The Great Canadian Soap Co.

The Great Canadian Soap Co. was one of those touristy stops that I just hadn't gotten around to visiting yet. Until this past summer! I wasn't convinced it was going to be worth visiting, probably because it seems to be so popular and I'm contrarian like that. But I decided I needed a bunch (10+) of relatively inexpensive souvenirs and goat soap seemed like a decent bet.

As soon as we pulled in, I wondered why it had taken me so long to get here. Adorable baby goats frolicked in the yard, heavily blooming hydrangeas bordered the main building like fluffy, white clouds, and a sign advertised goat's milk ice cream. Um... yes, please.

Inside the store, we looked through the many different types of soap. I was impressed - then I discovered a whole second room, and suddenly needed a basket to figure out what I was going to buy. The soap seems very lightly scented in the store, all sitting together, but the scents are perfectly balanced when you get them on their own. I ended up with a heavenly-smelling white tea bar for myself.

Before leaving, we had to sample the goat's milk ice cream. I love goat cheese, especially in small quantities, and the ice cream had a similar tang to it. Most of the flavors offered have ingredients mixed into the plain vanilla. Mom got peach while I tried the maple. So good!

To round out our day of souvenir shopping, we also stopped by the PEI Preserve Company, which we've visited several times before. I bought some jam for my wonderful boss, and got some jelly and tea for myself. The jelly was quince and rose petal, which makes you feel like you're having a fancy tea party for one when you eat it, and the tea was an original loose leaf blend with rum flavors.

The Preserve Company was super packed - it was hard to find parking - which is becoming more of a trend every summer. I'm glad more the world is discovering bucolic little PEI, but at the same time, I kind of want to hide it away and keep it all to myself, only bringing back delicious souvenirs as a hint to its existence.