Racing To See Anne

My husband is a runner and has been ever since I’ve known him. So it was no surprise when he proposed a “sport tourism” trip so that he could compete in a marathon. After all the staying at home we’ve done over the last two years it did feel like it was time to get back out there. And when I found out that the marathon he wanted to do was in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island, I was excited as it would give me a chance to see a part of the country I hadn’t seen before, and to visit my friend Anne, someone you may also know – Anne of Green Gables.

Fiona Had Other Ideas

As our departure got closer and I was spending an inordinate amount of time figuring out how I could pack for two weeks and stay within the 50 pound suitcase limit, we started to hear about hurricane Fiona. Three weeks before we were to leave Fiona hit the east coast with a vengeance. We watched the news every night and saw devastation the likes of which was hard to fathom. It did not look good and we considered cancelling our trip more than once. But in the end, when we found out the marathon was going ahead we decided to take a chance and go.

When we arrived in Charlottetown we were pleasantly surprised as there didn’t seem to be a lot of obvious damage. As we toured around we did find some places that were closed due to damage from Fiona. Roads and sidewalks had for the most part been cleared of fallen trees and power was restored, but there was still evidence of how fierce the hurricane had been with huge trees uprooted and sidewalks and roads washed out in places.

What was also on display was the upbeat positive attitude of the locals we encountered who seemed to take the hurricane and its aftermath in stride. And I can’t say enough about how warm and welcoming they were to us.

You Say Marathon I Say 5K

Not long before we left, my husband mentioned that there was a 5k walk the day before the marathon, and being the supportive husband that he is, he offered to do it with me. When I mentioned the possibility of a 5k walk to Big and Little Sis, they encouraged me to do it, so that I could scope it out as a potential Sisterhood 5k walk towards our goal of doing one in every province in Canada. How could I refuse? And so I was signed up in short order and I’m happy to report acquitted myself quite well, crossing the finish line in just under an hour. In keeping with the Sisterhood race guidelines, I did manage to pass some people along the way and most importantly, was not last to cross the finish line. I will definitely be recommending this race to the Sisterhood at our next official meeting!

The next day I was head cheerleader for my husband doing the marathon. This role saw me rising before dawn to see him off at the starting line and being at the finish line to congratulate him for a job well done. While we were waiting for the race to start we came across Mr. PEI Potato, the mascot for the PEI Potato marketing board, one of the race sponsors. He graciously agreed to have his picture taken with my husband even though it was pitch black out.

This was my husband’s eleventh marathon and he crossed the finish line “upright and smiling,” quite a feat in my books, considering he will soon be 70 years old.

Anne Are You OK?

As a child, the Anne of Green Gables books ranked right up there with Nancy Drew as some of my all time favorites. Watching the various shows made of the Anne stories over the years continued my connection with her and all things Green Gables.

And so, the first order of business once the marathon was done, was a visit to the Green Gables Heritage Site. We were happy to find that, although Green Gables had sustained some damage from Fiona, they had reopened just the day before our visit.

After only a minor disagreement over how to get there, we arrived at the Heritage Site and spent the afternoon immersed in all things Anne. We toured the Green Gables house and the information gallery about the life of author Lucy Maud Montgomery. We then took a walk down Lovers Lane where, in the books Anne spent many an hour walking with Gilbert, and in real life, Lucy Maud Montgomery found inspiration for the Anne stories.

And then there was the gift shop… in retrospect it was fortunate that we did not have a lot of time here before we had to leave, as this time constraint stopped me from buying one of everything on offer, including an Anne hat – a straw hat with red wool braids attached😂. I did however leave with a few mementos of our visit.

Lobster Rolls and Beaver Tails

We had a wonderful time touring Charlottetown and learning about the history of the city as the birthplace of Confederation. We also saw beautiful restored old houses, majestic churches, and of course stunning ocean vistas everywhere we looked. But I must confess one of the things we were most looking forward to on this trip was the food, particularly the seafood. And we were not disappointed. We had bowl after bowl of rich, delicious seafood chowder, fresh caught delicately seared scallops, crispy battered fish and chips, and of course the famous lobster roll.

We were so taken with all the seafood, we considered having some shipped fresh to our home, but the logistics just got too complicated, so we had to content ourselves with filling up on as much seafood as we could while we were there. By the end of our trip neither of us could even look at a bowl of seafood chowder or lobster roll, let alone eat it, so I think it’s safe to say we met our goal.

One nice surprise was the discovery of beavertails on offer at Green Gables. For those of you unfamiliar, a beavertail is a simple, delicious concoction – fried dough dusted with sugar and cinnamon. The name comes from the fact that the dough is formed into the shape of a beaver’s tail. I love beavertails and so this find was a real treat, especially since beaver tails are not really “a thing” where we live. And of course I had to have one!

Where To Next?

We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Charlottetown and after a week spent there we were off to Halifax. While in Halifax we visited local historical sites, went souvenir shopping and of course got the chance to sample the local cuisine. I was also happy to visit my other east coast friend Peggy, whom you might know from the famous cove named after her. But that is a story for another day.