Prince Edward Island 2008 Trip Blog - Day 4 (Afternoon)

DAY 4 (AFTERNOON)
AVONLEA VILLAGE

CAVENDISH BEACH

ORBY HEAD

& RUSTICO


In the early afternoon on Thursday, we headed to "Avonlea Village," a newer Cavendish attraction. I didn't really know what to expect, but I was pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. You pay to get into the village, which consists of a group of shops and buildings made to look like the town of Avonlea. That in itself would get boring after about ten minutes, but thankfully they have actors dressed up like Anne, Diana, Gilbert, Josie, Matthew, Marilla, Mr. Phillips, Miss Stacey, and some of the others, and they actually get really into their roles. Sometimes they walk around town talking to people, other times they're involved in skits or concerts that are put on throughout the day. I can honestly say, with a little imagination, I felt like I had fallen right into the books. 

There was a farm with adorable livestock. Yes, I said "adorable livestock."

See what I mean...?

This sign amused me, considering its location...

One of the events of the day was a "County Fair" in which Anne, Gilbert, and the other Avonlea folks organized games for the kids and adults. For the kids, there was an egg race, then a gunnysack race.

Even the trash cans were time-period-appropriate... well, almost.

Some photos in and around the old schoolhouse... 

During scheduled intervals throughout the day, "School" is in session. I went to the last one. Miss Stacey conducted a spelling bee. Anne and Gilbert were team captains and anyone in the audience could participate. 

There was a tie, and Miss Stacey decided to do a tiebreaker. She asked Anne and Gilbert to spell "chrysanthemum" on the board, and the first person to get it correct would win. They both began to write, Gilbert blocking what he was writing and sneaking glances over at Anne, almost as if he was trying to copy off her. When Anne was finished, she was declared the winner. Then she saw what Gilbert had written... 

Awwww! But Anne was mortified.

  

We also attended the "Avonlea School Concert," in which the Avonlea folks sang and danced, and parts of the novel were woven into the dialogue. 

The program ended with Anne and Gilbert deciding to become friends! Hurray!

One last thing we wanted to do before leaving PEI was get a good look at the ocean on the north shore. My mom wanted to do some wading in the water. I mostly cared about getting some pictures of the red sand and dunes, like you see in the AOGG movies. We managed to do both by paying just one entry fee to the national park. Our first stop was Cavendish Beach...

Then we drove along the Gulf Shore Parkway, stopping at Orby Head. I learned from a guidebook that some footage for the Anne movies was shot here. After reviewing the movie, I believe it's the scene between Anne & Diana, after Anne's recital, when Anne is wearing the white dress and saying things like "nothing's going to hold me back."

Then we drove farther, to a beach near Rustico Bay, where there's a jetty and a lighthouse. In the first film, when Matthew and Anne are riding in the buggy, they pass Rustico Bay and you can see some of these buildings in the distance. (I hope I'm remembering that correctly. Well, time to rewatch the film!)

And here's me, holding some beach rocks that are covered with red sand...

Friday, we left PEI. Here are two parting shots...

All in all, PEI is a great place and I want to go back someday! Four days was just not enough time to do all I wanted to do! Next time...