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Imagine living in a country where you are never more than 15 minutes from the azure ocean below the clearest skies; where you can drive from border to border in a few hours and never face a single traffic line; where most people heat their home with woods and many have a 25 ft boat parked in the front yard; where fresh seafood is as close as the nearest dock; where during the summer months there is still light at 9:30 at night and the temperature varies little from 65 to 75 F day or night and where there always seems to be a clean, fresh breeze blowing; where white church steeples dot the landscape and the soil is as red as an apple and endless green fields produce some of the most delicious potatoes to touch the palate; where family is as important as it was a century ago and ones heritage is always honored and often celebrated; where Acadian food and music is ever present and where everyone seems to have a smile on their face and a good word upon meeting…………….

You are in Ile St. Jean or Prince Edward Island, Canada, off the coast of New Brunswick at the mouth of the Gulf of St Lawrence. First discovered by Jacques Cartier in 1534, this 140 mile long island, 40 miles at its widest point, was describe as “the fairest land tis possible to see” by the early French explorer. Home of the Micmac native peoples for centuries before, PEI has changed hands between France and England no less than nine times. In 1758 the British deported the French speaking Acadians off the island as part of the “Great Expulsion” which resulted in the separation of these close knit families and inspired the classic poem Evangeline by Longfellow. This cruel policy resulted in the deaths of thousands of Acadians as they were scattered across Europe and North America, many settling in Louisiana’s Cajun country west of New Orleans. Many hid in the woods of PEI to avoid expulsion. The island’s turbulent history has resulted in a present day population blend of French Acadian, Irish, Celtic, Scottish, German and English. The people of PEI love to fly flags but rarely does one see the British colors possibly out of respect to what was done to the Acadians.

Prince Edwards Island boasts only two major cities, Charlottetown, the provincial capital and Summerside to the west. Charlottetown boasts a beautiful harbor and a present day population of just over 23,000 residents, making it the only “big city” on the island, while Summerside or “warm spot” in the language of the Micmac ancient people, is quite literally on the south or summer side of the island and it less than half the population of Charlottetown.

The single most limiting factor to the growth of PEI is its isolation from the mainland, accessible only by ferry until the construction of 9 mile long Confederation Bridge in 1997. Now more accessible to visitors, the tourist industry has boomed, but the number of native residents is in recent decline due to a fairly high unemployment rate. There are many homes for sale and a three bedroom cottage with a water front view, on an acre of land, can be had for a mere $80,000 American. The winters, however, are long, very cold,snowy and the isolation severe. Keep in mind that Lucy Maude Montgomery, author of the Green Gable books and 500 other short stories, was a resident. Seeking companionship, Lucy Maude named the trees, bushes, birds and bunnies around her, and they became her best friends. Even today, our cell phone simply doesn’t work on most of the island and access to the Internet is very limited. Getting online often means a drive to Charlottetown or Summerside. But things are slowly changing. . As satellite TV and radio, the Internet and the influx of tourism “invades” the island, as one elderly Celtic lady put it, young people are leaving the island in record numbers and the Old World atmosphere is starting to fade. Life on PEI has always been hard due to its economic base which has been agricultural and still is. For Sale signs are very, very common across the island. While Americans can purchase property in Canada, limited to 11 acres, one would have to think long and hard before deciding on a retirement home on the Island. Sara and I are not at a “buying stage” at this time in our adventure, but it is always fun to look.

From the air, Prince Edwards Island appears as a vast green, patchwork quilt. It is known as “Spud Island” by some, as vast potato fields grace the landscape. Due to the fertile, sandy, red soil, clean air and water and long winters that naturally cleanse the soil of disease, PEI produces over one third of all of the potatoes in Canada and it is the largest island cash crop. The potatoes have a taste so delightful they are sought world wide and used in the production of island potato chips sold under many brands by Cavendish Farms. Wheat, hay, vegetables and woodlots add multiple shades of green that complete the island’s landscape mosaic. Interestingly, Irish Moss, a type of seaweed, is also harvested to be used in the food and cosmetic industry. Horse drawn rakes pulled by huge Clydesdale and Belgian horses are still used to pull the water weed from the surf. Irish Moss is also used to make a delicious island dessert, seaweed pie. But it is the seafood of Prince Edward Island that will really make your mouth water. Home of the famous Canadian Culinary Institute, chiefs come from around the world to learn the subtleties of preparing the famous Malpeque (mall peck) Bay oysters. The oysters were declared best anywhere at the World's Fair in Paris in the 1880's and the name Malpeque has become the international standard ever since. Nearly wiped out in 1930’s due to disease, a resistant variety was developed and these tasty mollusks are farmed throughout the bays of the Island. Lobster fishing is limited to a very short spring and fall season but hundreds of traps are stacked at almost every dock and in the backyards of many homes along with the long, graceful boats. It is a testimony to the lucrative nature of lobster fishing. Even in season, lobsters still sell for $9-10 a pound on the island and it is a meal that Sara and I can only occasionally afford. Besides fresh cod, halibut, haddock, and shrimp can be had for a fraction of the cost of lobster. The famous PEI blue mussels are consumed by locals and visitors alike much as folks in the states would enjoy pop corn at the movies. They are a dark shelled mollusk steamed to perfection and then bathed in a myriad of sauces based on such unusual ingredients as garlic, wine, Irish whiskey, tomatoes and butter. I was able to determine, after consuming a basketful at our campsite, that mussels are genetically similar to scallops, to which I am deathly allergic. The joy of their consumption somehow was not quite worth the rest of the evening. Sara offered absolutely no comfort with comments like, “I told you not to eat them”, to the more vicious, “Now you are making me sick; get out of here”!!!!! No more mussels. But oh were they delicious.

The diet of the natives appears to be heavily based on potatoes and bread. This observation can be documented by reviewing the many local cookbooks for sale, and is further supported by the general body shape of many. The fact that winter starts in November and there is often snow still on the ground in May, could also add to the dietary habits of the people of PEI. Somehow warm bread, smothered in butter, and dunked in steaming potato soup, in front of a red hot wood stove on an icy February morning seems more appealing than a trip to a local fitness center. Actually the second option appears only in the two cities on the island, Charlottetown and Summerside.

Rising above the red soil of PEI, whose color is caused by the iron oxide are two of the islands most visited attractions, the lighthouses and the churches. There are over 40 lighthouses stretching from East Point to North Cape some 224 kilometers to the West. Prince Edward Island is strategically located at the mouth of the Gulf of St. Lawrence and the lighthouses have long been a symbol of hope, safety and refuge. Before the lighthouses, bonfires were built on the hilltops and points to guide mariners away from the dangerous ledges that often extend over a mile from shore. Local legends claim that “false fires” were often lit to cause vessels to ground so that their valuable cargo could be pirated. The first true light house was built in 1845 near the entrance to the Charlottetown harbor out of island bricks and rose over 60 ft at Point Prim. The soft brick quickly became a victim of the wind and water and was boarded and shingled. Almost all of the subsequent beacons were constructed of wood which somewhat limited their height and size and required an octagon shape for stability. With the advances in modern navigational technology such as GPS, which incidentally we carry in our RV tow vehicle and is accurate to an incredible 9 ft., the light houses of PEI became less of a necessity for present day mariners. They are still used by local fishermen and boaters. Identification of a particular lighthouse is based on its distinct color and stripes by day and its flash pattern at night. For instance, West Point lighthouse’s pattern is a 6 second flash, 6 second eclipse, and its day marks are broad black bands on a white background.

The churches of PEI are characterized by their towering steeples and hilltop location. Built almost exclusively of wood, they are magnificent houses to the Lord. Whether Catholic, mostly in Acadia Land, or Protestant, white is the predominant color contrasting against the green landscape and they seem to spring up almost every few miles. The interiors are finished with a dazzling variety of wood textures and colors. The wood carvings are a testament to the skills of the local woodworkers.

The museums of Prince Edwards Island are also very numerous. Natives of the island take great pride in their history and traditions. There is a potato museum, a silver fox museum, a ship building museum, a PEI regiment museum honoring the military history of the islanders, a lighthouse museum and, of course, a museum displaying the history of the fishing industry. But of all the types of museums, those chronicling the history of the people of Acadia are the most common. Sara and I have always been fascinated with the Acadians, falling in love with their food, music and family values. Several trips to New Orleans and the Cajun country of Louisiana have caused us to want to learn more about their history, life and traditions.

The Acadians are French, Catholic and very proud people. They first settled in Nova Scotia to the south of PEI in 1605 on the shores of Fundy Bay. Mostly farmers and fishermen, they established colonies throughout the peninsula, the largest named Port Royal, now Annapolis Royal. Acadians, very private people, close knit, and some would claim later, victims of intermarriage. To marry outside the community was discouraged and any newcomers were required to assume the Acadian way of life. Ferociously independent, Acadians refused to swear allegiance to the British Crown during the French and English Wars in the 1760’s. The British rounded them up by the thousands and the families were divided onto different boats in one of first examples of planned cultural genocide on the North American continent; The Great Expulsion. Every attempt was made to separate husband from wives, children from close relatives. The boats were dispatched back to France, the newly forming colonies of the USA, the West Indies, the Falkland Islands and the port of New Orleans. These forced immigrants were allowed few possessions and their years of back breaking work of clearing land, building homes and planting crops in Nova Scotia became the property of the hated British. Thousands died at sea and as the British ships, the Prince William and Violet, crammed with Acadians began to sink off the coast, nearby ships refused to help. Of the over 1100 on board, only 4 survived. To avoid deportation many Acadian fled overland to PEI which was then called Isle St Jean. Life was hard and the British eventually took control of these lands and renamed the Island St. John’s and later in honor of Prince Edward the Duke of Windsor, Prince Edward Island. The Acadians were again forced off their lands in a cruel form of tenant farming but somehow hung on to eventually settle and prosper, particularly on the western third of the island. It is truly ironic that every attempt to destroy the Acadian way of life has actually caused it to spread and prosper. Just as one might try to eliminate a pesky milkweed plant in the garden by ripping the pods apart only causes the seeds to float elsewhere to bloom again. Several visits to the Acadian museums caused Sara and me to become even more enthralled with story of these amazing people.

Before leaving PEI we chanced upon an island tradition which was a splendid conclusion to our visit. In front of the community center at Malpeque was a sign that read, “CHEILIDH EVERY WED. 7:30 PM”. We later learned that a cheilidh (Kay Lee) is an unplanned evening of sing, dancing, and storytelling by local artists which encourages audience participation. We loved it. The building was filled to capacity with people of all ages. Three musicians with a drum, fiddle, guitar, mandolin and accordion played local folk songs. Between numbers island humor was shared to the delight of the crowd. At the intermission ice cream and fresh island strawberries were served. During the second set several people were invited to the stage including three young lassies from Ontario who had everyone clapping and cheering to their Scottish high stepping and clogging. The evening included a member of the band who played the fiddle and preformed a River Dance type high step simultaneously that brought down the house. Wow, what a night!!!!

Prince Edwards Island boasts miles and miles of bike trails, excellent bird, seal and whale watching and countless music and cultural festivals. A lot of activites are squeezed into the three month tourist season. There are bed and breakfasts and rental cottages everywhere. It boasts two airports and a ferry besides the Confederate Bridge. And after a few days you can become familiar with some of the most common local expressions; bedlunch (light snack at bedtime), by times (from time to time) catawampus (out of order or mixed up), crowpiss (very early in the morning), dead man’s overcoat (a coffin), great altogether (fantastic), large day (getting a lot done) lolly (soft snow) nosey weather (a cold and windy day), stormstayed (stranded in one place due to heavy snow) and my personal favorite back door trots (diarrhea) after eating mussels. Come to PEI and enjoy………………….