Early July Visit

My first visitor from the USA, a dear friend, was here over the past few days! It was a wonderful time that coincided with the Royal Tour of William and Kate.

We had mostly gorgeous weather with the unfortunate exception of the day where Will & Kate were here. That said, I couldn't really ask for better.

This is a summary of events. This may not read well for others but serves as a bit of a diary for me:

Day One

• brunch at Cora's
  
• visit with my parents
  
• Harbour Hippo tour!
• Cows ice cream
• dinner at Fishbones (with my sister and bro-in-law). Oysters, mussels, lobster. Cramming for finals regarding the Anne & Gilbert musical.

Day Two

• fantastic live-stream of Will & Kate thanks to CityTV
• lunch at Maple Grille
• dinner at V and C's (where dinner reviews surpassed many of the other fine-dining establishments)

Day Three

• lunch at Landmark Cafe in Victoria
• Toy Factory near Hunter River
• beaches at Cavendish (water was way too cold for some)
  
• dinner at the Shipwright Inn
• Anne & Gilbert at the Harbourfront Theatre

All visits with friends and family were really great. Most restaurants were outstanding, with a couple of lessons learned.

One fun tale: my guest wanted to buy some Island-made toys at the Toy Factory (sidebar: the original operation was close to my grandparents' home).

My guest liked some wooden, animal-shaped crayon holders but was surprised to see they weren't marked as PEI in any way. At the cash register, she asked about this and the staff offered to sear the wood not only with the location but also the names of the children. They do this regularly, for free. Perfect.

CC

ps. No sleep for me... another dear friend arrives soon! It is hectic to have visitors so close, but on PEI there are only 8-10 weeks of prime visiting time, so things get busy.