of them had taken the next day off to show us the highlights of Canada’s most densely populated province. We started next door, where we introduced Raghu to “strawberry u-pick”. Needless to say that he was very excited about it and almost got a strawberry overdose.
On our way to the easternmost point of PEI we stopped at the “Basin Head Provincial Park”. The attraction here is not only the crystal clear water and the fine red sand, but also the fact that walking on the beach creates funny noises. This lead to the nickname of “Singing sands”. Locals love this place for its steep harbour walls, which are used for jumping off. Lifeguards keep an eye on everyone, although it’s not meant for jumping.
At East Point another lighthouse was waiting for us. It was already relocated once due to the eroding of the coastline. Pretty close by is small sign warning about the “end of the world”, possibly referring to the crumbling cliffs and the sheer endless ocean stretching all the way to the horizon. However, when we turned around it was also marked as the “beginning of the world”, as if the island was waiting for us to explore some more. Clearly someone has thought this through!
Close to Greenwich we decided to go for a small hike through lush fields full of blooming wild flowers at the westernmost part of the “PEI National Park”. As we continued, the trail led across a newly renovated floating boardwalk through a landscape of dunes, lakes and low shrubs. Once we reached the ocean we had the beach almost to ourselves, just a handful of people were within sight. The only thing that kept us from jumping into the waves were the numerous jellyfish floating around, enjoying the warm currents.
The next day, Dave and Anne had to pack for their camping trip, so Raghu and I set off on our own. We made our first stop in New Glasgow, where the “PEI Preserve Company” is located. We went inside and watched how jams and chocolate covered chips were made while trying the large selection of salsa and jam. The tourists are brought here in bus loads, but it definitely offers nice souvenirs and gifts for everyone.
Not too far away lies the famous Cavendish, where Lucy Maud Montgomery spent her childhood and got the inspiration for her well-known novel “Anne of Green Gables”. Montgomery used to live here in the late 19th century on a small farm with her relatives. The building is still standing and has been turned into a museum, neatly furnished with items as described in her book and from that period.
After visiting the farm and the surroundings, including little hikes with fanciful names such as “Haunted Woods” or “Lovers Lane”, we left this busy place in search for the picturesque rocks we had seen in a brochure. However, we didn’t find them, but instead found little fishing houses, churches and a beach with relatively few jellyfish at “Cabot Beach Provincial Park”. This was our chance to get into the water, which felt even warmer than last time we had tried it in the north of Nova Scotia!
