Pictou to PEI With Pictures

We left from Pictou, Nova Scotia via ferry to Prince Edward Island. The difference between PEI and Nova Scotia was bigger than I expected. We left red granite for red sand and rolling hills. PEI grows 25% of the potatoes eaten in Canada! The pace is slow and laid back. We heard from a number of people from Nova Scotia that they vacation in PEI for the slower pace.  Slower than Nova Scotia?!

Our ferry arriving -seen through the loading ramp

First on!!

Red sands of Prince Edward Island

Cape Bear Lighthouse

The Cape Bear Lighthouse and Marconi Station is significant because this is the first location to receive a mayday signal from a ship at sea using telegraph. The ship? Titanic.  Note the Halifax became the hub for survivors and victims of the Titanic disaster. There is a cemetery of the victims in Halifax.

PEI is flat!

Fishing and more fishing.  We stopped at roadside food truck for lobster roll. Was the best!

trying a Hanopie-goat cheese, tomato

enjoyed their beers

 More beer discoveries along the way. Copper Bottom was a nice place to visit, it was sunny, food was good, beer delicious.

 We spent the night at Cavendish Beach, a busy summer vacation location, but less busy after a hurricane and the tail end of summer. The beaches were beautiful and we found an amazing restaurant Blue Mussel Cafe that required us to wait 1 1/2 hours, even when the tourists had pretty  much left the area!

unisex bathroom

not sure if this is a statement

sun starting to set at docks

wharf area set up for tourists, but empty now

sunset at N Rustico while we WAITED for opening for dinner at Blue Mussel

Charlottetown is the capital of PEI and a big port city where cruise ships seem to take over when they arrive. We escaped the port and wandered around, seeing a few interesting art installations and colorful buildings.

I thought this guy had personality

one of the oldest buildings in town

impressive dead crow made of tires

Odd carving outside church entrance 

Charlottetown cathedral

original homes across from cathedral

interesting architecture

a view from our walk

red sand cliffs - constantly eroding

We walked along some of the coastline before driving through the island to make our way to the  Confederation Bridge connecting PEI with New Brunswick. This only opened in 1997. Before that, people relied on ferries.

red beach sands

flat farmland - hay for animals or potatoes for humans

This is what inland PEI looks like

farmland with modern vacation homes now built on the coast

St. Marys

Churches on PEI had a distinctive style. St. Mary's is considered the best example of French Gothic influence. It was built in 1902.

PEI has created a Disney-like visitor village of restaurants and souvenir shops at their end of the bridge. New Brunswick has kept their end natural with hiking trails, a nature center and even a tower to view the area - but all done in a rustic, conservation-oriented way.

View of the bridge from New Brunswick