Falling Hard in Love with Prince Edward County
I fell hard in love with Prince Edward County. Even before heading there, the more I found out about the place while preparing my trip, the more excited I got.
Still on cloud nine from my road trip in Québec that same summer, I decided to take advantage of the low car rental prices from downtown Toronto to spend a long weekend on this idyllic island. This destination sounded like the Provence of Ontario to me, a bucolic rural region, quiet and charming, with great authentic food and unique feelings.
I was stunned that no one in my circle was willing to spend a few days there with me, but not deterred by the lack of company, I departed early in the morning to avoid traffic on the Gardiner, the DVP, and the dreaded 401. It felt almost illegal, as if I was sneaking out to meet with my secret summer fling behind everyone’s back.
It wasn’t just driving around the island that made me fall in love, even though, for someone who simply hates driving, I for sure adored driving along the empty, tree-bordered roads providing shade.
The countryside was filling me with nuances of green, blue, and yellow, like discovering new aspects of my lover in its best light.
The fluffy oak trees and bushy side roads, the corn fields, slow dancing with the wind, and the romantic vineyards scattered across the island.
Then the cloudless blue sky, peeking at Lake Ontario from some top hills, crossing rivers and ponds here and there.
The sun spilling golden light upon the hay bales sitting randomly in the fields that cover most of the island. And the sand, and not any type of sand, the golden, soft sand from Sandbanks Provincial Park.
Oh, and when I entered the parking lot, most families were leaving for their 5 pm dinner. One of them gifted me their parking pass, letting me enjoy my rendezvous with PEC’s iconic park.
Walking in the dunes barefoot, shoes in hand, I was skipping like the main character of a romantic film when she is finally in love. Swimming in the warm lake and watching the dunes around me made me feel cherished and treasured.
Oh, how lucky I was, how blessed I felt.
It wasn’t only about feeling the greatness of vacationing in a charming place; it was also about seeing landscapes I had never seen before. Despite having roots in Provence, or simply having spent time in the Niagara region, I had never seen vineyards by a lake and had never experienced how the combination of the two felt quintessentially Ontarian. The green of the vines, perfectly in line in front of a shimmering Lake Ontario. Another light breeze was dangling the little leaves of the vines.
And it wasn’t merely the new landscapes, it was the experiences that came with them. While driving between vineyards and beaches, I would pass villages where kids lined up by a bridge and took turns jumping into the river a few meters below. I was amazed to witness such a trivial event that would become such a “Madeleine de Proust” for those kids. I was discovering all sorts of aspects of this region, and every little detail made my heart grow fonder of the county.
It wasn’t just the kids, the sparkling lake and picturesque hay bales; it was also visiting art galleries that would depict the region on canvas, red barns and infinite wheat fields in all seasons. With no surprise, my beloved isn’t one to fall for only in the summertime. And at the Mad Dog galleries, while stepping into someone’s personal collection, you would be accompanied all the way by the lovely family dog, from the front yard to the back terrace, where you could enjoy a bit of life in PEC.
After a few days there, my heart was full of love and enriched with natural beauty and endless wonder. I decided to continue testing how much wonder the island could keep offering and headed to the Mustang Drive-In, something I had never experienced before, only seen in American movies.
As I parked my car in front of the big screen, the light slowly dimmed, setting an incredible romantic mood, where lovers don’t need to hide. I observed how other guests were setting up, parking their pickup trucks in reverse so they could set tables and chairs in there, facing the big screen. It took me a minute to figure out the audio mechanism, and the rest of the night was a joyful screening of Moonrise Kingdom, by Wes Anderson.
It wasn’t anything sensational, but the excitement of the first time will remain unforgettable.
On my way back to Toronto, I stopped for berry picking in PEC, which again was another first for me. It was a quiet moment in nature that, just like everything else that long weekend, brought me peace and love. Back home, whenever I pulled out the berries to make smoothies, I would reminisce on this incredible weekend, and the feeling of love would bring a big smile to my face. If this isn’t love, I don’t know what is.
High on love from that countryside road trip, I pushed myself to experience more of the Ontarian backcountry and took the road a few more times that same summer, but that’s a story for another time.