PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND

The 12.9 km Confederation Bridge joins the province of Prince Edward Island (PEI), with the province of New Brunswick.

The opening of the bridge took place on May 31, 1997. Now, a trip to the Prince Edward Island by car takes about 10 minutes. The bridge has opened up entirely new opportunities for the inhabitants of the island and changed their provincial way of life forever. The province is known as the world’s best exporter of lobsters, special varieties of potato and a popular tourist destination of Green Gables. Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of the novel about the red-haired teenage girl, “Ann of Green Gables”, was born in New London (PEI). The novel describes the life of the town Cavendish. Cavendish is a typical tourist resort with Green Gables museum, restaurants and beaches. The house-museum of Green Gables receives thousands of visitors from around the world, every year.

The area has hardly changed over the past 100 years. The beaches are famous for its active sand dunes and coastal cliffs. Charlottetown is the capital and the largest city of Prince Edward Island. Before the contemporary city, these areas were inhabited by Indian tribes (the Mi’kmaq). In 1720, the French founded a fortress, which in 1758 came under the control of the British. The city of Charlottetown was named after the wife of George III and the future grandmother of Queen Victoria, Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. It was founded in 1764, and received the status of a city on April 17, 1855. Charlottetown is a quite popular tourist’s destination. The city has preserved many attractions of the end of XVIII-XIX centuries. One of the main national historic landmarks located in the city, is a house, where the Fathers of Confederation held their first meeting in 1864, that led to the Dominion of Canada. Confederation Center for the Arts is sharply distinguished by its post-modernist architecture. The center is hosting a museum, an art gallery, a library and an acting theater.

Prince Edward Island is often referred to simply “the Island”, for its soothing seascapes. Small restaurants on the coastal territory offer lobsters, cooked to suit all tastes (cooked, smoked, fried and grilled). Victoria is a picturesque village of artists, a former fishing port. The Victorian Lighthouse was redesigned into a museum, and the old marina into a shopping and restaurants center. Summerside is the second largest city in PEI. Here is located the College of Piping and Celtic Perfofming Arts. College teaches playing the bagpipes and traditional Celtic and Scottish dances, as well as arranges Celtic festivals. Every summer, the city hosts Lobster Carnival and Atlantic Arm Wrestling Championships.