after w was born, i really wanted to have a family holiday over new years. an opportunity to relax and recharge after a busy christmas. lucky, this was pre-covid, so we were able to head out for a few nights.
we decided on prince edward county. just a few hours east of us, it was far enough away to feel like a holiday but close enough that we could easily drive there after work. and to be honest, it was the perfect way to start a new year.
day 1
we started our first day in PEC with brunch at the Vic, a colourful cafe with a lot of brunch options (note: it has been updated to a drive-in diner now) and explored some of the shops open along the main street.
next up, we conducted a small scale, self-guided brewery tour. whenever we travel we try to check out a few local breweries, and PEC has some good ones. first, we drove over to bloomfield to matron fine beer. located in an old barn, it was complete with some adorable barn cats. after matron, we went to parsons brewing for some samples and pretzels. they have a beer called the westie pale ale that we just had to try (in honour of wes!). unfortunately, it was too dark to take a photo with their infamous Westfalia van. finally, we completed our tour with some fresh pizza from 555 brewing co.
someone was getting a little hangry at this point. he had been such a good baby the whole day, napping most of the time. these outings were a perfect way for me to ease into feeding him in public.
day 2
i am someone who loves the beach in the winter. there is something about how quiet and undisturbed it is. PEC has one of the more well-known ones in ontario - Sandbanks. so we bundled up and went to check it out.
when in PEC, you have to visit some wineries! so that's just what we did. not all wineries were open, but the ones that were had excellent wines. we started with one of the better-known wineries in the area, sandbanks.. next up was hinterland wine company, which had some lovely sparkling wines and an excellent cherry cider.
after hinterland, we continued on our way through the countryside to one of the prettiest wineries i have been to - the grange of prince edward. the property was stunning, their spiced white wine was delicious, and they had hot soup that was the perfect lunch for a cold snowy day.
and last but not least, we stopped in at karlo estates winery. a fully vegan winery, each sample came with a complimenting bite of a snack. the area we sat in was dark and cozy, with lots of comfy couches and big chairs.
then we headed back to wellington for some dinner at midtown brewery company. it was the perfect end to a lovely day exploring PEC.
after all of this adventuring, we headed back to our air bnb to ring in the new year with a nice early bed time. the perfect end to a perfect little holiday.
