Throughout my travels, I’ve met a lot of people with fond memories of Prince Edward Island. P.E.I. , as it’s most commonly referred to, is the smallest province in Canada in both population and land area. It’s famous for it’s lush green landscape, calm seas and red dirt. Farming dominates the economy and P.E.I. produces 25% of Canada’s potatoes.
The late author, Lucy Maud Montgomery describes the beauty of P.E.I. in her 1908 novel, Anne of Green Gables. That novel and her subsequent ones about Anne still draw tourists from all over the world to the island. Canadian tourists and part time residents also come to the island in summer to spend some quality time with their family or friends.
I happened to have an opportunity to spend this past summer on P.E.I and now understand why it’s so linked to summer, visiting and relaxing in so many Canadian minds. While there are interesting lighthouses, beaches, sights and towns, what makes trips to P.E.I. special is people come here without a full or fixed agenda. That allows time for exploring, visiting and relaxing. And what people end up remembering is their nice walk, drive, meal, time playing, more than any place. And as I reflect back, it’s the wonderful people that I spent time with that made that summer one of the nicest in my memory.
Unlike some places, where it’s advisable to miss the high season for tourism, that’s not the case for P.E.I. The island has very little good weather and that’s in summer and a lot of the sights and restaurants are only open during those months too.
Summer unfortunately does end and one thing that I noticed about P.E.I is year round residents have it tough. Work opportunities and things to do are limited, expenses are high and there’s little diversity. It also takes quite a bit of time and money to get off the island.
If you want a slice of summer, P.E.I. is a great place to experience it!
Great photos! I especially like that shot of the lupins overlooking the water. Really makes me miss the east coast.