Thursday 7 September - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island

So here we are at one of the more easterly points in Canada - Prince Edward Island - where the local time is one hour ahead of ship's time, but we're staying on ship's time today.

The weather has taken a downturn but we remain very grateful to have had such good weather so far and especially in Quebec.

The Birds!

Charlotte was Queen to George III and Prince Edward was the fourth son of George III and Queen Charlotte and the father of the future Queen Victoria.

This morning we've done the "Panoramic Island Drive" for 4 hours and there are some strong themes here.  The first is Anne of Green Gables as the house is on the island. The second is potatoes as they grow masses of them.  It was also the place where the Confederation of Canada was born.

It's a flat place which has a definite summer season and a long winter season and lots of homes are second homes belonging to US owners who come here in summer, but not in the winter as it's a very cold place then.

Right next door to a group of care homes!

The former prison

Our guide mentioned that roundabouts remain a challenge for Canadians. The island authorities have installed a lot of them and they provided an online course for drivers to understand how to use them!

Our first stop was at Victoria with its attractive lighthouse.

The island's railway network was closed down some years ago

We then moved onto the Confederation Bridge which is over the Northumberland Strait. It costs over CAN $50 to leave the island in a vehicle but is free to return. Pedestrians and bikes are not allowed to cross but there are shuttles to take those travellers across.

It's the longest bridge in the world over water that freezes and it is an S-shape to ensure that drivers stay focused on the 8 mile journey. The piers are specifically designed to resist huge ice floes.

The Confederation Bridge. It's a pity that it isn't straight as it means that you can't appreciate its length

We were then taken to a tourist shop which focussed predominantly on Anne of Green Gables after which we returned to the ship for a late lunch.

I never had that excuse when I was teaching

Dress up as Anne of Green Gables

Looks like a pub to me

A reference to the local ice hockey team

Shopping centre with the only escalator on Prince Edward Island - pop. 350,000

The only place where we've had to show photo ID as well as our ship's card to get back on board

As Elite passengers we'd been invited to a sail away event on the helipad at the front of the ship. It was an enjoyable event with rum punch and appletinis being handed out as we set sail. We met a New Zealand woman – probably unique on this cruise – and we enjoyed chatting to her.

Rum punch

We then went to the Cellar Masters bar to listen to Strings at Sea - a violin-playing duo who were a delight to listen to. E was very pleased that they played a couple of Rock Choir songs - Thousand years and Hallelujah.

After a quick change it was dinner followed by hot chocolate and bed - such a rock 'n' roll lifestyle 😂 

Cellar Masters bar drinks list - only so many things priced at $10 or less