After falling in love with Anne of Green Gables at the better-late-than-never age of 30, I knew I needed to make a pilgrimage to PEI and soon. My BFF happens to have deep family roots in PEI and she wanted to visit her grandmother out there but was afraid to do the long drive alone and her husband wasn't able to get the time off work. Well, one thing lead to another and before we knew it, Morgan and I and our combined 5 kids had rented a minivan and were heading East. What an adventure! Such an adventure that it took me 10 months to gather my thoughts and share them here apparently ;)
As with my obsession with all-things-Anne at a more mature age than the average reader, it's never too late, right? So here are the photos of a truly precious week in PEI. Morgan now has a third child and we likely won't make that trip again for many years (if ever), so I'm cherishing these pictures and the memories we made in a place known for red sand, rocky beaches, salty lobster, friendly neighbours, and of course, Anne.
We stayed with Morgan's grandmother and we mostly hung around with her amazing extended family, many of whom are lobster fishermen and potato farmers. Alberton, PEI is where her family calls home, and we didn't roam very far from the little town. We visited the beaches a few times which were amazing for exploring and playing - too cold to swim in though! The kids played in the tide and we looked for sea glass and loved being so off the grid (her grandma doesn't have internet and there was no wifi anywhere to be found! It was kind of amazing).
Since it was Canada's 150th anniversary, all of the parks were free to enter which was very cool. Going to Green Gables Heritage Place was the very highest highlight. Exploring the home that inspired L M Montgomery when she wrote about Matthew and Marilla and their orphan girl Anne, and then meeting and interacting with the actors that portray all of our favourite characters from the books... it was just the best day! The girl who was playing Anne that day was so incredibly accurate that I had goosebumps! She asked our kids their names and said to Lily, "oh Lily, what's it like to be named after a flower? I'm just boring old Anne, but at least my name has an 'e' at the end!". I literally cried, which is super lame I know, but I couldn't help it! And Morgan asked her for a selfie with us and hugged her, too! It was the best day and so hilarious!
As with my obsession with all-things-Anne at a more mature age than the average reader, it's never too late, right? So here are the photos of a truly precious week in PEI. Morgan now has a third child and we likely won't make that trip again for many years (if ever), so I'm cherishing these pictures and the memories we made in a place known for red sand, rocky beaches, salty lobster, friendly neighbours, and of course, Anne.
We stayed with Morgan's grandmother and we mostly hung around with her amazing extended family, many of whom are lobster fishermen and potato farmers. Alberton, PEI is where her family calls home, and we didn't roam very far from the little town. We visited the beaches a few times which were amazing for exploring and playing - too cold to swim in though! The kids played in the tide and we looked for sea glass and loved being so off the grid (her grandma doesn't have internet and there was no wifi anywhere to be found! It was kind of amazing).
Since it was Canada's 150th anniversary, all of the parks were free to enter which was very cool. Going to Green Gables Heritage Place was the very highest highlight. Exploring the home that inspired L M Montgomery when she wrote about Matthew and Marilla and their orphan girl Anne, and then meeting and interacting with the actors that portray all of our favourite characters from the books... it was just the best day! The girl who was playing Anne that day was so incredibly accurate that I had goosebumps! She asked our kids their names and said to Lily, "oh Lily, what's it like to be named after a flower? I'm just boring old Anne, but at least my name has an 'e' at the end!". I literally cried, which is super lame I know, but I couldn't help it! And Morgan asked her for a selfie with us and hugged her, too! It was the best day and so hilarious!
Because of our connections with local farmers, our city kids got quite the education! We visited uncle Troy and Luke as they were cutting grain with the big tractors and the kids got to ride along. Chloe has a blast playing in the hay! Just looking at her made me itchy, lol! They we stopped by at uncle Troy's (Luke's dad) to see the cows at their house. We also visited a dairy farm and we got to see a three day old cow!
And for those asking, the drive wasn't so bad! Being with your long distance BFF made it so fun. We had a lot of catching up to do and we tend to be long winded when we're together anyway (sorry kids!). Until next time, PEI.
Aside from Green Gables, we just lived life in PEI instead of in Montreal and Toronto respectively. That's my favourite way to travel - sinking into the local culture. We got ice cream and went thrift shopping and had naps and cooked dinner and baked birthday cakes and went to church. It was absolutely lovely and I recommend PEI to anyone who hasn't been! What really struck me was the Island feel of PEI. They really do feel separate from the rest of Canada in some way - which is saying something considering I live in Quebec! They have a unique and completely charming accent and they say "on PEI" instead of "in PEI" when asking how long you've been there. Literally everyone we met, be it at the grocery store, the cafes, church, you name it, was kind, welcoming, and unpretentious. At Sunday school Lily mentioned that it was her birthday to a classroom full of strangers, and wouldn't you know, someone ran out and bought her a birthday cake and candles to celebrate. People aren't just that way anywhere! Canada may be the world's nicest country (or so I hear when we're traveling), but PEI is definitely the country's nicest province.
I'd love to visit PEI one day. It looks so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteA dream come true for you. A hope for me to do one day!! So amazing!
ReplyDelete+Victoria+
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