Charlottetown - Driving and Anne & Gilbert

Last night I did venture into the claw bathtub and read L.M.'s autobiography, listening to the waves crash below. Got into bed and heard lots of rustling, then remembered that one of the options that comes up when you google West Point Lighthouse is 'haunted' and I waited for some misty old sea captain to tap me on the shoulder. When that didn't happen and I realised it was the blind blowing in the breeze, off to sleep.

Up early, pack, down for breakfast. Today is the last day of the season, it closes now for the winter so I timed that well. Got a gift of a box of Cavendish chocolates on check-out. That's a nice touch.

Off on to the road. I've decided to go the longer coastal road coz it should be beautiful and what else do I have to do but get to Charlottetown by 7:30.

I passed by signs for a tractor pull and there were the tractors ready to set off - a unique sight on the roads. My mate Wayne from Avonlea Village was off to drive in one today at O'Leary and I'm guessing this would be the one. You can sort of see them.

I'm going with suggestions from locals today so the first stop was by Chuck at the lighthouse reception. It is the Bottle House - a house made of bottles. Why? I don't really know but the woman who ran the place was the daughter of the man who built it and she's very proud, don't you know!

Here's a glimpse of it...

And there's a church...

You can get married here. The whole church is a stained glass window!

It was interesting and I have to say the gift shop here had beautiful things. I could have bought up big if it weren't for the cost and the carting it round for too long. Much better than the ceramic potato shaped salt and pepper shakers from the potato museum.

The drive was so pretty - lots of this...

..a lot of this...

..a few of these...

..and every now and then, this, the famous red soil...

I did just pull over to the side of the road to take photos today - even just stopped on the road when there was no one around. There are not many signs with the names of the towns, just Route 11 and so on. So if you don't know the number, it's not easy. They also don't have signs with Charlottetown 60, so you have no idea how far you still have to go.

Lunch stop was the recommendation of the lady at the Bottle House - a fishing village called Victoria-by-the-Sea. Lovely little village. Went up to a cafe for lunch, there was a community hall opposite and the waiter saw one of the performers arriving and wished her luck for their last performance. I would have gone to see it if I'd had time.

Here's the village.

I did pass an alpaca farm and saw a fox. Also saw the Confederation Bridge, which is very impressive. You can see it here in the distance. Goes all the way to the mainland.

Last suggestion today was from the information booth man at Victoria-on-the-Sea who suggested Fort Amhurst to stop and look over the Charlottetown Harbour. This was rather lovely and there was a cruise ship in almost dwarfing the city. This looked better live.

On to Charlottetown. The homes are old and beautiful and the streets are tree-lined and green and it is lovely. 

 Took a couple of runs around some streets until I found the hotel. Just gorgeous - The Great George. This was the one where I asked for a discount and actually got one. And I've been upgraded to almost a suite, well, really a suite! See the bed behind the pillar - like another room.

And here's the hotel...

Went for a walk down to the harbour - lovely, boats, stalls, restaurants, etc. another COWS Creamery. Saw a couple more T-shirts - Hannah Moontana and Game of Cones. Funny! I was going to try and do the factory tour but it's Sunday and there wouldn't be much happening. Had to try another flavour so I went with Wowie Cowie which involved vanilla ice-cream, toffee and chocolate fudgy stuff type thing. Whatever was in it, it was delicious!

Now to the Guild Theatre to get tickets to Anne and Gilbert for tonight. I had seen them discounted at shops in Cavendish but didn't buy them then coz I wasn't sure if I'd make the matinee or evening show. So I asked at the theatre if they had the discounted tickets. They said go to Timothy's coffee shop. So I did that, then stopped for a quick burger for dinner at the Orange Lunch Box - meant to be great but I didn't love it. 

You don't get an actual ticket at Timothy's but you get a voucher. Then you take this back to the theatre where they give you a ticket. This is not an allocated ticket so you have to go back to the theatre an hour before the show to get an allocation. Then you go back to watch the show. Actually getting the ticket was as much of a performance as the show itself!

The show was just fabulous. A very small space - only five or six rows and you entered across the stage. A bit like Chapel Off Chapel. Simple set, effective costumes, good lighting, band was just keyboard, cello and violin and one of the characters played violin too. Lighting had so impel clouds moving across the sky, a bird flying from one tree to another.

Good and simple effects like when Gilbert goes swimming, use of lighting and him 'swimming' to give the effect. Lovely moment at the end of act I with Anne singing in a spotlight with 'snow' falling around her. Beautiful song by Marilla sung as a letter written to Anne.

Good singing and dancing and the book and songs were good. Great performances.

A perfect end to my visit to PEI.