I have loved every moment with my family but by this point in the trip, I needed some time to myself so I set out in Charlottetown alone not too long after the ship had been cleared. I didn't have much of a plan except to return to the Beaconsfield Historic House which according to their website would be open (it was closed the day we were in port last week).
As I left the ship, I started to encounter all the festivities being set up for Canada Day. The local news was filming an interview and then bagpipe played while young dancers danced near the wharf as I passed. Everyone was dressed in red and Canada gear and in such a good mood. It was a really great day to be in Canada.
On my walk through town, I passed this large Great Blue Heron sculpture. Next to it was page 7 of 9 of the Fox Story Walk. The part I like best is when the Heron says to Ringo the Fox.
When you live on an island, you're not really lost
No matter where you might roam;
Each direction you walk will lead you straight back
To the wave-lined edge of home.
I never did go and find the other pages of the story.
Upon reaching the Beaconsfield Historic House built in 1877, I was greeted by teen/young adult guides. I paid for a 9:30 a.m. tour and ended up being the only one on the tour. My tour guide was excellent as she walked me through the various parts of the house, ending at the observation room on the fourth floor.
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| The entry way and guest sitting rooms (next two photos) were made with expensive materials to show off more wealth than the owner actually had. That included these tiles which have the color all the way through, not just on the surface and Italian marble fireplaces in the sitting rooms. |
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| The dining room - Some of the shows of wealth were faked in rooms such as this. For example the fireplace was made with local materials painted to look like Italian marble. And the door is pain painted to look like it has mahogany and other wood inserts. |
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| I think she said this Christmas cactus was 150 years old! |
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| The pine door painted to look like it had fancier wood inserts. |
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| The servants areas were very basic. |
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| Those corners with the vases are called coffin corners because if you had to carry a coffin up the stairs, it provided a notch to make the turn. |
These next three are bedrooms upstairs, set up as the first or second owners would have had them set up. Most furnishings were auctioned off when the first owner went bankrupt so very little of the furniture is original although they have recovered a couple of pieces. It is all original to the time period though.
The longest inhabitants were actually a bunch of nurses who made use of both the second floor bedrooms and the servants quarters on the third floor (night nurses could get more quiet on the third floor). The third floor isn't really open for tours as it is used for office space but you get a chance to walk past it up to the small observatory on the fourth floor. I didn't get any really good photos up there but it was a small room with windows looking out over the harbor and town.
As I left the Beaconsfield House, I noticed the tide was low and so wondered if I could walk right up to the Brighton Beach Range Front Light so I headed that direction and was delighted to see I could!
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| When we visited this lighthouse water was high enough to cover all but the top two steps. |
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| On the other side, the low tide and revealed a beach of red sand, rocks, and shells. |
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| There's the red stripe that was crucial to the ships' navigation. |
I took this moment to step into the waters of the Saint Lawrence Seaway. The water was cold but refreshing.
As I started my walk back along the water, I saw a floating dock. Tempted by another chance to put my feet in the water, I stopped, carefully descended the steep ramp (with it being low tide) and sat down at the edge, dangling my feet in. And I sat there for quite some time just taking in the experience. It was such a moment of healing, a moment of deep connection to the earth.
Here's a poem I wrote:
The cold waters
of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence
splash over my feet.
Sunlight sparkles,
reflects, and warms.
I breathe in deeply
as my hair dances in the wind
and my body sways in the waves.
Muffled voices,
a reminder of life around me,
seem a world so far away.
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| They had set up this cannon which I heard go off repeatedly at noon after I had already left the area. |
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| A beautiful park, church, and colorful houses I walked by as I wandered |
I'm not a foodie and so I usually return to the ship for the included food whenever possible but something made me pause here and instead walk into a well-rated seafood restaurant that also touted a good selection of local craft beers. I had the most delicious mussels at
Salt & Sol Restaurant along with PEIBC's Island Red beer and even tried oysters for the first time which weren't bad.
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| You can see the ship in the background. |
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| Some good bread and olive oil/balsamic for an appetizer |
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| Mussels and oysters |
After that meal, I decided it was time to head back to the ship. I took it easy that afternoon, enjoyed a nice dinner with my family and then went to the Lido Fair in the evening. The night before at the Comedian show, the Cruise Director talked about popcorn, sundaes, and cotton candy along with carnival type games. Cotton candy caught the attention of several of us in my family but unfortunately, we were all disappointed to find out they weren't offering it this cruise. It's not that I expect cotton candy on a cruise ship but don't get my hopes up and then smash them!
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