A Piece of History

I can't help flying up on the wings of anticipation. It's as glorious as flying through a sunset. ~ Anne of Green Gables

Good morning dear friends! Hope you are all having a lovely day.

While I was away from my blog, my youngest son spent a week in Paris at a conference; his fourth trip to France! I never dreamed he would do so much traveling but life does surprise us. 
This is a photo he took out the window while flying across the English Channel. On the left is England and on the right is France. I thought it was a cool picture.

He took a few pictures of Notre Dame. You can see at the top right, some of the damage caused by the fire. I'm glad he saw it a couple of years ago, before the fire took place.

One never sees Paris for the first time; one always sees it again. ~ Edmondo De Amicis

My son couldn't remember where this was but it's impressive.

In a couple of months he flies to Portugal where he has been once before. He has been to Europe a number of times in the past seven years. This is one of the perks of his job. 

Why am I telling you all this? Well, I am leading up to something.

Folks travel all the time and they have been doing so for centuries. Back in the late 1800s, Alexander Macdonald, a wealthy Scots-born industrialist, who immigrated to Ohio, took a trip to Prince Edward Island with his family and fell in love with it. So much so, that he commissioned a summer home to be built here in 1895 which he called Dalvay by the Sea. Dalvay being named for his boyhood home in Scotland. 

For many of you, this will not look familiar but for those of you who are Anne of Green Gables fans, you will recognize this hotel as the White Sands Hotel, a grand gathering place for many events in the Anne of Green Gables series as well as the Road to Avonlea series.

This beautifully built hotel is exquisitely designed both inside and out in the Queen Anne Revival style. It was a bit of a playground for my hubby when he was growing up and he introduced me to it when we were going together. When his sister got married, she held her reception there. It was a lovely setting for such a memorable event.

Sunday afternoon, we went out to take some pictures. When we first arrived, we were delighted to see dozens of Canada geese down by the pond getting ready to take a swim. They were very tame and didn't seem to mind our being there at all.

Every summer Mr. Macdonald would bring his family and staff to Dalvay, PEI and spend his vacation here. At the end of the summer he would throw a huge party and invite the surrounding community where my hubby grew up. Mr. Macdonald was a very hospitable man and of course, the Islanders of the day loved him.

I don't know the story behind this carriage but I'm sure there is one.

I think it is serendipitous that this hotel was chosen for both the Anne and Avonlea series. Anne of Green Gables is famous the world over and the grand hotel, is one stop of many for visitors to our Island. 

In July of 2011, it was the scene for Prince William and Kate when they visited the Island.

courtesy of Pinterest

Hubby and I were there and saw their helicopter because we were on Dalvay beach that day. It was rather exciting for us because the beloved royals were visiting Hubby's old stomping grounds. There was no opportunity to take pictures that day because they were closely guarded but it was the talk of the town for quite some time. At one point they enjoyed a feast of lobster and clams on the beach. We Islanders found the prince and his wife very down to earth people, but then the prince is his mother's son! Diana was loved the world over.

For many years, Dalvay beach has been a favourite spot for us to relax and soak in the wonderful salt air. This beach is a little quieter than the others further up the coast.

There are tidal pools for the little ones to play in and the ocean for the many swimmers who go there.

I love the Island this time of year because it truly is a beautiful place. We have clean fresh air and miles of sandy beaches to walk. One can visit Green Gables and explore the grounds and all that it has to offer, or go to the Charlottetown Festival and see the Anne of Green Gables play. There is more to see of course but today I'm talking about the grand hotel and Anne.

If you're ever on PEI, you must visit Dalvay by the Sea as well. They serve scrumptious meals in their restaurant. And if you listen closely, you may be able to hear Anne Shirley reciting The Highwayman.  

courtesy of Pinterest

Sharing from my heart ~ Sandi