Prince Edward Island

Docked at the Silver Fox Yacht & Curling Club, we made Summerside, PEI our base for touring the island. PEI, named for the father of Queen Victoria, is famous for its potatoes and mussels and we agree that they have the best of both. The soil on PEI is a rich, red color, perfect for agriculture, and the islanders have made the most of it by planting acres of potato fields, covering the rolling hills with lush vegetation. The author of the novel "Anne of Greene Gables" lived on PEI and we toured the home and farm made famous by the book.

Charlottetown, the capital of the province, is considered to be the birthplace of Canada because the Fathers of the Confederation convened there in 1864 to consider the details of a union that resulted in the formation of Canada 3 years later. Charlottetown is a pretty town. We walked the streets, visited the Provincial House and tried their famous "Cows" ice cream and chocolate covered PEI potato chips -- YUM! Margaret was feeling a little under the weather that day. At lunch she decided to have just a little something; maybe just a hamburger with some vegetables...

Mussels are farmed in the bays and rivers of Prince Edward Island. We were able to see the harvesting operation in action near Montague, PEI where we stopped on our way to Cape Breton. Sheila and Darryl manage Montague Marina and they brought us a HUGE bowl of freshly dug and cooked mussels. Another culinary delight! They were the best mussels we have ever eaten and they cooked them right on the dock in a big turkey fryer!

The third most popular product of PEI is oysters. The oysters from the town of Malpeque were chosen "the tastiest oyster in the world" at the 1900 Paris exhibition. Yes, 1900.

Prince Edward Island is connected to New Brunswick by the 8-mile long Confederation Bridge. Built in 1997, it is designed like a Roman aqueduct. It is free to cross the bridge from NB to PEI but the toll to leave the island is $47 !! Why so much? Because that is what the ferry charged when it used to cross the Strait.