Road tripping in Ottawa with some of my favourite boys. I missed my older children but as those of you who are parents know, when they are old enough, they make their own plans. That’s why we’re making the most out of our time with our youngest, while we can.

I had been to Ottawa before but this time it was a completely impromptu trip.

Here are some of the stops we made and the activities we enjoyed in this beautiful city

First Stop: Tulip Festival at Commissioners Park

During May, this park becomes a parade of the most gorgeous colours. Tulips of many colours. Yellow, orange, red, fuchsia… you name it. All this beauty surrounds Dow’s Lake which makes of this place a great spot for photography while both locals and visitors stroll along as they answer spring’s call.

Second Stop: Canadian Museum of History

We started our visit at the Canadian Children’s Museum. It was a pleasant surprise as we all loved every corner of it. Essentially, children are embarked into a world trip as they visit different regions and stamp their passports along the way. My son had a lot of fun hopping on the Pakistani bus with looked amazing with all its décor. We had a lot of fun as we browsed the many recreations of streets in India, Thailand, Mexico, and Egypt. Children also have the chance to play around with toys and games from all the countries on display. This is definitely one of those one of a kind experiences that encourage children to explore the world and grow their interest for other cultures.

We spent our next two hours touring the rest of the main exhibits, starting by the Great Hall and its magnificent totem poles. This is an open area with great architecture. A space that really caught our attention and also served as an introduction to the following exhibitions.

Right after the Great Hall we spent some quality time browsing the First People and Canadian History Halls. Basically, it’s a walk through of our country’s history from the very beginning up until the modern age. It was fascinating to discover many unknow facts about the history of our country and the great people that have been behind it.

Third Stop: Downtown Ottawa is an area full of landmarks, all within walking distance. Parliament Hill, Rideau Canal, the Peace Tower and the National War Memorial are just a few of them.

Gothic-style architecture is predominant in most buildings. This time, we toured some of the buildings at night and some others during the day, which gave me a very different perspectiveof the city.

 

 

Where to eat

Benny’s Bistro: Best brunch in town! The long wait was way worth it as everything we ordered was delicious, and we loved the freshness of the ingredients. One of the best kept secrets in the Byward Market.

Evo Greek: Great spot for dinner in Little Italy, near Commissioners Park. Their seafood is top notch and serving sizes are generous. Best of all, their staff was very welcoming, and the atmosphere truly special.

The French Baker: This place has been voted as Ottawa’s best croissants by The New York Times. Their desserts are also out of this world! I like how they offer healthy options as they use whole ingredients, with no added fat or sugar and very low in salt. Conveniently located in the Byward Market, in the same building as Benny’s Bistro.

Well, that’s all for today.

Hope you like it!

With love

Andrea.

 

 

De paseo por Ottawa con mis chicos favoritos, me faltaron los grandes pero ya saben los que son papas, crecen y hacen sus planes, asi que hay que aprovechar al menor, mientras se pueda. Ya habia visitado Otawa antes pero esta vez salio de la nada este “day trip”.

Aqui les comparto  algunas de nuestras paradas con los  lugares y parte de lo que hicimos en esta bella ciudad

1. Parada: Festival de Tulipanes en Comisiones Park

Es una fiesta de colores en el parque, fucsias, amarillos, naranjas, rojos en fin todos los colores en forma de tulipan es absolutamente bellisismo, rodeado del lago Dows y lo mejor es que en esta epoca estan las familias caminado como despertantdo al llamado de la  primavera  y por supuesto todos en busca de una bonita foto.

2.  Parada : Museo de Historia Canadiense

Una exhibicion especial es la del  Museo de los niños

Entramos directo al museo de los niños y la verdad nos sorprendio muchisimo lo lindo que es. Bastante entretenido, es la oportunidad para visitar el mundo,  entregan a los niños un pasaporte para estampar cada lugar visitado, mi hijo disfruto el bus pakistani, se subio  en el bus que esta adornado bellisimo con un monton de maletas y cosas tipicas  todo desde  el teatro, india, thailandia, la casa de mexico, el mini market, la piramide, el barco en fin. Una experiencia unica para motivar a los niños a soñar en viajar y conocer nuevas culturas.  hay vestidos, disfraces acordes con la epoca que representan cada pais, se divierten a traves de un sin numero de juegos y juguetes.
Es una forma bastante divertida de involucrar a los niños en las artes, cultura e historia.

Gran Hall

El hall atrapo absolutamente nuestra atencion es majestuoso, es una introduccion a lo que fue la  primera historia en canada, los “First Nations, su cultura y creencias.

 

tambien pudimos apreciar 3 pabellones:  “First People Hall,  Canadian History Hall, el cual explora el rico patrimonio cultural de este país, incluyendo los logros sobresalientes de los primeros pueblos.

3. parada :

Dowtown Ottawa  es un lugar bastante historico donde se puede apreciar mientras caminas, con todo muy cerca  El  Parlament Hill,  Rideau Canal,  Peace Tower and national War Memorial

Los edificios construidos con un estilo gotico,  esta vez hicimos una parada en la noche y otra en el dia y ambas me encantaron.

Y mas..

Encontramos unos Lugares donde comer

Benny’s Bistro :  El mejor brunch de la ciudad. Es uno de los mejores secretos del market Byward de Ottawa. productos locales y  frescos.  Todo lo que ordenamos es absolutamnte delicioso.

Evo Greeck: Caminando muy cerca del parque encontramos este restaurante griego. toca hacer reserva con anterioridad, por supuesto que no sabiamos, pero tuvimos mucha suerte de encontrar una mesa justo al entrar otra pareja hiba saliendo y la tomamos nosotros. La comida y el lugar demasiado bello.

The French Baker: Es una pasteleria reconocida y votada por el New York Times como el mejor croissant de Ottawa. y no se imagina los postres con componente saudalbes que usas trigo integral, nograsa, no azucar artificial y bajos de sal. nos comimos varios.  Esta en el mismo lugar que el restaurante  Benny`s  Bistro.

 

Bueno esto es todo por ahora,

Espero les guste y se animen a visitar Ottawa.

Con mucho amor comparto mis historias de la vida real,

Andrea