"My name is Anne with an E"

Yes, many, many wet hours later, we have reached Prince Edward Island (PEI).  For those that have read Anne of Green Gables, this is where it was set.  The towns of Avonlea, Carmody, etc. are all fictional, but the larger ones exist.  We are staying in one of them, Charlottetown.  We finished the last chapters of the book this afternoon.  It was wonderful listening to a story all together and all of us laughing and getting teary-eyed from a book read aloud instead of a movie or all of us doing our own thing the whole time.  We'll have to do the same thing on our next car trip--maybe Little Women?  I never could get the children to read that, great book that it is.

On the way, I noticed in the atlas a dot for the Hartland Covered Bridge--the Longest Covered Bridge in the World.  Well, we needed to stop for gas anyway, so we followed many signs and eventually reached Hartford, New Brunswick and saw the World's Longest Covered Bridge--it is quite long and made of wood.  We drove over it, then turned around and drove back, then back to the interstate.   I'm still waiting to see the world's largest ball of twine, then my life will be complete!  :)

It rained all day today and New Brunswick is very desolate.  The interstates have no rest areas and there are often no gas stations or other businesses at the top of the exit ramps.  There are few things other than trees and power lines to see.  There is the occasional farmhouse, but that is it.  In many areas they had to blast through rock to make the road and the soil on top of the rock was very thin--which explained the areas without much growing and no crops.  Some areas must have had more soil--lots of trees and farm fields of red dirt.  As we approached the Confederation Bridge to cross to the island, we saw toll signs of $44 per car!  The only toll booths were going off the island--maybe we will take the ferry to Nova Scotia after all!

Signs here are still bilingual, but there is more English than French and we don't have to ask for English menus.  At the hotel breakfast this morning, a man asked me how we got on in Quebec--it being a French-speaking country and us obviously speaking English; if people were helpful.  I said that we stopped at a McDonald's and the clerk did not speak English, I ordered in French.  But I said that most people spoke both English and French and were very helpful.  And that I had taken French in college which came in handy (even though I'm not fluent!).

We are glad to be here for two nights.  Most of our US stays will be two days (three in New Orleans).  On our European holidays, we did many week-long house/apartment rentals and preferred that, one night in each place gets old quickly.  Also, by renting a house or apartment, you can cook meals and get groceries so you eat healthier and less expensively.  Everything in Canada is way expensive; a meal out at a modestly-priced restautant (like a Friday's) easily costs around $90 for our family of five; value meals at McDonald's are even $8 or $9.   And those meals have no fruits or vegetables.  Tonight, the only place we could find that didn't charge $20 per entree and wasn't fast food or pizza was a little Italian place.  It was also quite expensive, but they had a pizza deal for 4--pizza, unlimited salad or soup, and each person gets a small loaf of Italian bread, and Joshua got a big burger from the kid's menu for $60.  And we got salad--the lettuce tasted great!  And it was Romaine, not just iceberg so it was healthier (despite the Ceasar dressing).

Well, tomorrow, we may see if there is an Anne thing to see that isn't too cheesy and see what else is on the island.