If you haven't read Anne of Green Gables, you might want to take a quick break and do so now - this day was pretty much all about Anne, and L.M. Montgomery, who were the reason I came here in the first place.
The forecast was for heavy rain due to the remnants of Tropical Cyclone Gabrielle coming through. Torrential rain is due around lunchtime. So I need to get as much done before then and save the inside stuff for the afternoon.
Down for breakfast - selection of cereals, fruit, yogurts, etc. I took something interesting called an egg and cinnamon bake - nowhere was bacon mentioned. Thankfully I heard a gentlemen mention to his wife, "oh, that's got bacon in it." I did then ask the girl bringing food out who immediately offered to make me some eggs. So nice, but I said yoghurt and fruit would be plenty.
Anne's house is literally across the golf course just next to the Inn. It doesn't open til 9:00 but I went across at 8:30 to walk through the Haunted Wood beforehand. Soooooooooo beautiful, the whole place is. I have taken a stack of photos today.
Anyway, into the Wood.
A little way in, I heard a scurrying in the undergrowth and looked down to see what looked like a small stripy squirrel. Have just Googled it and I'm pretty sure it was an Eastern Chipmunk! Happy about that. Walked a bit further then heard lots of scurrying and something ran behind me. Looked back and little chipmunk had a friend and they appeared to be following me. They ran within inches of my feet and disappeared - unfortunately way too fast to bring out the camera. But their first scurrying was perfect for the Haunted Wood! Could imagine they were ghostly creatures scurrying about. You'd almost think they were trained to do it...
On through the Woods, past the site of the original schoolhouse (no longer there), all gorgeous. The walk is interrupted by a golf fairway (is that the right word?) walk the woods, cross the fairway, woods continue!
Then up to the house to get a ticket. They have information and displays in the entrance, including the typewriter she wrote on...
..with some original novels.
They show an introductory movie with some background on Lucy Maud and Anne. It was captioned -Is it wrong that I corrected the captions in my head? Then through to the barn...
..and through to Lovers Lane with the Babbling Brook, which was just gorgeous... There was a moment both here and in the Haunted Wood where I actually gasped out loud!
They have plaques along the way with snippets of information, quotes and so on and I was reading this one...
..and enjoying the solitude of being alone and in the moment when a golf buggy drove past on the nearby course...yep, okay...
Back to the house. It belonged to cousins of L.M. - brother and sister, like Matthew and Marilla, and she used to visit them and explore the woods beyond and based Green Gables on it. The home has been restored as Green Gables through her writings.
Lovely guides inside to explain it all. I asked why the door to Matthew's room was so low, he said there were no regulations then and when you opened the door, you saw that room. High ceilings were a sign of wealth and it was cheaper to have a low door and give the illusion of high ceilings than to build the whole house with higher ceilings. And they had geraniums in the windows of the kitchen coz they didn't have fly screens and insects don't like the smell.
Some Green Gables pics...
The second one is Anne's room. This last one, the lovely guide left her post to take this for me. Luckily no one was around - although if there was someone, I could have asked them to take it!
Last stop on the was out was the inevitable gift shop. I did buy this...
It was yummy and just as it was described in the book.
Next on today's Anne itinerary, L.M.'s birthplace and the place where she wrote the first two in the series. There is a book store where the wife of one of L.M.'s relatives is there to give you information on the site. The actual house is no longer there, except the cellar and apple tree, but you can see the views she looked out on that inspired her. This was one of them.
She lived there with her grandparents after her mother died at 22 or 23 and her father couldn't look after her.
Interesting fact - they ran the post office from their kitchen, she sent Anne in to publishers and it was rejected five times. They think the fact that they had the post office at their house meant she could send it in six times and not be too embarrassed by having the rejections going to a post office in someone else's kitchen. Thank goodness for that.
I did like this plaque.
Walked across to the cemetery, walked in and her grandparents' graves are just inside the entrance and clearly marked. Looking around the cemetery for her grave, started following a path then realised it was a path taking you right to her grave. She is important!
Went for a bit of a drive to Rustico to have a quick look, then to New London for L.M.'s birthplace. Another interesting place with another lady to give information. She (L.M., not the lady giving information) was born in the house and spent two or so years here until her mother died. They have a replica of her wedding dress...
..and shoes - with no left and right, as was the style
Next stop and the last of Anne/L.M. stops today was the Anne of Green Gables Museum at Park Corner where relatives of L.M. lived and it was one of her favourite places. She married here and apparently lots of American and Japanese come to marry here too.
It's also the place of...
..where you can take a carriage ride in Matthew's carriage...
..you can see the lake behind the horse. And here...
It's now staring to rain and it's heavy so I decide to head back. It's also mid afternoon. I missed a turn off and had to go a little way before I could find somewhere I felt comfortable turning into to go back.
Stopped at the Cavendish Boardwalk (closest thing I've found to a town). There was a sandwich board out the front of COWS saying they had the best ice cream in Canada while the sign on the window went the step further of saying it was the best in the world. I would have put the world sign out the front... They had great t-shirts with stuff like MooTube, Anne of Green Stables and 50 Shades of Hay. I tried some maple and hazelnut ice cream but got an orange and pineapple cone. It was delicious and I will be going to another COWS store when I see one. There are lots of flavours that need trying.
Back here and felt like a coffee. There's no milk in my little fridge and I discover in amongst the tea bags and sugars - 'Non-Dairy Creamer - really? What is that? One thing it is is not good in coffee!
Went to a nearby restaurant for dinner. The waitress said did I mind a small booth at the back, away from the crowd... Um, yes. That would be fine, thank you. (Quietly cheering in my mind). I went with her suggestion of scallops sautéed in butter and garlic and new boiled potatoes - both are fresh PEI produce - served with carrots, turnips and coleslaw. Very nice.
So that's Anne day done unless I go to Avonlea Village tomorrow which sounds like PEI version of Sovereign Hill so I will definitely try to do that.
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