This week FLEW by! It’s already been a week since we were crammed into the car for our 7+ hour trek to Ottawa, Canada to visit family members. Gotta love a family road trip, eh?
I love visiting Ottawa. It’s got such a laid back vibe, especially for a capital city where most people work for the federal government. There are so many parks and bike trails and running paths, not to mention tons of great restaurants and pubs (have to get a pint of Kilkenny when I’m there!), and little crime. I love how most families only have one car and generally take public transportation or walk/bike to work. And the fact that it is a bilingual city (English and French) gives it a slightly European feel.
We spent most of the weekend visiting with family we wish we could see more often, although Dr. G. and I were able to get out for runs on Saturday and Sunday. There is a wonderful park within walking distance of where we were staying and, man, do I wish we had something like that near us! Stratchona Park runs along the Rideau Canal, and in addition to having a beautiful running and biking trail that runs alongside it, there are so many fields to kids to run in, play structures and swingsets. The kids were there at least twice a day.
Anyway, here are 5 photo highlights from our weekend trip north of the border:
1 // We spent most of Sunday at the Canadian Museum of History just across the river in Quebec, yet the majority of our time was spent in their incredible Children’s Museum. Where to begin? There was so much to see and do for kids of all ages (love museums that focus on imaginative play) and both Buddy and Mimi were equally excited and busy, running from one exhibit or activity to another. The museum took the kids on a trip around the world by exploring other cultures through exhibitions, props, costumes and hands-on artifacts, including so many cool toys and games.
The kids got to explore an Egyptian pyramid, climb aboard a realistic Pakistani bus, shop for foods in a local market, drive a three-wheeled auto rickshaw from Thailand, ride a camel, etc. Buddy’s favorite part was a theater complete with lighting and sound effects, a ticket selling booth (that Mimi made herself quite at home in), and a crazy collection of stage costumes. As you can see, Buddy had no problems getting up on stage and hamming it up. Good thing we have him signed up for a drama/improv class next week.
2// One of the running paths at Strathcona Park. So lovely. How I wish I had a running path like this within walking distance of our house.
3// Strathcona Park also includes what I think is the coolest play structure ever: an area designed to look like ruins, assembled out of blocks of stone that had been part of the parliament buildings, the Chateau Laurier, and other prominent Ottawa structures. Buddy had a blast climbing up, over and through the “ruins,” using his imagination to pretend he was in a Roman battle, while Mimi was content to dig in the sand surrounding the structure. We NEED something like this at home.
4// On Saturday, we took the kids on a brief walking tour of Ottawa, including Parliament Hill, with its panoramic views of the city. Of course, we had to pause here for a family selfie.
5// But before we set forth on our walking tour, we treated the kids to high afternoon tea at the historic Chateau Laurier (where Queen Elizabeth herself stays when she visits Ottawa). Both kids did an incredible job, being very polite and using good table manners, as if they were influenced by the fancy surroundings! The kids each got individual pots of steaming hot chocolate, while I enjoyed a maple-inspired tea (when in Canada, right?).
However, the highlight was definitely this three-tier tower of tasty treats (how’s that for alliteration?). The kids balked a bit at the sandwiches (really, who protests a jam sandwich?), but they had no problems scarfing down their scones and cupcakes. I enjoyed cucumber, egg salad, hummus and olive tapenade sandwiches/crisps along with my sweet goodies (a fruit tart and some sort of almond pastry). And, of course, my scones. Either way, it was so much fun to experience this with the kiddos and can’t wait to do it again, back in the states (maybe for Mimi’s birthday in June? Hmmmm.)
So there you have it! Of course I didn’t get a chance to touch on all our adventures (including my kids’ reactions to hearing people speak French, watching French cartoons, or seeing French road signs), or how Buddy loved discovering all the embassies scattered around the city (the bulk of which were in the neighborhood we stayed in), but this sums up our whirlwind trip quite nicely.
How do you survive long car trips with your kids?
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