What is it about PEI?

It’s our last night on Prince Edward Island.  We have enjoyed five days of rest, relaxation, peace and quiet.  Calmness has returned to our souls, at least for the moment.  My husband has had his annual meal of mussels, and we have spent time walking the beach near our rental cottage.

I love PEI.  I don’t know what exactly it is about the Island that keeps bringing me back.  I’ve heard some people say that there is a certain mentality about being on an island.  I’m not sure if that is the case.  Maybe it’s the intensity of the colours: the red soil, the blue sky, the intense greens of the trees in June.  Or maybe it’s the fact that you can’t ever be more than 15 minutes away from the ocean.  Or a lighthouse.  Maybe it’s the sheer number and variety of beaches and all their treasures (the beach at our cottage has starfish of all sizes).  Or maybe the rolling hills and river vistas.  Or the myriad of small fishing harbours.

Maybe it’s the Island architecture.  I love driving the back roads, looking at the homes and yards of the people who live here.  People on the Island seem to take particular pride in beautiful homes and neat yards, although, as anywhere, there are those places which are a little rough around the edges.  But there is something special about the old farmhouses of PEI.  I don’t know exactly what it is, and I’m not knowledgeable enough to identify different features.  But there is a particular blend of large verandahs, gables, and sea-facing windows which calls to me.  If had the money, I would buy one of those deserted old homes and restore it, and I would live there forever.

Or maybe it’s a soul connection with my childhood hero, Anne of Green Gables.  When I was young enough to have the time, I read the entire set of Anne books every summer.  There was something about that spunky, red-headed orphan, who wanted more than anything to belong to someone and somewhere, that connected with me, and with so many other girls and women.  I wanted to know her, and I wanted to know the places she loved.  Place is intricately connected with Anne and her identity.  As someone who moved around a lot when I was a child, I envied her connection to this place, and to her natural surroundings.

Since I’ve become an adult, I’ve read a lot about her creator, Lucy Maud Montgomery, and her love for the Island.  I have to admit, I am a bit of an Anne snob.  I don’t enjoy the kitsch of Cavendish (where all the touristy Anne stuff is located), and I have no desire to go to the musical.  But Anne is so inextricably linked with PEI that they have created an entire tourist industry around her.  Anyone who has read and loved Anne of Green Gables would surely feel at home the moment they stepped on the Island. 

Whatever it is, I have enjoyed this peaceful time.  Thank you, PEI.  See you again soon!