Travel tips for Montreal and PEI

[Finnice]

Dear fellow FSU:ers. I will attend to my best friend´s wedding in Montreal in the beginning of July, and, before that, will be spending five days in Prince Edvard Island. I am a lifelong fan of Lucy Maud Montgomery´s work, especially the Emily series and the Blue Castle.

So, all good advice, restaurants, sightseeing, museums and also crazy random things, is appreciated by me. In PEI, I will be alone, in a seaside hotel east to Charlottetown, I will probably rent a car. In Montreal, I will stay near the center and near my friend´s and his husband to be´s house.
Thank you beforehand. If you ever will come to Finland, I shall help as much as I can!

[Cheylana]

I don't have anything good to contribute, I've been to Montreal but as a kid and remember nothing useful to you. But I'll be keeping an eye on this thread, as I really want to travel to PEI and see Montreal again! Good luck with your trip planning!

[Reuven]

Last time I was in PEI was back in 1970, no bridge then, 45 minute ferry ride. The spot I remember most is Tignish Shore. Back then it was pretty quiet. We were there late July and I have pictures of the place. Only a couple of other people on the beach. It’s probably changed since I imagine the bridge has made access easier, but it was a splendidly lonely spot back then.

[rjblue]

I don't know how much driving you want to do on PEI but the drive from Charlottetown to Souris/Red Point takes you past one of the best roadside Fish and Chip joints in the world. And the beaches at Red Point are less crowded and warmer than the Cavendish area's, and the singing sand is unique and really lovely.

[overedge]

I used to live in PEI, so PM me if you have specific questions (or want a LOT of detail )

If you like Montgomery's work, I am sure you will go to Green Gables itself. It has been made way too touristy in the last few years IMHO but it is still worth a visit. But you also must go to the other Anne museum which the Campbell family runs on the north shore. It is smaller but much better. You can also go to Montgomery's birthplace in New London which has her wedding dress and a few other interesting items.

The newest Anne-related attraction is Avonlea Village in Cavendish. It is a complete tourist trap, and it is to the PEI heritage community because the owners bought buildings from all over the island and shipped them there and reconstructed them. The site was an empty field before, so it is a totally fake village. See it if you must, but it is completely artificial and I think you can get a much better sense of PEI from visiting actual villages which you don't have to pay to get into.

[kwanfan1818]

The food in Montreal is

You will have a wonderful time, Finnice!

Congratulations to your friend and his husband-to-be

[Jojo]

Two words: Shwartz's Deli. In Montreal. 3895 St-Laurent Blvd. The BEST smoked meat in the world. The place is a bit dodgy, service abrupt. Food comes quickly, and they'll roll their eyes at you if you order the smoked meat lean. It needs a bit of fat to be the tastiest possible.

Enjoy. I'm drooling as I write. And if you're concerned about getting a taste of it and never being able to enjoy it again, they ship worldwide.

[Dave of the North]

I don't know how much driving you want to do on PEI but the drive from Charlottetown to Souris/Red Point takes you past one of the best roadside Fish and Chip joints in the world. And the beaches at Red Point are less crowded and warmer than the Cavendish area's, and the singing sand is unique and really lovely.

I will try Rick's when I go there this summer. I agree, Red Point is great. Our family camped there for several years starting in 1966. Basin Head is a fabulous beach. (though because of storms sometime part of the beach will be rocky, another year it will be sandy)

The old home of Senator Montgomery is across the way from the Campbell place. It was open for tours a few years back. It did have some of LMM's possessions.

Cow's ice cream - expensive but good.

Lots of craft shops on PEI. When we were there last year I zoned out after about three of them so my wife and brother went to a bunch of them.

Dunes gallery - eclectic selection

[kwanfan1818]

service abrupt. Food comes quickly, and they'll roll their eyes at you if you order the smoked meat lean.

The Montreal equivalent of Soup Nazi, but worth it

[Lothlorien]

There is a fantastic seafood place in Charlottetown - a corner shop very close to the Museum of Confederation (or however that was called... errr...). It's kind of on a diagonal from there and the decor is old registration plates. Delicious, delicious lobster and everything else. Edit: it's called Water-Prince Corner Shop.
The museum itself is also quite informative and not boring at all.

Most of the LMM stuff has been mentioned. Anne of Green Gables museum at the old Park Corner house is great. One more I can think of is the Bideford Parsonage, which was one of the places she had taught at. Well worth a visit.

I found Green Gables a little bit too touristy, but the two walks that go from there are lovely... one way you can walk to where LMM's own house had stood (and also to the old Cavendish post office and there is a nice bookstore on the grounds as well). The other way is the Lovers Lane way, I think. It will be beautiful there, especially this time of the year.

Blue Winds Tea Room comes highly, highly highly recommended. It's ran by a lovely Japanese couple, the food is great and the desserts - to die for.

Lastly, I do recommend a visit to PEI National Park. The area close to Green Gables is beautiful, and I really enjoyed the walk through the dune system in Greenwich, though that's a bit further off.

What I enjoyed the most was the scenery and nature - it is such a beautiful place. Taking some quiet moments to enjoy and take it all in is a must for a LMM fan, I think.

~

PS: It is possible to see (albeit just from the distance) the New Moon Farm. I'm a big Emily series fan and made sure to track it. The ladies at the museum in Park Corner were very helpful with this, explaining how to get there. Still got lost but eventually made it there through potato fields. It was disappointing, to be honest, nowhere near as grand and beautiful as in the books, and the house itself seemed in poor condition and uninhabited. But then more than a century has passed, it must have been a splendid farm in its heyday. I can't explain how to get there, but if you are interested, do ask at the Park Corner museum - they also have a picture so you'll know what you're looking for.

~

And I keep on remembering more...
There is one more museum which was closed for renovation at the time of my visit 2 years ago. It is on the opposite hill from the Park Corner museum. Don't remember what it was about, but it was LMM related. It might have reopened by now.

[Lothlorien]

I had to look up my notes.

Park Corner houses the Anne of Green Gables museum, that's where LMM's cousins lived and Silver Bush from the Pat series is based on this house.

The other museum is LMM Heritage Museum, believed to have been the home of her grandfather. The guided tour is good, apparently, but this is the museum which was closed during my visit.

These two are barely 500 m apart, you'll probably arrive at/pass the Heritage museum first if you do go that way.

Blue Winds Tea Room is very close to LMM's Birthplace museum.

[UMBS Go Blue]

I did an epic road trip through the Maritimes, including PEI, 6 years ago with a couple of friends, one of whom is another FSUer. Echoing an earlier comment about the beautiful scenery - PEI is worth seeing just to drive around aimlessly and stop at any landmark or roadside attraction you happen to come across - or to just enjoy the views and breathe in the fresh air.

Oh, and yes, the endlessly breathtaking pastoral scenery - with ocean views, lighthouses, and oyster boats never far away. Late one evening when we were making our way back into Charlottetown, we flipped the radio onto CBC 2 and they were broadcasting a particularly beautiful recording of the Beethoven Pastoral Symphony (#6). It's literally Beethoven's homage to nature and a message of thanks to God for having blessed us with our natural surroundings. A fitting end to a lovely day spent outside.

All the Montgomery/Green Gables attractions are worth a visit and if you want to see all of them, I'd recommend staying at a rustic country inn out there for at least a day and immersing yourself in the beauty of the countryside, instead of schlepping back and forth at slow speeds from Charlottetown.

[Finnice]

Thanks, folks! I knew I could trust to my fellow FSUers! Keep it going!

[skatak]

don't forget to try 'poutine' in Montreal.
My first one was at the cantina of the Oratoire Saint Joseph

[victorskid]

I grew up in Nova Scotia and spent 2 weeks every summer camping with my parents in the National Park at Cavendish. Lots of wonderful memories for an avid LMM reader!

Sadly the Cavendish area generally has become very commercial and tourist-trappy. The beach is still wonderful, however.

There are lots of other things to see and do/places to relax and do nothing around the island province. A rental car is a must, however, as there is virtually no public transportation as far as I know.

If you enjoy lobster/seafood be sure to check out the various "church suppers" available regularly around the island. One that's not in a church is a large one in North Rustico. Excellent value for the money at any of them, including various homebaked pies.

Check out the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown - there may even be an Anne-related show playing!

Here's a link to the official on-line tourist guide:
http://www.tourismpei.com/index.php3