Charlottetown, PEI

Last weekend I had the opportunity to go to Charlottetown, PEI on a business trip for a national police conference (yaaah, I’m a big shot). I made sure to seize this opportunity and extend my trip a couple of nights so that I could explore the city on my own. This would make this my first official business trip, as well as my first time really travelling on my own. It was awesome!

First I flew from Ottawa to Montreal, which barely felt like I was up in the air at all, then from Montreal on to Charlottetown. The Charlottetown airport went on record for being the smallest airport I’ve ever been in. I walked through the arrival doors, took a few steps, and I was out of the airport!

I stayed in downtown the whole time, and was able to walk around everywhere. I was right on the Charlottetown Harbour, complete with a marina, lots of cute gift shops, big churches, and even a Cow’s ice cream shop!

This is me and the Cow’s cow. My co-worker wanted me to get on top of the cow like all the little kiddies were doing, but I thought it best that I just pose in front of the cow.

This is Victoria Row, a pedestrian street complete with cute little bars and restaurants. At night, you can sit out on the patio and listen to local music. I enjoyed a few glasses of wine on this very street.

On my first day of being on my own it was a cold and rainy day, so I wasn’t able to enjoy much of the outdoors. I spent my time eating and shopping at all the cute shops near the water. For dinner I decided to go to a Mexican restaurant for dinner (my favourite!). This was my first meal in a restaurant by myself, so I decided to order a drink to celebrate my bravery. Little did I know that I had just ordered the biggest, most obnoxious drink I could get. See evidence below. I felt really silly drinking this ginormous (yes, I said ginormous) drink on my own, BUT it was definitely delicious!

At this point I had moved from the hotel I was staying in for work to a hostel right down the street. I ended up in a room with three Japanese girls, all travelling on their own, (what are the odds of that?). Each of them had been in different cities throughout Canada, working and learning English. It was really nice to be able to communicate with them. Now I have friends to visit in Japan if I end up travelling there one day! Maybe I will now make it a point to go. :)

On my last day, I decided to go on a tour around the outlying areas of Charlottetown… I’m glad I did it! I was able to see a lot of things I would’ve otherwise missed.

Large dead jellyfish, complete with my feet for size perspective. Jellyfish fascinate me.

I had really wanted to spend a day on the beach, but the weather wasn’t very cooperative so I settled for taking pictures of it. This is Cavendish beach.

Anne of Green Gable’s house… (Robyn – these pictures are for you!)

…and Anne’s room.

That night I figured it was imperative to have a lobster dinner seeing I was in PEI. So my new Japanese friends and I headed to Lobster on the Wharf for a real out East dinner.

I chickened out at the last second about ordering a full lobster and opted for the ‘lazy lobster’ where all the work is done for me and soaked in a delicious butter sauce.

My friends got the real thing.

Later that night I booked a sunset boat cruise around the Charlottetown Harbour on my own. I had a romantic cruise with myself.

Overall, I had a fantastic time in Charlottetown. It’s a beautiful city and I suggest for you all to go! I now know that I am able to, and actually like travelling on my own, so I will be planning more trips for the future!

Wasp –1, Val –0

As it was one of my good friends’ birthday this past weekend, we decided to celebrate by going downtown for the evening. Before heading to the bars that night, we spent some time at her sister’s place near Elgin. Five of us were all out on the deck enjoying ourselves when I spotted a chair in the corner. I was wearing white pants so it was best I didn’t sit on the dirty patio furniture, and this fabric foldout chair in the corner looked like it would satisfy my sitting needs. It was a decision I would soon regret. As soon as I opened the chair, out fell a wasp nest at my feet complete with about 20, now angry, wasps. I immediately panicked because there were many angry wasps now buzzing around. All five of us turned into a bunch of crazy girls. Four out of the five of us ended up getting stung before we could make it back in the house safe and sound. In all the chaos I managed to leave my full glass of wine outside. I did not dare try to rescue it.
I forgot how much a wasp sting hurts. It’s been years since I was last stung, and figured it hurt so much because I was a child. Nope, not the case, it actually really hurts. The pain comes in waves, like a burning sensation. I got stung on my knee so my pants kept rubbing against it, making it hurt that much more. We were all basically unimpressed. I felt bad because I had been the one to disturb the nest, but honestly, I had no idea there was a wasp nest lurking in this chair! Wasps are assholes. But I guess I DID disturb their home, and deserved some kind of payback. Nonetheless I still think they are assholes. Not cool wasps not cool.

In no time we all felt a little better (a special thank you to our friends wine and vodka), and continued on with the festivities of the night.

If you ever find yourself stung by a wasp, here is what you should do. First, clean the area and apply a cold compress to reduce swelling, ease the pain, and slow the spread of venom. Vinegar works to relieve the stinging, and a paste of baking soda can also be used to relieve some of the wasp sting symptoms.