The Traveling Blogcrastinator: Tourist of Green Gables

October 5, 2015

Charlottetown, PEI, Canada

I have to confess that I've never read any of the Anne of Green Gables books, but if I had, I would have known that Anne lived on Prince Edward Island. No AGG marketing opportunity has been overlooked by the residents of PEI.

It's a really charming place. It's got history, Victorian architecture scenery, and a nice small-town feel. People are so courteous here. When they are driving they wait for pedestrians to cross the street. I think it's the law here, but the law doesn't require them to smile at you when they stop to wait for you.

PEI is the "Birthplace of Confederation." In 1864 the Charlottetown Conference gave rise to the creation of Canada three years later.

The city of Charlottetown offers several short walking routes, neatly packaged on a map you can get at the dock. The walks include historic walk, shopping walk, boardwalk walk, and Victorian Row.

We opted for a longer walk - a Volkswalk. Part of the walk follows the Confederation Trail. It is a 470 km "linear park' or "rails-to-trails" route. It is also part of the Trans Canada Trail system. This is indeed a worthy walk.

We passed an agricultural research station/experimental farm. Eventually the trail leads to Victoria Park and the beginning of the boardwalk. You can see a lighthouse, the harbour (Canada doesn't have harbors), and a number of historic buildings, including Province House where the founding fathers met.

St. Dunstan's Basilica, 1913 (High Victorian Gothic Revival)

Inside St. Dunstan's

St. Paul's Anglican Church, 1896 (Gothic Revival)

Inside St. Paul's

Province House

Near the end of the walk we detoured into the central business district and we stumbled upon Cows Ice Cream - the best in the world according to Tauck. They had some tantalizing flavors and a long line.