CHARLOTTETOWN PEI

So, have you ever had chocolate covered potato chips?  Neither had we, but we have now.  We found them to be somewhat of an interesting, salty-sweet and rich treat, a favorite of people at our next stop – Prince Edward Island.  

We arrived in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island on the 15^th of August after driving over a really ‘BIG’ bridge.  Overlooking the full expanse of the Northumberland Straight, PEI’s Confederation Bridge (13 km), brings you to the green fields and red roads of the island.  Built in 1997, it has become one of PEI’s most known icons. Most people are surprised to learn it is the longest bridge in the world over water that freezes which posed unique engineering challenges.   This picture is from the New Brunswick side.

and mid span approaching PEI

and from the PEI side looking south.

We arrived in time for “Old Home Week” which, since 1888, Islanders and visitors alike travel to Charlottetown to take part in a vast array of fun, educational and community activities.  There is a great parade and the Gold Cup and Saucer Race.  Since the early 1960s, this has been considered one of the most celebrated harness racing events in Eastern Canada. As a culmination of Old Home Week, the fastest horses and most skilled drivers compete in 15 racing programs in nine days.  You can see the races on YouTube.  They also have the largest parade outside of the winter carnival in Quebec complete with pipe bands, big floating balloons and dozens of floats.  Here is the RCMP Pipe and Drum Corps.

a float featuring the film "Alladin",

and an unusual but excellent parade band.

We met one of Kerry’s co-workers who has lived on the island for several years and got some great tips on where to go for sightseeing and where to find the little out-of-the-way restaurants where the BEST chowders could be found which Susan really enjoyed.  They also took us to some outdoor concerts put on by the youth actors from the Confederation Centre of the Arts.

We drove the island from one end to the other and were fascinated as we came into small towns that boasted of being settled in the 1700’s, such as the County seat of Georgetown in 1763.  One of the things we commented on over and over was the absolute cleanliness of the Island’s towns and individual homes.  As well,  almost every farmyard and house in the countryside was flying a flag.  We saw more flags in PEI on private homes/yards than we’ve seen across Canada. 

We had a chance to visit Green Gables, the famed home of Anne.  Anne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908.  The book is set in 1878, where Montgomery found her inspiration for the book on an old piece of paper that she had written at a young age, describing a couple that were mistakenly sent an orphan girl instead of a boy, yet decided to keep her. Montgomery also drew upon her own childhood experiences in rural Prince Edward Island.  We visited the farmhouse from which the stories originated (Green Gables) as well as "Anne’s home" she grew up in.  Lucy Maud, was married in 1911 on the grass of her uncle’s home, the home she used for Anne of Green Gables.  We also had a chance to walk down "Lover's Lane",  through the "Haunted Woods" and over "Dyrad's Bubble" (for those of you who may know the books).

One of the biggest draws to PEI has to be the beaches and their dozens of lighthouses.  We drove around and visited several beaches on all sides of the island and just had to dip our feet into the Atlantic Ocean after only two months ago, dipping into the Pacific Ocean.

We also visited a lighthouse on each end of the island and were fascinated by the research Wind Farm run by the Government of Canada.  They currently estimate almost all of PEI’s power needs are met solely by these windmills.  In this picture you can see the lighthouse from the far southern shore of the Island which looks out onto New Brunswick across the channel.  The little building to the right is where, on dark night, the night radio operator who was on one of the brand new radios build by the new inventor Marconi, heard the first calls for help from the S.S.Titanic.  He passed them on to HQ in Charlottetown as the rescue began.  This lighthouse has since been decommissioned and replaced by the new electronic systems.

This one is on the very north west corner of the Island, next to the wind farms and is still in full operation.

This one is on the very north east corner of the Island, next to the wind farms and is still in full operation.

The real draw to PEI though, is its red dirt.  The coastline consists of a combination of long beaches, dunes, red sandstone cliffs, saltwater marshes and numerous bays and harbours. The beaches, dunes and sandstone cliffs consist of sedimentary rock and other material with a high iron concentration.  The dirt oxidizes upon exposure to the air and the red dirt is born.  A favorite among tourists is the Red Dirt Shirt, which is a white T-shirt that is dyed using just the island’s dirt.  It is really unique.

Prince Edward Island is steeped in history and heritage and for the week we were there, we experienced a lot of this first hand.  It was in 1769 the Island was officially detached from the administration of Nova Scotia and given its own Governor and civil administration.  In 1773 the first Parliament of Prince Edward Island met in a local tavern.  Today, Province House is where the Prince Edward Island Legislature, known as the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island, meets and has met since 1847. 

Historically, Prince Edward Island is known as the "Birthplace of Confederation" because the capital city, Charlottetown, is where the idea of Canada was born.  The story is that the administrators of the areas of New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI were going to meet in early 1863 to discuss if there might be positive feelings for them to unit and form a union where they might all benefit from the wealth and produce of the three areas.  Upon hearing of this meeting being held in Charlottetown, Sir John A. MacDonald and other noted Canadians from Upper and Lower Canada invited themselves to the meeting.  They arrived on the steamship “Queen Victoria” one morning but found no one there to greet them.  It appeared that the entire town, including the governor and his staff had gone to see the Circus that had just arrived in town.  One clerk however, who volunteered to meet the Canadians, rowed out to the ship and welcomed the Canadians to town.  We even walked up the same road from the docks to Province House these delegates walked up so many years ago.  This picture looks down from Province House to the docks where the ships still arrive.

and this is Province House.

What happened after at Province House that week was they all met and discussed a vision of a united country that would reflect and respect the culture, language and diversity of the land.  They were under some haste due to the United States colonization drive of the same land. Later the t16 delegates from the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, who had agreed at the close of the Charlottetown Conference to meet again at Quebec City (at the Old Parliament Building) October 1864 met and conceived the idea of forming a country called Canada.  Later in 1866, a third Conference, held in London was held and from those meetings the final draft of the British North America Act was agreed to and on July 1, 1867 Canada was born.  We had a chance to tour Province House and the actual room where the meetings took place.

Our friends also took us to the evening light show at Province House.  This is where an interactive movie is actually shown on the entire back of the Parliament.  It was really fascinating to watch the entire Canadian story projected onto the back of the huge building.   Here the show depicts the arrival of the Queen Victoria at the Charlottetown harbour.

All in all, a most beautiful place to visit.  We had a chance to visit some of the churches in Charlottetown including this one,  Trinity United, which was built in 1778.

Some landscape shots to finish off with.

Next, off to Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia.

OTTAWA

Ottawa has been described as one of the most beautiful capitals in the world. Less than an hour's drive from the American border, Ottawa enjoys the attributes of a major center for the visual and performing arts, as well as other big city attractions. Yet, it still maintains the accessibility, atmosphere and charm of a smaller city, in addition to access to spectacular park and wilderness areas located within and around the city.  It met all of these characteristics for us and a great deal more. 

We arrived August 7^th and after settling in we headed out to begin a week of visiting a lot of the Nation’s capital hot spots, historic and otherwise.  One of the oldest landmarks in Ottawa, the Rideau Canal is filled with boats in the summer and becomes the "World's Longest Skating Rink" in the winter.  We drove over the canal many times and even managed to find the locks which connect the City to the Ottawa River.  It is between the Chateau Frontenac and the Parliament Buildings.

We began with a visit to Rideau Hall.  At 1 Sussex Drive, this estate is the official residence of Canada's Governor General.  We took a tour of the residence accompanied by a guide-interpreter, and discovered the 19th century elegance of the home where Canada welcomes world leaders and honors the accomplishments of Canadians.  This is where presentations of the Order of Canada are done. This is the home and workplace of every governor general since Confederation in 1867.  Today, the governor general represents the Queen in Canada, acts as head of State and is the commander-in-chief of Canada.  The residence is home to a magnificent collection of Canadian Art and furniture.  The grounds are huge, 32 hectares (79 acres) in all.  There are more than 10,000 trees on the grounds, some older than Confederation and many have been planted by visiting Heads of State.  We found ones planted by Nelson Mandela, John F. Kennedy and a host of other members of the Royal Family and other Presidents.  There is a changing of the guard ceremony every hour where a military honor guard is marched in by a piper to take their posts at either side of the entrance to the Hall.  These soldiers are members of the Governor General's Foot Guards from Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards from Montreal and wear the big furry hats (weighing 31 pounds).   We happened to visit on a very hot day and felt very bad for each guard standing in a hot suit and hat in the hot sun and not moving for an entire hour!

After Rideau Hall, we went visited many other places, including the Canadian War Museum.  An amazing display tracing Canada’s military history from 1885 including the South African, First and Second World War, the Cold War, Peacekeeping and other recent conflicts.  The special exhibition this week was war and medicine, which explores the uneasy and evolving relationship between warfare and the medical profession over the last 150 years.  There were also military vehicle demonstrations where some of the tanks and vehicles in the museums collection were driven around an outside course.   This photo is of Hitler's Munich limo which is currently in the Museum.

Another museum was the National Gallery of Canada.  Dating back to 1880, this visual arts museum holds in trust a collection of European and Canadian paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings and photos.  The special exhibit was entitled “Caravaggio and His Followers in Rome”, a major international loan exhibition of approximately 60 works that brings the genius of Caravaggio to Canada for the first time and marks the 400th anniversary of his death.  We found his paintings to be exceptionally vibrant and very life like – quite amazing, considering when they were painted.  

Across the street was the Notre Dame Cathedral and Basilica.  The first plan for the construction dates from 1839. The work on the building's structure was conducted between 1841 and 1865, and the interior ornamentation, from 1876 to 1885.  It was simply amazing.

We also visited the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.  Here we explored the history of aviation through some of the 120 aircraft in the museum's collection along the “Walkway of Time".  Interactive exhibits, workshops, demonstrations, and films complemented the exhibitions. The aircraft and exhibits in the Canada Aviation and Space Museum were arranged to guide a visitor along a “Walkway of Time” that traced the history of aviation and highlighted Canada’s contributions.

We took a lot of time at Parliament Hill.  Parliament is the heart of Canada's democratic system. Canadians' representatives meet on Parliament Hill to make laws that shape the country's future and affect the lives of every citizen. Parliament Hill is a place for national decision-making of course. It is also a place for people. Visitors are welcome to tour the buildings, view Parliament in action, and enjoy public programs and colorful spectacles, such as the ceremonial Changing the Guard ceremony.

This is the House of Commons (the green chamber):

This is the Senate (the red chamber):

We also visited the Royal Canadian Mint.  We saw over $1 million worth of gold bullion on display. Producing coins since 1908, this excellent collecting resource features gold, silver and platinum coins commemorating Canada's heritage.  It was a short tour but really worth while.  This is the sister Mint to the one in Winnipeg, which makes all of the currency we use day to day in Canada.  Susan managed to get her hands on a brick of solid gold - worth $700,000, but we had to give it back.

Of course, no visit to Ottawa is possible without visiting the RCMP Musical Ride.  Visiting the RCMP stables was possibly the most memorable visit of all the sites in Ottawa which included visits with the horses (the main Ride was out of town) and the Landau that has been used for over a hundred years for visiting dignitaries and just last week for William and Kate during their visit to Charlottetown.

One of the things we just had to do was going through the Byward Market or the Market, as locals know it.  The historic ByWard Market is a colorful mosaic of farmers' market stalls, shops, galleries, cafés and clubs just east of Parliament Hill. It's a popular place during the day for strolling and shopping, or at night for an evening's entertainment.   This traditional farmers' market surrounds a two-floor building of boutiques and features some fine restaurants as well as numerous places to grab a snack or a glass of wine or beer.  Another major draw is the Sparks Street Mall.  It is an outdoor pedestrian mall along about five blocks of Sparks Street, which runs parallel to Wellington Street a block south of Parliament Hill.  The street is closed to vehicle traffic.  At the start of the Mall is not only one of the very best Irish Pubs I have ever found, it is also the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.   The three-tiered sarcophagus it is 12 feet long, 8 feet wide and 3 feet high.

Just a two-minute walk west of the Parliament Buildings on Wellington Street stands the Supreme Court of Canada. Completed in 1946, the impressively bold structure is crowned with the green copper roofing that has become a symbol of the nation's capital.  We had a chance to visit the actual courtroom of the Supreme Court, which often is only seen, on TV for anyone other than those who live in the Capital. We were quite amazed with the level of technology that is incorporated into each session with each lawyer having immediate access to the Internet; this allows them instantaneous information gathering during a session and additions or changes to their presentation.

We also visited the Museum of Civilization in Hull, Quebec.  It was simply amazing.  We saw how civilization changed over 1,000 years of history through life-size reconstructions.  The presentations used real people in history, not necessarily well known individuals, which allowed us to become acquainted with some of the remarkable individuals who have shaped our nation, and explore the traditions and achievements of its First Peoples.   It was really interesting wandering through each exhibit as it travelled through the generations from the earliest BC coastal natives through the French development of New France.  The ships were full size, the buildings occupied with actors in costume and all of this was indoors.  It took us almost a full day just to go through the four floors of exhibits, including the Canada Post Museum.

The Canada Agriculture Museum was another stop.  This is living proof of the "Green Capital". In fact, Ottawa is the only world Capital that has a working farm at its heart. Canada's unique agricultural heritage is featured at the Canada Agriculture Museum, where one can explore the sights and sounds of typical farm life. The Agriculture Museum is located across the Rideau Canal from Carleton University at the Central Experimental Farm.

We tried to get in to see the Prime Minister at his home at 24 Sussex but it seemed he was down in Brazil so couldn’t buy us lunch, but we did have a quick look around his home, albeit from the street and through many serious looking Mounties.  In truth, the residence is a stone mansion that is barely visible through the densely treed lot.  The home was bought by the government in 1943 and became the official residence for the Prime Minister in 1951.

We visited the new RCMP Headquarters and had a chance to have a wonderful visit with my co-workers.  It was certainly nice to catch up and see them all again.


On the 14^th we left Ottawa and began our trip to the East Coast.  We are going to be back in Ottawa in early September after we visit Quebec as there are still some things we haven't seen and others we want to visit again.


We headed east and drove through Montreal and on to the east shore of the St. Laurence River.  In some areas, we thought we’d already reached the sea the river was so wide.  We went through Levis, Quebec and then on to Edmundston, New Brunswick where we spent the night.  The next day we headed on to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.   The boys are doing well, certainly learning how to travel with us.