We set our alarm today so we could be at Argyle Shores (on the Central Coast trail along the Northumberland Strait) before low tide (9:30am) so we could enjoy the beautiful beach and cliffs. It was a WINDY day island-wide, but that did not diminish the amazing views. Here is a video - you can hear the wind!
Some pics as well......
The "bakery" we found the other day is at the entrance to the road into the park ~ unfortunately it was closed today. 😕
However, we (mostly Brad) ended up talking with a friendly Provincial Park employee who gave him/us lots of restaurant recommendations!
We then made our way east to Rocky Point to the Fort Amherst National Historic Site, original established in 1720. There are great views of Charlottetown across the Charlottetown Harbour......
A short walk takes one to two lighthouses.....
(No idea why this one is in the trees.......)
So some history about PEI and its inhabitants (courtesy of Google):
The first known inhabitants were the Mi'kmaq, who have lived in the region for thousands of years. They call the island Epekwitk, meaning "lying on the waves." They hunted, fished, gathered plants, and traveled seasonally by canoe. The Mi'kmaq continue to live on Prince Edward Island today.
In 1534, French explorer Jacques Cartier visited the area. By the early 1700s, French settlers established farming communities and named the island Île Saint-Jean. Many settlers were Acadians.
During the Seven Years' War, Britain captured the island in 1758. Many Acadians were deported, though some later returned. In 1769, the island became a separate British colony and was renamed Prince Edward Island in 1799 after Prince Edward, Duke of Kent and Strathearn.
Throughout the 1800s, immigrants from Scotland, Ireland, and England settled on the island. Farming, fishing, and shipbuilding became the main industries. Prince Edward Island became especially well known for growing potatoes.
In 1864, Charlottetown hosted the famous Charlottetown Conference, which helped start discussions that led to Canada becoming a country. However, Prince Edward Island did not join Canada until 1873, several years after Confederation began in 1867.
We continued down the road a bit and came upon this lighthouse with its amazing views......
...it is currently being renovated by the Mi'kmaq and will be an Airbnb. Sign us up!!!! 😃
We then (of course) were hungry and headed back to (we were here last week) Victoria-by-the-Sea to go to one of the restaurants that Friendly-Provincial-Park-Employee-Guy gave us, and we ended up at Landmark Oyster House ....
...and shared a very generous portion of Crusted Pan-Fried Haddock with new potatoes, maple glazed carrots, homemade tartar sauce, and a good tangy slaw. It was fabulous! (Better than the one we had in Maine!) 😋
They also offer a tasting menu of oysters like a wine bar - with descriptions of the flavors and tasting notes!
We then drove to Matos Vineyard and Winery for a wine tasting.
There were tons of friendly people there also wine tasting - a lovely couple from Quebec and a trio of women from the west side of the island - we all shared places to go, eat, drink, and enjoy PEI. We really liked their chardonnay (and we rarely like chardonnays), their rosé, and their Anisette ~ an anise flavoured liquor. (We have a lot to drink before crossing the border back to the US 😂....legally we can each only bring one liter of wine into the US from Canada....)
So it ended up being somewhat of an unexpected day. When we left the house at 8:30am, Brad said something along the line of, "I think it will be a short, maybe a couple hour, day." We got home around 3pm. 😊
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