Sunday, 8 January 2012

Victoria By the Sea and Charlottetown

It's time I finished up this travelogue. We spent our last two days at Victoria By the Sea, in another B&B, run by a chef, so our evening meal was "at home" and wonderful. After dinner, we went next door to the historic little theatre for a concert by Nancy White (songwriter from CBC Sunday mornings, years ago!) and Erskine Smith (storyteller). they were fun, and suited the smalltown feel of the village.




The next day we drove into Charlottetown and thoroughly enjoyed our walk through the downtown. There was a Sunday morning craft market and a parade by police, fire, emergency rescue crews, veterans, Scouts and RCMP to mark the anniversary of 911.





This old building was used as a warehouse after 1901, when PEI implemented prohibition - the first province in Canada to do so. Confiscated liqour was stored here, and "every Monday morning, to the dismay of salivating onlookers, confiscated liquor was dumped down manholes in front of the warehouse".  Its thick brick walls and heavy iron shutters not only made it a secure storage site, they also contributed to this building and others like it surviving a serious Charlottetown fire. The second photo is of the oldest surviving brick building in Charlottetown c. 1833.


Finding food on a Sunday was a bit of a challenge, and we ended up with a 'picnic' in our room in the evening. Our drive back to Halifax was a pretty one in the sunshine and we stopped at the Shubenacadie Wildlife Park to have walk and enjoy the sun. It would be a great place to take children.

All in all, a great trip and we look forward to returning.