Day 25 – Wednesday Sept. 25, 2013 – Charlottetown P.E.I.

Venturing into Charlottetown for a Canadian is really about seeing our countries roots. 

Beautiful area, the streets and buildings from Canada's early days.

In regards to Confederation.

The first talks were held here with government leaders of the time. 

They came from the maritime provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and P.E.I. who were about to form their own union.

Add to that the others from Quebec and the province of Canada heard about this meeting and showed up on a boat from Montreal to share their ideas with them for a larger union.

The reader’s digest version is that they held meetings for a few days along with dancing and socializing to get to know one another. The leaders from the French and the leaders from the Province of Canada thought it a better idea to have one union with all of the areas together. They felt they would be stronger this way, keeping in mind the USA had already been formed.

At the end of the meetings and with another one held in Quebec a short time later it was decided that Canada be born as one large country. Although PEI did not join right away. A short time after all of this in 1867 Canada was born as an actual country and union under the British North America Act.

These initial meetings were held in the Province House, which was the Legislature in PEI. 

Province House as it stands today.
The birthplace of Confederation for Canada.

The Provincial Legislature of PEI still meets in this same building up on the second floor. The Confederation meetings were held at the other end of the hallway on the same floor and this is all preserved and intact. You can almost hear their voices and discussion when you stand in the room!

This is the room where the meetings were held to form the Canada we have today!

For me, having been in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) this was quite the visit. After learning as a child and then even more as a Mountie all about this, being there just added the final chapter to the stories I had read and heard about.

Charlottetown is a beautiful old city. 

Lots of old homes and businesses from the era still stand today. 

Some of the buildings from the mid 1800's and earlier.

A Holland America cruise ship was in town while we were there as well.

It should also be noted that if you have ever read Anne of Green Gables, that book was written in and about a young girl here in PEI.

Another thing of note is the fact that PEI is famous for its potatoes and for its red beaches, sand, dirt and roadways. Not the only place on earth with red dirt but it is something to see especially the beaches!

We drove miles & miles of the red back roads.

In leaving PEI back for the mainland over the Confederation Bridge one has to pay a toll to get off the island. For cars it is $44.00 and for us it was $59.00.

Leaving the Province of PEI means paying for the bridge
that links us!

This bridge is quite something to see. Not as high as I thought it would be they do close it when it gets too windy. Its amazing the engineering that must have gone into this structure. I don’t know how long it is but would guess 4 to 5 Kilometers (around 3 miles?).

We continued on through Moncton and St. John, New Brunswick and made it all the way to St. Andrews, NB tonight. 

St. Andrews is near the Maine, USA border and sits on the shores of the Bay of Fundy. The Bay of Fundy is quite famous. I am told it has the largest tidal change of any body of water on earth!

Camped on the shores of the Bay of Fundy in St. Andrews, NB.

The shoreline here has red rocks and red sand too.
The Bay of Fundy.