Anne, Oh Anne!

So... Tommy did a fairly thorough job of recounting the excitement of Moncton... We had thought that we might spend 2 nights there- but when we realized that we had already hit the towns main attractions, it was back on the road for us. After a hearty, yet early, breakfast at our B&B we set our sights for Prince Edward Island (affectionately known as the home of Anne of Green Gables...) We stopped at both tourist info stations (before and after the bridge)- and the difference between the 2 tells the story quite well. On the New Brunswick side- there was a bird/nature walk and viewing areas of the Confederation Bridge. Once into PEI, the information center was adorned with "Anne" shops galore- accompanied by Irish dancers and tourist girls of all ages in 1900's garb and braids. Welcome to Prince Edward Island! After scanning a book of a billion or so B&B options-- and being shot down by a few cheaper options in Charlottetown- we found a B&B in a nothing town on the southwest coast. Upon arrival to a rather normal looking home close-ish to the sea, we were greeted by the owner-- a Grandmotherly type who finished her basement with a few rooms and added a toilet and shower to her laundry room. Definitely not the most scenic or sought-after B&B on the island- but comfy and clean does the job. After checking out our new temporary abode- we hopped in the car towards Cavendish. Tommy agreed to battle the Japanese tourists at the Green Gables house and I agreed to test my seafood palate at a lobster supper. An exciting day for all!

On our way to Green Gables- we were nearly distracted by all of the other "Anne Museums" and "Avonlea Parks"... but we eventually found the real thing (or fictitiously real as you would have it...). As an avid Anne of Green Gables reader back in the day, and star of my very own high school production back at Tri-Valley- I was excited to see the house that inspired the tale. An added bonus-- we even got to wander the trail through the "Haunted Woods" and stroll down "Lovers Lane". It was all very exciting (at least for me)-- but some of the thrill of the Haunted Woods was constrained by the construction project (or landfill... we're not quite sure) that seemed to be infiltrating the wooded area near Green Gables. After we strolled the grounds- we even browsed the gift shop. To Tommy's disappointment, they didn't sell the "Anne Hats" complete with red braids that he so wanted. Alas-- we're still on the search for a convertible hat or two...

So... after our Anne adventure, we headed to St. Anne's for one of PEI's famous lobster dinners. This one was in the basement of a church. The story goes that their dinners started as a fundraiser for the church's mortgage-- and now they rake in millions of dollars of profit. In the name of charity- we stuffed ourselves full of seafood for the bargain price of 70 bucks. While Tommy got the fanfare of wearing the bib-- I wimped out and opted for the scallops. The mussel appetizer was adventuresome enough for my taste... in fact- I could only stomach a few (even with all the butter and salt). After our stomachs were stuffed-- we headed back to the B&B and even managed to chase down a sunset on the way. After braving the ravaging mosquitos yet again, here we rest in our cozy basement. Tomorrow, we're off to Charlettown where we'll help celebrate the one and only Canada Day. Oh Canada!!