Our fourth full day of vacation began with an ill-fated attempt at “sleeping in.” When our alarm went off at 8:30 for Eilidh’s morning meal, we opened the bedroom door to find the bigger kids and Gee Gee wide awake. (Our room sharing arrangement leaves Gee Gee’s sleep quality at the mercy of Noah and Emmie.)
After a breakfast of cereal for the big kids, milk for Eilidh, and scones for the adults, Daddy and Eilidh made the short drive to dropoff the van at our lunch destination. Gee Gee, Noah, Emmie, and myself donned rain boots for the short trek to the North Rustico beach. The owner of our house graciously supplied us with shovels and pails before we set off. The 5-6 minutes walk to the shoreline was pleasant and the beach offered a decent stretch of (mostly broken) shell-laden shoreline.
Echoes of “Gee Gee, I found one!” or “Mommy, there’s another one!” could be heard up and down the coast as the kids uncovered their treasures in the red sand. We slowly perused the beach for shells and pretty rocks as we made our way towards town. Daddy and Eilidh met us midway to the restaurant and led us to the “mini white van,” as Emmie calls it. We swapped our rubber boots for shoes before entering The Blue Mussel Cafe for lunch.
Featuring coastal yummies such as seafood chowder, haddock burger, crab cakes, and lobster dip, The Blue Mussel Cafe’s dining room provided a cozy atmosphere complete with heat lamps and a great view of the harbor as a gentle rain started to fall. Noah and Emmie were entertained by their placemats and crayons and content to order burgers and hotdogs in lieu of island fare.
We ordered a delicious and creamy lobster dip with crostini for an appetizer. Brian had a shellfish chowder loaded with mussels and clams, while I enjoyed my crab cakes. Gee Gee liked her haddock burger but was a bit of a wimp and fell short of polishing it off. To be fair, it was quite a generous portion.
After lunch Gee Gee and I were dropped off to look in a pottery store while Brian kept the kids and their rambunctiousness safely contained in the van. We made a few other stops along our rainy drive, with one yielding the purchase of several bars of “potato soap.” Brian, Gee Gee, and the big kids hit a jam and preserve store, but ultimately only ate samples.
We were finally able to satisfy Brian’s customary ice cream cravings with dessert at Cows. While the ice cream was solid, it wasn’t anything special, and the complete lack of seating in the store was inconvenient for a family like ours. The adjacent chocolate shop sold “brown sugar fudge” and, although nothing like fudge, we have determined it is very similar to the Scottish Tablet treat we so thoroughly enjoyed in 2014. I definitely have plans for additional brown sugar fudge purchases…
Noah ordered his bowl of ice cream with a sprinkle-covered waffle cone on the side.
Late afternoon was spent hanging at our house, Around the Sea. Not only noteworthy for its round shape, the property offers the very unique experience of staying in a moving, rotating house. Several times a day the owner moves the house via a smartphone app.
Our suite is one of four on the lower level; half of the time it is facing the water.
The house can rotate both directions. One full revolution takes approximately 45 minutes and, unless looking at a fixed reference point, we don’t even notice we are moving until we see that the view outside the windows has changed. Kids and adults alike have been intrigued and entertained by the changing scenery!
Brian writes about dining at The Pearl:
With the weather remaining less than optimal, we decided to call an audible and change our plans for the evening. Gee Gee stayed with all three kids for an ensuite dinner, as Amanda and I moved our date night up from Thursday in hopes we could use that evening to revisit a local beach.
We went to The Pearl, a restaurant starred in our Lonely Planet guidebook and highlighted by the owner of our rotating home as one of the best restaurants in the province. From start (a taste of pickled mussel from the kitchen) to finish (chocolate mousse for Amanda; blueberry pound cake for me), our food was thoroughly enjoyable. The Pearl certainly gets a spot on our list of top all-time restaurant experiences.
I ordered the seared atlantic halibut served on top of creamed spinach alongside a variety of local vegetables.
Amanda had the perfectly-prepared grass-fed, PEI-raised steak served with carrots and other vegetables.
The blueberry pound cake was topped with an extremely unique blue cheese whipped cream.