Charlottetown and Truro

We found it! The perfect vehicle for our further trip. But let's start from the beginning...

On Friday evening, we first checked out a camper van in Halifax. It was in good condition and technically flawless, but a bit expensive and the interior was very small. However, since we had two more vehicles planned for the next day, we kept this one in mind. On Saturday morning, we set off from Halifax towards Prince Edward Island (PEI) to check out a motorhome in Charlottetown.

To get to PEI, you can choose between a ferry and a bridge (both chargeable, but only when leaving the island). While the bridge meant a longer drive, the ferry ran sporadically and was more expensive, so we decided to take the Confederation Bridge. Driving over this approximately 1 billion dollar bridge over the sea was something special. In order to allow ocean liners to pass under the bridge, you feel like you're driving about 40-50 meters above the sea at the highest points.

Shortly before Charlottetown, we got caught in a big police check...or so we thought. The entire section of the highway was blocked on both sides by a group of policemen and the individual cars were only waved through slowly. With a slightly uneasy feeling (who wants to be checked by the police, especially in a foreign country), we continued until we reached the first policeman. He waved us on and said that the next policeman would give us something. When we arrived at the next policeman, something was actually handed to us: a flyer for 'Motorcycle Awareness Month'. So all the fuss was just for this flyer, which contained important things like 'What lights are there on a motorcycle' or 'What does a horn do on a motorcycle', and practical tips like 'As a motorcyclist, you are more vulnerable than a car driver'. Well...different countries, different customs.

When we arrived at the meeting point in Charlottetown, we realized that we were probably in some kind of holiday resort: a row of small cottages arranged in a U-shape by the road with a view of the industry. For some, this seems to be a vacation. As it turned out, the owner of the motorhome was also the owner of this small resort. The motorhome itself can be described in one word: huge. This 32 ft (about 11 m) long, bus-like vehicle had room for a whole extended family and was equipped with all kinds of bells and whistles despite its relatively low price. With these dimensions and a fuel consumption of about 20 CAD per hour, it is more suitable as a substitute for an apartment or for vacations in one place and less for our plan.

But since we were already there, we wanted to take a closer look at Charlottetown. There were many well-preserved houses and nice little shops, a city beach, beautiful waterfront trails, and even a stone church that stood out from all the lightweight houses. The weather was also nice, so we felt like having ice cream. However, there seemed to be only one ice cream shop in the whole city center, which would explain the long queue. But for almost 4 CAD per scoop (about 2.75 €), we decided against getting ice cream and continued towards Truro, where we checked out the next camper van.

Just by looking at this camper van and its interior, we were both excited. Despite its age (built in 1985), everything was well kept and in very good condition. Compared to the camper van in Halifax, this one offered a lot more space inside and there was even a table for dining and studying. All in all, it was in great shape at a good price. Since the owner also wanted to renew the MVI (Canadian inspection) and offered to assist us with the registration and insurance, we had to go for it. If everything goes smoothly, our trip westward can start on Friday.

To celebrate the day, we finally treated ourselves to the long-awaited ice cream at the well-known burger place with the golden M...