Charlottetown, named after Queen Charlotte, is the capital of Prince Edward Island. It was the site of the Charlottetown Conference in 1864 which led to the beginning of the Canadian Federation. Because of this, the motto of the city is “Birthplace of the Confederation.”
We flew into a small airport, picked up our car, and headed into town—about 5 miles to our hotel. We were tired; the trip from Seattle was a long red-eye flight with a layover in Toronto and four-hour time difference. Yes, PEI is in the Atlantic Time Zone. We stopped at a small café on our way from the airport for lunch, settled into our room, and rested until dinner. Then we explored the waterfront where we went for dinner.
The next morning was Sunday, so we decided to go to the Cathedral for church. The Anglican Cathedral of St. Peter is a modest church that dates from 1869. While it is a cathedral, the bishop is in residence at the cathedral in Nova Scotia, the diocese includes both provinces. The liturgy was similar to our 1928 Prayer Book, and we prayed for “Our King, Charles,” a reminder that we were in Canada.
We enjoyed a lovely brunch at the Rodd Charlottetown Hotel after church. It reminded me of the Empress Hotel in Victoria, on a smaller scale. Then it was off on our first trip out of town
Our hotel The Hotel on Pownal was centrally located close to the Arts Center, the Library, the Province House, and many other historical places as well as lots of restaurants. Remember this is a small city. There are 11 National Historic Sites in Charlottetown. The Confederation Centre of the Arts, one of the sites, was a couple of blocks from our hotel. Anne of Green Gables: The Musical was being performed while we were there.
Hotel on Pownal and the Living Room where we Gathered for Happy Hour
A block from our hotel was Queen St. with shops and restaurants. The shops included two bookstores and a Cows Ice Cream shop, which we could not escape. It was nice to be centrally located both in Charlottetown and on the island. Taking day trips out made our sightseeing much easier.
When we left after our adventure, we left the car at the airport, dropped the keys in a box, and took off. No one was there to check the car in or check it for dents and dings. It was a different world.
We will remember this short trip fondly. It was nice to learn more about Bob’s family and to see a new part of the world.