Seaglass Daydreams in PEI


Our next day in PEI was jam-packed--when we woke up and saw sun, we knew we needed to rush to a lighthouse. Since our itinerary that day was to visit Dalvay-by-the-Sea (more on that shortly), we decided to visit Covehead Lighthouse, in PEI National Park. It was built in 1967 and has a plaque commemorating the Yankee Gale, a massive storm that sank 74 ships off the coast and claimed over 150 lives. (The sailors are buried at the nearby cemetery, which we also strolled through on a hike.)

 

Poor Elowen still loathed/feared the sand and was desperate to run off the beach as fast as she could. A nice lady offered to take a family picture, though, so we did convince her to briefly stand and smile before she made another break for freedom. 

With clouds once again threatening, we also decided to fit in a whirlwind hike down the Bubbling Springs/Farmlands trail, an interconnected walk that takes you through some woods, past active springs, and even to a small lake. It was pretty muddy from all the rain and the mosquitoes were out in force--prompting a future trip to buy bug spray--but it was still a beautiful walk. I kept up a constant fanning around Elowen to keep her from getting eaten by what seemed like bird-sized mosquitoes. 

Stones in the cemetery where sailors killed in the Yankee Gale are buried.  

It started to rain right as we returned to the car--we clearly are masters of timing. We then made the short ride to Dalvay-by-the-Sea, which stands in in the 1980s Anne of Green Gables movies as the White Sands hotel. It was built in 1896 by Alexander Macdonald, a Scottish immigrant who achieved massive wealth in the oil industry and at one time was even president of the Standard Oil Company with John D. Rockefeller. He named the house after his boyhood home in Scotland, and the lower half is built of Island sandstone; the family furnished it with items purchased during their travels in England, France, Italy, and Egypt. The family later faced financial ruin and sold the home, which started being operated as a hotel in the 1930s.

 

 

 

The hotel is comprised of 25 rooms, some separate cottages, and a restaurant--though we got there a little early, there were photo albums to look through about the hotel's history. You can also see the original sandstone fireplace in one of these pics. 

 

 

 

Not impressed with the wait.

 

 

Wouldn't it be lovely to have tea in this room? 

For lunch, we each had the Lob Cobb with dilly ranch dressing and absolutely fabulous cheddar bay biscuits--huge, warm, gooey with cheese, and brightened by fresh chives. I also had a cocktail called the Dalvay Seaglass, and it was the most beautiful green hue. 

 

 




 The resident Canadian geese on the pond in front of Dalvay...Elowen was a fan but didn't get too close.

Since it wasn't quite naptime when we got back to Charlottetown, we took Elowen to the little playground across from our AirBnB so she could enjoy her beloved slide. I also cracked open a can of the Raspberry Cordial I tracked down--a sparkling vodka beverage developed and released by family of L.M. Montgomery. It was delicious! The name of course is a reference to an incident in Anne of Green Gables where Anne gets her friend Diana drunk on what she thinks is raspberry cordial but is actually wine; and the can even features apple blossoms in the art, a nod to the White Way of Delight.

 

No pictures allowed without me, Mama! Also check out my stylish Dalvay-by-the-Sea hat.

After our family nap and another stop by the slide, we had a dinner reservation at Gahan House, which is a brewpub named after John Gahan, a prominent merchant and importer of wines, teas, and groceries on Prince Edward Island in the 19th century. In fact, the restaurant is his former home! 

 

 

I couldn't decide what sounded best, so we had a gluttonous feast--calamari with chipotle-lime aioli, pretzel bites with queso dip, buttermilk ranch fried chicken with spicy honey, and strawberry shortcake. I also had a bluejay, a cocktail with vanilla vodka, simple syrup, fresh blueberries, and egg white. 

 

 

Those little hands couldn't wait! 

After dinner, we walked to the bay past our AirBnB to watch the sun set, and it was a peaceful and idyllic as it looks. Pure Charlottetown magic. 

 

 


 

 


 And the pictures below...I found more bronze mice, was tickled by a stuffed crab in a fisherman's sweater, visited a monument to all of the Irish settlers who made their way to PEI, and found further confirmation Charlottetown is my perfect place by the fact their local theater was putting on a Sondheim review!


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