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I am back from one of the most cup-filling trips in recent memory.
I celebrated a dear friend’s 40th birthday, I saw the sights, I made new friends and, at multiple points, laughed so hard I thought I was going to throw up.
Here is a not-at-all comprehensive list of observations and highlights from my first-timer tour around Nova Scotia/Prince Edward Island.
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The Best Thing I Ate
Hand’s down, it was the oft-recommended lobster roll at Richard’s in Victoria-by-the-Sea, P.E.I.
The much-recommended lobster roll at Richard’s in Victoria-by-the-Sea, PEI
You will have to wait in line. It will cost $33.50. It will be worth it. (Also, Victoria-by-the-Sea is the prettiest little seaside town I ever did see.)
You Should Go In The Ocean
We spent an afternoon on Summerville Beach, N.S., which is known for its turquoise water and soft sand. And, while I had put on my swimsuit, I really had no intention of going into the ocean. But I’m so glad I decided to splash around in the only sort-of-bracing waters of the North Atlantic. It was so fun and I felt so free. Highly recommend.
The Confederation Bridge Is An Engineering Marvel
It really is. Driving on the 12.9-kilometre bridge spanning the Northumberland Strait between P.E.I. and New Brunswick was very cool to this Prairie gal.
And this will interest Winnipeggers: like Portage and Main, the Confederation Bridge was the subject of a plebiscite. Some Islanders were opposed to its construction, worried it would change their way of life.
Ultimately, at the polls, 59.4 per cent of Islanders voted “Yes” to a fixed link between the two provinces. It has been open since 1997. And if you’re headed there soon, the bridge toll has dropped to $20. Elbows up, etc.
A Peek Into Anne Shirley’s Bedroom
I had an emotional moment at Green Gables, visiting Anne Shirley’s bedroom.
Anne Shirley’s bedroom
Of course, it’s not her actual bedroom as she is the fictional redhaired protagonist imagined by author Lucy Maud Montgomery. But the level of detail in her room — her carpet bag, her coveted puffed-sleeved dress, her books — was really moving.
I thought about the story I recently did on the costumed interpreters at Lower Fort Garry, which is also a Parks Canada site, when I met “Anne” and “Diana.” What they do really is a bit of magic.
Also Anne of Green Gables is deeply embedded in the iconography of the island, as you can imagine — so much so that we drove past a business whose logo was, I’m not kidding, a cartoon lobster wearing the Anne hat and braids.
Home Decorating with Maud Lewis
The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax has a permanent exhibit dedicated to the art of Maud Lewis, the celebrated Canadian folk artist (and Nova Scotia native) known for her whimsical story-book paintings of landscapes, animals and tulips.
Maud Lewis’s window
The coolest part of this exhibit, which has been on view since 1998, is her actual house, restored for prosperity in the gallery. Everything was her canvas: her front door, her windows, her stove, her bread box — you name it, she painted it. She was a true maximalist who would be horrified by the idea of “Millennial Grey.”
Seeing Maud’s cheery, art-filled house was an excellent reminder that we have free will. If you want to paint tulips on your stuff, you should.
Don’t Die For An Instagram Photo
A small rant, if you’ll permit: people are absolute menaces at Peggy’s Cove.
Peggy’s Cove is stunning. I understand why it is one of the most photographed places in Canada. I understand why throngs of tourists visit it. What I don’t understand is how willing people are to risk life and limb to get a photo.
Peggy’s Cove (from a respectful distance!!!!)
I, personally, was scared straight by the plaques everywhere that read: “WARNING: Injury and death have rewarded careless sight-seers here. The ocean and rocks are treacherous, savour the sea from a distance.”
People were not savouring the sea from a distance.
People were posing in ways that would absolutely result in injury if someone were to slip. People were fully letting their kids run (!!!) on the rocks. The local wisdom is to avoid the black rocks; now, they have a security person who aggressively blows a whistle at you if you get too far out. But honestly, that terrain is tough. And yes, people have died there, swept away by rogue waves.
The warnings at Peggy’s Cove
Even in the safer places, I felt a bit nervous. As I said to my pal who was crouched down on an incline trying to get me in front of the iconic Peggy’s Cove Lighthouse: “Please do not roll down a hill for a photo that I will almost certainly delete.”
An Underappreciated Gift of Being 40
We almost stayed at a place in PEI that shall remain unnamed and its location undisclosed because I don’t want to drag them too hard on a public forum, but let’s just say they were playing fast and loose with the term “glamping” which is supposed to be a portmanteau of “glam” and “camping,” not a word for “somehow worse than camping.”
We immediately fired up Hotels.com.
Nexties, when I tell you there is no limit to the dollar amount I would’ve thrown at this problem, I’m not kidding. Even if the only room available in the entire region cost $800 and was also in Sackville, New Brunswick, I would say, “Yes, perfect, here is my credit card.”
This is the gift of being grown. As another BFF put it after I recounted this story to her: “You have clarity of your standards and the means to achieve them.” Amen.
We ended up staying in a Days Inn motel that felt like the Ritz and was somehow cheaper than our original accommodations. And you know what? I had the best sleep of the trip that night.
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