Day 181 of Traveling the World, Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada. July 31, 2018.

Did you know that there is a fifth time zone in Canada? We didn’t! We are one hour ahead of the Eastern time zone in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island…..called the Atlantic time zone. We are always learning new things as we travel. We have now driven across Canada from Vancouver on the West Coast to Charlottetown on the East Coast. Quite the journey. Two interesting things we noticed as we traveled Canada were the lack of billboards and the extreme tidiness/neatness of all of the homes and farms that we passed. Every property looked as though it was ready to be photographed. The lack of billboards…and the plenitude of trees and fields….made traveling in this country very peaceful. There was a lack of the busyness and drama that is often around us.

Prince Edward Island completes our goal of visiting all 10 Canadian provinces. It is named after Queen Victoria’s father, and it is common to see it called PEI. The Confederation Bridge, just about 20 years old, connects the island with the mainland. Before its construction, there was a 3- or 4-hour wait for a car ferry to cross the Strait. So the bridge was most welcome. However, it cost $1 billion to construct, so there is a one-way toll when you leave. Now is the time to be sitting down, without hot coffee in your mouth: the toll is $47!!!! It is the steepest toll we have ever paid to cross a bridge. It is quite the hot button issue, as Islanders have repeatedly asked for a reduced price. But no, they pay the same toll as one-time visitors. Yikes!

The fabulous pink flamingo inflatable is what everyone was photographing in the harbor! The other photos show the harbor, complete with Adirondack chairs, which are everywhere; a business’s welcoming front porch; City Hall; The Tuna; and a delightful pub. The last three photos are of St. Dunstan’s Cathedral. Have you ever, ever, seen a sign in a church forbidding in-line skating?? We are still smiling over that and would love to know the story behind it!