Quote du jour

 “There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.”

- Robert Louis Stevenson

Anne and Red Dirt

Judy. I’m not sure what exactly I expected on Prince Edward Island, but what I got was the neatest, cleanest place I think I’ve ever been. Farms, which are everywhere,

Ever-present fields and sea

are well tended and bordered by trees to break the wind. Harbors are charming and colorful, and beaches boast red sand the color of Georgia clay. In fact, all the dirt looks like Georgia clay. I felt right at home.  

We arrived via ferry and drove through the countryside to Charlottetown, the capitol,

Lunchtime concert at the harbor

which was remarkably busy. There were tons of tourists at the harbor area, which could have been as easily in Halifax or the Jersey shore, but a walk around town proved it to be charming and busy. After a lovely lunch—lobster, of course—we drove through the island to New Glasgow, to the Lookout Inn, where we spent three nights.

As we approached the door, it opened, and a 5-year-old girl bowed gracefully and said, “Welcome!” Behind her, her mom, Nicole, echoed the sentiment and ushered us into the B&B. It was a good omen.

Lookout Inn

Nicole and her husband James are a young couple in their thirties. They have seven kids, four of whom are still at home. When Nicole started the business, she told us she was a 25-year-old single mom. She met James shortly after, and they gradually expanded the B&B from two rooms to eight while they raised their kids, who are not shy and will play the piano or do flips on the trampoline at the slightest request. The whole family is delightful, and made us feel at home right away. Nicole has an efficient way of doing breakfast: upon your arrival, you choose where you want to eat breakfast (in your room or in the breakfast room or to go), and get a choice of several main meals with side items to go with. It has saved them from running out of one choice or having to toss another, and gives them a good start in the morning. Nicole cooks, and James serves, jokes, and teases.

Nicole and James

Despite the fact that they do their own cleaning and laundry and repairs, Nicole offered her washer and dryer for us to do our laundry. She also got me an appointment with a chiropractor and served as a reader when Ted taped me for an audition. Obviously, I can’t say enough good things about them. If you go to PEI, check out the Lookout Inn in New Glasgow.

The island is so small that in the three days we were in New Glasgow, we visited several beaches and numerous Anne of Green Gables locations—and there were a bunch!  Lucy Maud Montgomery’s birthplace, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s later home, the Green Gables National Park, the Anne of Green Gables Museum. Frankly, we did drive-

LMM's birthplace

bys, partially because it was a rainy day and partially because of the crowds and tour buses. I didn’t even get a photo of anything except the birthplace!

There are two main “highways”—the Green Gables Trail and the Red Sands Trail. Sometimes they intersect. On sunny days the beaches, and we visited several, were packed with people having a great time.

Hills and the sea at Singing Sands

Linda, Chris, and Django

When we left New Glasgow, we drove to the eastern part of the Island and had a Servas visit in the tiny hamlet of Launching with Chris and Linda. Both are retired, and in the winter live in Charlottetown, where they are active with the arts communities and the immigrant communities. In the summer they move to a lovely beach cottage and spend most days kayaking, swimming, biking and reading. Linda often drives the hour or so back to Charlottetown to rehearse with a choir, but mostly they enjoy the outdoors. They took us on a clam dig for an addition to the fantastic seafood stew Chris made, and introduced us to their neighbors, who are from Macon, GA, and spend their summers on PEI!

In search of clams

James's fish stew

One afternoon Ted and I drove into Montague, a small town nearby. After a picnic lunch, we walked a small part of the Confederation Trail, a network of walking/biking trails built on old railroad lines that runs the entire island. Ted’s a great fan of craft beers, and has had a ball trying different ones on our visit, so we wandered into one where there was a crowd of folks waiting in line. It seems a law firm in Charlottetown, Stuart McKelvey, was treating its employees to a bus trip around parts of the island, including the brewery. We chatted with some of them in line, and when Ted stepped up for a beer, he was told his was paid for. What a lovely surprise!

Confederation Trail

Before you ask, yes, I did eat lots of PEI mussels, and they are delicious.

And on the day we left, we went across on the Confederation Bridge, an architectural marvel linking PEI to New Brunswick.

So it’s time to move on to Ontario. We did one last drive through New Brunswick, but never saw moose, or, for that matter, much of the Bay of Fundy. In Halifax, where we returned the rental car, we stopped by St. Mark’s one more time to donate the last of our bus passes and give one more hug to John and to Vivien. It was hard to say goodbye, but we headed to the airport. Ottawa, here we come!

Prince Edward Island or Georgia?

The famous Confederation Bridge

Travel hacks

Ted. Over the last year and a half, I have come across a few little tricks that help us to have better experiences and save a bit of money. Many concern travel outside the US but some are for travel anywhere. I will share them and hope that you`may find one or two to be helpful.

Airline flights

Google.com/flights

When you enter your departure city and destination, google flights lists the airlines, approximate fares and who does nonstop (always my preference). Once we decide on our dates, I shop the airlines directly for times and dates for best rates and then book right away. I try to avoid early departures, late arrivals and connecting flights.

Seatguru.com

I use this site to select our seats for each flight.

Airline credit cards

You get a pile of miles to join and then accumulate miles when you use them. You also get to check bags for free. After the first year, you usually pay $95/year but, in our case, the benefits far outweigh the costs.  

Accommodations

Airbnb.com

We usually book long term stays at this site but also check out Homeaway.com. Our main criteria are price, location and reviews. For quick stays or in certain instances, we book hotels or B&B’s. Note that you usually get small discounts for weekly stays, and big discounts for monthly stays.

sleepinginairports.net

When we do have to arrive at an airport late or depart early, I often book a hotel right at the airport. They are usually nice, quiet and surprisingly affordable. You can quickly find out the nearest ones at sleepinginairports.net. This is also a great source for info on wifi, dining, lounges and other services at airports around the world.

Tripadvisor.com

I always check out prospective hotels here. I list by ratings and then scroll down to find an affordable one in the neighborhood I want. If I am concerned about the neighborhood, I walk it virtually using “street view” on googlemaps.

Booking.com

I find this to be a reliable website with good rates and great customer service if there is ever a problem. Sometimes the rates are better here and sometimes better when booking direct with the hotel.

Prepaying

We prepay for the room if the savings are good.

Hotel loyalty plans

I mostly use IHG properties (Holiday Inn, etc) in the US and around the world. We occasionally get little extras and have had several room upgrades. After a while, you can get free rooms with the points.

Rental Cars

Enterprise.com

In the US and Canada, this is the only company I use. The prices are usually the lowest, they have lots of locations and customer service is great (free pickup and delivery). As a loyalty member, I usually get free upgrades. In Europe I use Europcar.

Book in town

Renting cars at airports is very expensive because of added taxes. Sometimes it cannot be avoided but if possible, take a taxi or public transportation into town and rent there. You can save $20 - $50/day!

Consider prepaying

As with hotels, sometimes you can save a bit.

Check the rates again a week beforehand

Rates fluctuate. Sometimes (if you didn’t prepay) you can save money by making another reservation and then cancelling the first one.

Take photos of your car

When you pick your car up, take photos of any blemishes so you can document they were there before you took possession. If you return your car after office hours and can’t do a walk around with a rep, take photos of each side documenting it was in good shape when dropped off.

General

Senior discounts

If you are 65, always ask for a senior discount wherever you go. In some countries, they don’t offer this to Americans but it never hurts to ask. The savings (like trains in Spain and buses in France) are substantial.

Museum free days

Check the websites. Lots of museums have free days or evenings.

Public transportation

We often use Uber but it is not available in every city. City buses and subways can often be a simple and cheap way to get around - especially for seniors. There is lots of info available online so arrive informed. We only use taxis when we need to get downtown from the airport and there are no good alternatives.

Use your camera to make notes

If you see a train schedule, concert poster or anything you want to remember, take a photo. If a church is closed but has the hours posted, take a photo. I even take a photo of my car’s location in a parking garage.

Tipping

Tipping policies really vary from one country to the next. Just google “tipping policy in…” for advice.

Things to do

We rarely travel with a guidebook. When we want to know what towns to visit in a certain area or what to do in a certain town, we usually check out one or more of the following websites; tripadvisor.com, lonelyplanet.com, roughguides.com and ricksteves.com. Want to visualize a place you are considering? Just type in a city or country in YouTube and you’ll be amazed how many good videos are out there.

Say “Thank You”

When traveling in a country where they speak another language, at least learn how they say “Thank You.” It’s the quickest way to get a smile.

Google translate

You can download an app for google translate (or another translator) into your phone to help with on the spot translations. This is especially useful in a train station after midnight.

The brewer's wife

Ted. I commented recently on the large number of craft brews available in Nova Scotia. There are now 50 craft breweries in a province with only 924,000 people. This past weekend we had a chance to speak with a player in the industry.

After our week on Cape Breton Island, we traveled to Pictou for a brief layover prior to catching the ferry to Prince Edward Island. Pictou is a charming little town and, while wandering the wharf, we came upon the Hector Heritage Quay built around a replica of the good ship Hector. This tiny (85’ long) vessel landed here in 1773 with 189 Scottish settlers bound for a new life in the land dubbed New Scotland or, more properly, Nova Scotia. Thousands of displaced highlanders soon followed.

After trying to imagine what the 11-week journey must have been like, we plopped down at the nearby beer garden. While discussing options with the knowledgeable hostess we learned what she was co-owner of Uncle Leo’s Brewery. This sounded promising because my brother-in-law is actually Uncle Leo to my kids. While sipping a smooth smoked porter we heard a bit of her story.

Rebecca is married to Karl, who originally hails from a small fishing town in Newfoundland. Karl’s Uncle Leo was known in the community as a resourceful individual. Back in the 1940’s Leo, who had been unable to work as a fisherman due to the fact that he only had one leg, opened a small general store. Recognizing a need in the marketplace, this savvy young man then began brewing his own beer. I should imagine his store was a lively place.

They say that the apple never falls far from the tree. In 2013, Karl and Rebecca decided to become entrepreneurs themselves. Joining the craft beer movement, they didn’t have to think long to come up with a name. Uncle Leo’s Brewery (see uncleleosbrewery.ca) has been thriving ever since.

We were impressed with this woman’s spirit and the dream she shares with her beermaking husband. For instance, their little pop-up seasonal beer garden is a great marketing idea.  As we departed, she cheered us on, “Keep living your dream!” When I replied, “Same to you!”, she added, “Yes - I’m living my best life!”