A Backpacker’s Epiphany: 5 Reasons to Try Out Club Med
Posted November 10, 2009 , comments closedA Backpacker’s Epiphany: 5 Reasons to Try Out Club Med
I’m a bit of a travel snob. I don’t mean snob in the sense that I only stay at five star luxury hotels or only dine on nothing less than expensive champagne and caviar in Paris.
Actually the opposite- I’m the type of travel snob who believes the really interesting travel happens off the beaten track, unplanned, and without a tour guide. I’ve hitchhiked my way through Africa, dragged my backpack through train stations in Egypt, and spent the night with plenty of bedbugs through the years. Essentially, travel for me has always been more gratifying when there’s discovery, wacky surprises, and okay, a little bit work on my part. Can you relate?
However, recently due to some stressful personal life events, my husband and I were just not motivated for our usual kind of travel. We did not have the energy for the hustle bustle, scary taxi rides, or price haggling. We wanted to go easy for a change.
We opted instead for a stay at an all-inclusive Club Med. Now, I’ll admit I had reservations. Isn’t the fun part of travel wandering down hidden alleys for a tiny gem of a restaurant or stumbling on a secret beach? How could I possibly enjoy just walking up to the buffet line or sauntering out to the resort pool?
Well readers, enjoy it I did. I’ll even go so far as to say that I’m looking forward to planning my next Club Med vacation.
Now, I knew little about Club Med Resorts before this trip, and I had some strongly formed misconceptions about how stimulating the experience would be. In short, I didn’t expect it would be. However, I am here to tell you that I was wrong. In fact, there are so many interesting and fun benefits to staying at one that I want to share with you.
Reason 1
Club Med resorts offer a wide array of activities including tennis, archery, water and snow diversions, yoga, bike riding, exercise classes, excursions, and most fun of all, flying trapeze. When else do you get a chance to engage in all that? Most of the activities require no extra charge; hence, you can easily try out something new. Moreover, Club Med resorts around the world are often within easy reach of places of cultural or historical interest. We left the resort one day and visited a monkey enclave and mangrove forest. In no way does your time need be limited to the pool.
Reason 2
Club Med personnel is made up of people from all over the world, which gives the resort an international vibe reminding me of a youth hostel. The staff members themselves are roaming travelers, moving to a new resort every year or so. They freely conversed with us during the day, shared drinks at the bar and sat with us during meals. This interaction presented many opportunities for having lively discussions and making friends.
Reason 3
The resort is a perfect, if not a little strange, self-sustaining world. It’s the kind of place where the person who is the receptionist is also the bartender and the trapeze artist and the magician and head of the breakfast clean-up crew (and if you were getting married, would also be the officiate performing the ceremony). It was hilarious actually to see what new role that person would pop out as next. Moreover, each night, the staff put on a show for the guests– yes, cheesy and badly adapted from the Vegas strip, but all the more fun to watch when that’s your new pal from Indonesia on the stage. Essentially, Club Med was not the sterile environment we expected in the least. There were lots of surprises and laughs.
Reason 4
If you have children, child-care is included in the cost. Amazingly, the staff whisks the little ones away for hours. If I were a parent, I can imagine that would be heaven. I’m all for creating and sharing memorable travel experiences with your children, but that is exactly the benefit of this type of resort. You are not simply dropping them off in a small room so they can watch cartoons while you sip a cocktail at the bar. The childcare is educational and cultural. On our trip, we met kids who went on nature walks, learned local songs and games, made crafts, and became amateur trapeze artists.
Reason 5
Finally, the drinks and food are free flowing all day long. As much as I love discovering a fantastic hole in the wall restaurant, I have to admit, it was lovely to have all that sustenance at my fingertips for once. The food quality overall was very good and they served a range of dishes and drinks. We stayed at the resort on Ishigaki Island in Japan, and there was no shortage of sake, awamori, goya, and beni imo (purple sweet potatoes). To be honest, we could’ve eaten burgers and fries there too if we wanted, but we were pleased to see variety and local ingredients.
Club Med resorts are located in over 100 destinations all over the world, and they are not limited to Caribbean beaches or European ski villages; in fact, locations exist in countries such as Senegal, Morocco, Turkey, and even Brazil. If you’re feeling less than usual motivation for the uncertainty and hardship of adventure travel, I recommend breaking out of the typical pattern and giving Club Med a chance. You might experience your own epiphany.
5 Places to Rediscover the Golden Age of Piracy
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That was the actor Robert Newton, in his portrayals of Long John Silver and Blackbeard in movies and television. Obviously, it caught on.Pirates didn’t make their victims walk the plank either.
Not when it was so much easier (though admittedly less dramatic) to simply throw captives overboard. Give credit to illustrator Howard Pyle for that romantic image, his painting of a blindfolded man edging out on a wooden plank captures all of the crippling fear that such a punishment would induce.
Nevertheless, pirates were very real. They did drink rum by the caseload. They were reckless and wild and daring. Some even owned parrots and monkeys as pets. Their real stories are so nightmarish that the fiction they inspired often seems tame by comparison.
It’s no wonder then, that pirates, buccaneers and freebooters still loom large, even in the twenty-first century. They are our most beloved outsiders, particularly among long-term travelers—roaming free, making their own rules, completely in the moment. So many novels, movies and songs honor their bold deeds and gruesome deaths that it’s easy to forget that these rogues actually existed. Any savvy jack-tar worth his salt can track down one of the many pirate festivals celebrated yearly, but even more fascinating is a visit to their real stomping grounds. Some of which haven’t changed as much as one might think.
Here are 5 places that any aspiring pirate historian ought to visit:
1 – Saint Mary’s Island, Madagascar
Pirate’s graveyard in Madagascar
Known these days by the French name Ile Sainte Marie, Saint Mary’s was once the central hub of piracy and nefarious dealings in the Indian Ocean. Notable scalawags Captain Kidd, Robert Culliford and Henry Avery all took refuge on the island at one time or another to buy supplies, drink homebrewed rum and savor the company of the notoriously beautiful Malagasy women.
Many pirates were so entranced with Saint Mary’s free love atmosphere that they decided to extend their furloughs or live there permanently. The rakish pirate Thomas Tew even had a child with a local queen; his bloodline is claimed by the Zafay-Malata people to this day.
Trader Adam Baldridge set up shop on Saint Mary’s and supplied his guests with everything they might need, at a healthy markup of course. Captain Kidd had a hard time getting his crew motivated again after his turn ashore on the island and many of them abandoned him there.
A 21st century traveler visiting Sainte Marie would be missing out if they didn’t take a stroll through the pirate graveyard that overlooks the “Bay of Rogues.” The bay is where some of history’s most notorious sea-devils weighed anchor. The site is shaded by trees and vines and can be reached along a short and often muddy path from the beach. The mossy headstones feature skulls & crossbones and the sentiments etched there show little remorse for the deeds of the men buried below.
If you want to be where the crème de le crème of pirate society went to revel—go to Saint Mary’s. Consider the perfect beaches, jumbo prawns and friendly modern residents to be a bonus.
2 – Port Royal, Jamaica
Thanks to Jack Sparrow’s ringing endorsements in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, Port Royal may be the destination most commonly associated with piracy’s Golden Age. There is both truth and fiction in that assertion—Port Royal was once the world’s premier pirate haven but its heyday was before the Golden Age of Piracy (1690-1720).
In the 1660s however, Port Royal was the carousing capital of the world. Records indicate one alehouse for every ten permanent residents. Ships often came into port rich and left drunk, fat and happy—but drained of plenty of gold coins. Nicknamed “The Sodom of the New World,” Port Royal existed in a state of revolving revelry.
The Gentlemen of Fortune who made Port Royal famous are generally put into the category of Buccaneers and many of them had defended the city from the Spanish or plundered Spanish treasure ports in time of war. When the crown decided that Jamaica needed to change its image they hired one of these unsavory types to do it for them. His name was Captain Henry Morgan and though he was known for taking a bribe here and there and attacking Spanish ships even in times of peace, his work to fix the island’s bloody reputation met with success.
Regardless, the point was soon moot. In 1692, most of the port sunk under water during a devastating earthquake. Some were quick to attribute the quake to an act of God (who was either furious with the hedonism of the people or jealous of all the fun they were having, depending on who you asked). Attempts to rebuild the city went up in smoke (literally, two major fires in ten years) but it did later become a popular execution spot where pirates Calico Jack Rackham and Charles Vane went to meet the gallows.
These days, Port Royal is small and known mostly for fishing—but as a site for pirate lovers and those interested in underwater archeology, it is unparalleled in the Caribbean and certainly worth a visit.
3 – Nassau, Bahamas
At the turn of the 18th century, the island of New Providence in the Bahamas was a scarcely governed haven for gentlemen of fortune. Retired buccaneers and upstart pirates lived in squalor under tents made from pieces of old sail.
Governor Nicholas Trott was well known for taking bribes from men who were sought by the British Crown. When the aforementioned Henry Avery needed someplace to hide out he was sent straight to New Providence. Trott was only too happy to help for a share in Avery’s plunder. Soon even the puppet governments failed and New Providence became a no man’s land split between pirate chieftains.
Later, when England made the Bahamas a colony and decided to clean up Nassau, the Lords Proprietor took a page out of Jamaica’s playbook and called in a gentleman of fortune. This time it was Woodes Rodgers. Rodgers knew the men and knew their tactics—it wasn’t long before Nassau fell off the list of preferred pirate ports.
Today, Nassau has been scrubbed to a high shine. The spit of sand across the harbor from the port even had its name changed to Paradise Island (the pirates knew it as Hog Island). Nassau Town still clings to snippets of old world charm that reference its past, though they are often tough to focus on between cruise ships and modern resorts. Luckily, the Pirates of Nassau Museum does a great job of reminding us of the way things were.
4 – North Carolina, United States
The Carolina Coast has no shortage of pirate lore. There are stories of shipwrecks, battles and buried treasure—all of which pale in comparison to the deeds of one Edward Teach a.k.a. Blackbeard. Blackbeard was tough as coffin nails, at least half-crazy and would sometimes burn slow match in his beard to scare enemies. Not surprisingly, he was an effective pirate.
After leaving New Providence due to the arrival of Woodes Rodgers, he set up camp on Ocracoke Island. From there he and his crew set out pillaging throughout the Caribbean and into the Gulf of Mexico. In 1718, after blockading the Port of Charles Towne and ransoming the entire city, he and his men returned victorious and rich to Ocracoke. Weeks of carousing followed until the governor of Virginia decided to send Lieutenant Maynard and his Royal Navy crew to do something about the pirate infestation.
The chase between Maynard’s crew and Blackbeard’s freebooters was brutal and bloody. But it was the final battle, in which Blackbeard took five bullets and more than “20 dismal cuts” before dying, that is the stuff of legends.
The best account we have of the battle, which describes Blackbeard fighting with three men at once, also attributes a quote to him AFTER receiving a death blow by broadsword to the neck. It wasn’t until his head was completely off of his shoulders that Maynard’s crew stopped fearing him, and even then just barely.
Today North Carolina’s coast has plenty in store for a visitor interested in pirate history. Blackbeard’s memory hangs over the island of Ocracoke and the towns of Beaufort and Bath. Many artifacts from the dreaded pirate’s ship, The Queen Anne’s Revenge, are on display in museums throughout the state including Beaufort’s Maritime Museum. The area also happens to one of the United States’ least appreciated stretches of beach—which any visitor should be able to enjoy heartily.
5 – Vailima, Samoa
Robert Louis Stevenon’s house in Samoa
Samoa wasn’t a hotbed of activity during the Golden Age of Piracy. But it’s notable for one very famous resident: Robert Louis Stevenson. Treasure Island is the definitive pirate novel, and the blood-thirsty crew that populated the schooner Hispanola is responsible for many of our most vivid notions about freebooters.
Most notably, as David Cordingly points out in his book Under the Blag Flag, Stevenson popularized parrots and peg legs, both of which were real parts of life at sea but not yet cemented in the public consciousness.
Stevenson originally travelled to the South Seas to ease his chronic health problems. It wasn’t long before he fell in love with the islands and their people. For their part, the natives of the South Pacific liked the frail writer just as much—he quickly developed an enduring friendship with King Kalakaua of Hawaii.
Known as a culturally sensitive traveler long before the phrase was common, Stevenson established a home on Vailima when he was forty. Four years later he died there and his old residence is now a museum honoring his memory.
Additional photo credits:
Port Royal by Christian y Sergio on Flickr, Bahamas by LinksmanJD on Flickr, North Carolina by greenkayak73 on Flickr, Samoa by anna t on Flickr
In Vietnam, Capitals and Culture That Dazzle
Posted , comments closedIn Vietnam, Capitals and Culture That Dazzle
The enormous, stately Citadel, the former palace of several emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty (1802-1945), dramatically sprouts from the north bank of the Perfume River in the old capital of Hue, in central Vietnam. Though largely destroyed by American bombs in the Tet Offensive in 1968 during the Vietnam War, what’s left is beautiful.
Modeled after the Forbidden City in Beijing, the scope is grand, the details refined, and the sense of history overwhelming. Even the monolithic flagpole in front of the complex gets in on the over-the-top act, with the communist-style flag of a yellow star on a red field soars skyward in the wind.
After ascending a grand entranceway, visitors are afforded a view of the southern part of the complex, with its matrix of assembly halls and prayer rooms, which bespeak much about their imperial Chinese influence.
Particularly noteworthy are the inlaid ceramic details forming dragons, phoenixes and other details in shiny yellow, blue, green and red. Leisurely walking through the huge complex can take a few hours. Along the way is a refreshment stand where you can find relief on a hot day, or browse for books on the history of the Citadel, plus plates decorated with the faces of the Buddha and North Vietnamese icon Ho Chi Minh. In a photo gallery, visitors can try on imperial gowns for him and her and get photographed in them.
Twelve kilometers by boat on the Pagoda River—or by land on a speedier motorcycle taxi—are elegant wooden, Chinese-style buildings in a splendid natural setting surrounded by evergreens and the tombs of last emperors of the Nguyen Dynasty. The peaceful, hilly region full of meandering paths and birdsong makes a good way to get away from the aggressive catcalls of Hue’s pushy cyclo drivers, hoping that you will patronise them.
As is the case in all Vietnamese towns, the food in Hue is cheap and excellent, from strong local coffee that famously drips from a steel coffeemakers that sits atop coffee cups, to the spring rolls for which there are as many restaurants as there are different types of this treat worth savouring.
Economically kick-started by the country’s doi moi (“renovation”) reforms that began in 1986, Vietnam has been looking ahead ever since, and, like China, has slowly allowed for some market, capitalist aspects, which naturally appealed to this country of hard workers.
This is a nation embedded with a Confucian work ethic, with many vendors offer everything from tofu to T-shirts from two heavy baskets linked by a pole. For the last several years, many unshackled Vietnamese have turned to the tourist economy to make a living.
A short, pleasant train ride away from Hue is the old town of Hoi An, which was once the biggest port in the country and hosted Portuguese, Dutch and Japanese traders in the 1500s and 1600s.
Hoi An is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its Old Town, a district of centuries-old Chinese-style homes and shophouses has been made tourist-friendly, and turned inside out.
At night the city picturesquely comes alive with red Chinese lanterns. While general-product stores, auto-body shops and such now surround the town, the historic centre is a traveller’s paradise of art galleries, museums on local ways of life, handicraft shops and dozens of restaurants offering yummy staples, including the quintessential dish pho, a soup with thick noodles and strips of veggies and meat, topped with fresh greens like cilantro and mint. On both sides of the Phuoc An River, Hoi An offers cruises to the mouth of the river, which just a few kilometres from here spills into the South China Sea.
Along the southern bank of the river near the historic section, a fresh market for all manner of vegetables, meats and other foodstuffs are hawked by vendors, who, like their local customers, sport iconic conical hats and pajama-style outfits.
Across the river, travellers can meander through a typically Vietnamese community, away from the touts for clothing shops (Hoi An is a popular place to get a cheap dress or suit made), restaurants (typically staffed by pretty local hostesses wearing the classic ao dai dress), and hotels (there are many good rooms in town, including some overlooking rice fields). A sleepy town by Vietnamese standards, Hoi An is known for its low-key charms, and slowly rode bicycles.
After you’ve had your fill of culture and commerce, take a brief break from it on a pleasantly long train ride to the smallish capital of Hanoi. Once arriving, you’ll find the capital chaotic in many ways. But persevering, going down hidden paths will treat you to the subtle charm of the city.
Dozens of hotels are available in and near Hanoi’s Old Quarter, a matrix of streets intersecting at all points and making getting lost here a real adventurous joy. Fresh beer is available in many small corner beer houses, where snacks are available too.
Nearby is the heart of the city, the area surrounding Hoan Kiem Lake, which is home to an island connected to the shore by a lovely old bridge called The Huc, (“Flood of Morning Sunlight”. The island’s centuries-old temple, Ngoc Son (“Jade Mountain”), honours local warrior Tran Hung Dao, who defeated a larger Mongol force led Kublai Khan.
The lake’s shores are a beehive of activity, locals and visitors alike can enjoy people watching. There are strollers—couples, friends, families—badminton players, joggers, and quaint cafes with great views to be enjoyed. Local, exotic birds of all colours flit above the surface of the lake on the hunt for fish.
Another cultural must-see is the Confucian Temple of Literature, in which stone turtles are topped with symbolic books to represent the wealth of knowledge worth being versed in.
Visitors can get a sense of where they are in the Army Museum, which is largely dedicated to the country’s wars with France and the US in the 1900s, as well as the Vietnam History Museum, which explains what the country was like until World War II.
Happily, charming French-era architecture has been preserved around the country, particularly in Hanoi. French accents also reflected in the local diet, especially baguettes.
The classic nearby way to get away from the city is a day trip to the Perfume Pagoda, and its cave of Buddhist shrines. Several travel agencies offer van rides down to the riverside embarking point, where visitors are led down into rowboats, which local women drive on the way down to the temple.
This is a charming way to get there, with wooden homes along the banks to be admired, and with jumping fish and water lilies to keep you company.
While Vietnamese drive with one hand on their constantly abused horn, and notoriously don’t slow down for people crossing the street, there is much more enjoyment than annoyances to be found in this awakening land, which has been open to the world only for the last two decades or so.
Indeed, with the friendly interactions between travellers here and their hosts being what they are, surely visitors will continue to keep coming for years to come.
8 Old Colonial Hotels You Can Still Stay In
Posted , comments closed8 Old Colonial Hotels You Can Still Stay In
Remnants of a bygone world, these colonial memorials are places of nostalgic luxury where century-old traditions are preserved with meticulous care. Their Victorian flavour is reminiscent of Agatha Christie stories (actually, the famous writer stayed in some of them herself).
Most of old colonial hotels are as unaffordable for the average traveller as they were a hundred years ago, but this apparent shortcoming is compensated for by their opulence, charm, rich history and a long list of famous guests. Get to know some of the most celebrated hotels in the world…
Galle Face Hotel, Colombo, Sri Lanka
Opened in 1864
Facing the Indian Ocean, this very personal and unique hotel has been hailed as a masterpiece of Victorian architecture. Some of its guests have said that staying at Galle Face is alone a sufficient reason for visiting Sri Lanka.
What is more, staying at Galle Face is affordable. You can enjoy the dramatic sunsets over the Indian Ocean from its black-and-white chequerboard terrace and know that famous guests, such as Richard Nixon, Indira Gandhi, Jawaharlal Neru, Emperor Hirohito, Roger Moore, Yuri Gagarin have probably done the same.
The hotel has its own ‘landmark’ – a world-famous doorman, eight-eight-year-old Kuttan, proudly bearing the title of the most faithful employee in hotel industry. He has served Galle Face for 66 years since the days of the British Raj.
Mandarin Oriental, Bangkok, Thailand
Opened in 1876
One of the oldest hotels in Asia, the famed Mandarin Oriental (formerly Oriental) is not cheap, but it certainly lives up to its reputation of superb service and opulent luxury. With a ratio of three staff per one guest, the hotel aims to make every visitor feel like royalty.
The famous guests include almost everyone who comes to mind – politicians, royalty, designers, celebrities such as Graham Greene, Sophia Loren, Alfred Hitchkock… Joseph Conrad did not stay at the hotel, but he was a frequent visitor to the bar.
In 1888, he arrived in Bangkok to take over the command of a ship whose previous captain died at sea, and spent many an evening swapping stories of far-off places in the bar of the Oriental. A few years later he would settle in England and take up writing full-time.
Raffles Hotel, Singapore
Opened in 1887
In 1886, the Armenian Sarkies brothers took over a harbour-facing building known as the Beach House. In December 1887, the new hotel opened and was named after the founder of the British colony in Singapore, Sir Stamford Raffles.
Rudyard Kipling, who arrived in the same year, noted that the food was excellent but the rooms were bad. It seems the hotel has improved a great deal since then and has a guest list that looks like an edition of Who’s Who. Charlie Chaplin, Ginger Rogers, William Golding, Elizabeth Taylor and David Bowie have all stayed there.
One of Raffles‘ legendary, even if not overtly famous guests, was a certain Dutch archaeologist, Professor Callenfels, who drank up to three bottles of gin for breakfast alone and once ate every dish on the hotel’s menu. He then proceeded to do it all over again, only backwards.
Rumoured to be the place of mass suicide of 300 Japanese soldiers in the end of the Japanese occupation of Singapore in 1945 – in fact, only one such suicide has been proven – this famed hotel withstood wars, crises and disasters gracefully and is now a celebrated national monument.
Eastern & Oriental Hotel, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia
Opened in 1885
The Eastern Hotel in Penang – now a UNESCO world heritage site – was the first enterprise of the Sarkies brothers. Renamed Eastern & Oriental after a few years, it became commonly known as the E&O.
This hotel is one of the earliest major historic buildings still standing in Georgetown and is a charming legacy of Malaysia’s colonial past. Many of the historic features have been retained up to the present day, including the somewhat moody antique elevator and classic black-and-white tiled Victorian bathrooms.
E&O has welcomed celebrities such as Noel Coward, Herman Hesse, Rudyard Kipling and Somerset Maugham.
Pera Palace, Istanbul, Turkey
Opened in 1892, will reopen in April 2010
The grand and opulent Pera Palace was built for the use of passengers coming from Paris to Istanbul on the Orient Express. It is located in a cosmopolitan quarter of Istanbul on a hill overlooking the Golden Horn and Bosphorus, a place of symbolic significance, where the East meets the West.
Pera Palace been frequented by politicians, writers and artists. The guest list includes name such as Mata Hari, Greta Garbo, Ernest Hemingway and Valeri Giscard d’Estaing.
The hotel had a very special place in the life of Agatha Christie. She stayed there many times between 1926 and 1932, and also wrote one of her best-known stories, Orient Express, in the hotel.
Winter Palace, Luxor, Egypt
Opened in 1886
Winter Palace, built in a typical British colonial style, soon became famous for its New Year’s Eve celebrations with masked costume balls. Taking part in hotel celebrations became a symbol of status and recognition. It was said to be the ultimate privilege to have one’s yacht moored along the quayside opposite the Winter Palace.
Agatha Christie is once again on the list of famous visitors, and it might have been here she got inspiration for her many stories set in Egypt.
It was on the notice board at Winter Palace that Howard Carter first announced the discovery of the tomb of Tutankamon in 1922. The famous Egyptologist frequented the hotel until his death.
Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, India
Opened in 1890
One of the oldest hotels in India, this colonial mansion is a haven of privacy, peace and old world charm in the hectic and exhausting city of contrasts that Kolkata is.
Boasting celebrity guests such as Melinda Gates, Ricky Martin and the Queen of Bhutan, Oberoi Grand used to be the favourite destination of princely Indians and local and international celebrities alike.
It is still one of the best hotels in India and perhaps the best hotel in Kolkata, a city is rich in top of the range hotels. The grand dining room offers different international buffet every night of the week as well as an exquisite Sunday lunch buffet, popular with locals and tourists alike
Mount Nelson Hotel, Cape Town, South Africa
Opened in 1899
Mount Nelson Hotel was the fruit of the imagination and determination of shipping magnate Sir Donald Currie. The first visitors were the European high society travellers and the nouveau riche who partied and celebrated at the wake of Anglo-Boer war that broke out in the end of 1899. A young Winston Churchill was then a regular guest as a newspaper correspondent reporting on the war.
Since these troubled days, the walls of Nellie, as it is affectionately known, have survived three wars and many changes of government. They have welcomed the rich, the famous and the royal. Agatha Christie, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King Jr., and more recently Charlize Theron, Robbie Williams, Bono and Oprah have all stayed at Mount Nelson.
This white mansion boasts breathtaking views of the Table Mountain, and is striking in its colonial grandeur that South Africa is so famous for. Mount Nelson still serves high tea in the afternoon and champagne before dinner.
Additional photo credit: Pera Palace Hotel by Inga Kastrone
Ottawa: It’s Tulip Time!
Posted , comments closedOttawa: It’s Tulip Time!
Ottawa. I thought it was about time to explore my own capital. What better time to visit during the Tulip Festival! Ok, my visit was just at the end of the festival.
After an eight-hour bus ride, my A Voyagers Bed and Breakfast was conveniently located behind the station on Arlington Ave. After I checked in and dropped my bags in the room and began to explore
Twenty minutes later I found Palermo Cafe on Sparks Street Mall. Not having coffee all day, I grabbed a cup ($1.00) just before the 4 p.m.
Sparks Street is Canada’s first pedestrian mall started in 1963. When its popularity grew, it was decided in 1966 to keep it open all year long. I sipped my coffee and enjoyed the quietness on the Victoria Day holiday.
With no plans in mind, I meandered around the downtown area. I decided it was time to eat and found Yesterday on Sparks Street. The BLT sandwich with fries and a glass of wine ($15.00) hit the spot.
After a good nights sleep, I was ready to explore this walk able city. Every Remembrance Day November 11th, a ceremony takes place at the National War Memorial in honour of the dead. I looked down at the Tomb of the Unknown Solider and paid my respects to those who died during World Wars 1 & II.
Across the street is the elegant first class Fairmont Chateau Laurier. I savoured the magnificent lobby of this hotel built 1912. Maybe one day I’ll bite the bullet and spend a night or two here.
Behind the hotel is Major’s Hill Park. I walked by the colourful tulips and a small fair. Behind the park is a statue of Samuel de Champlain, a French explorer who was the first white man to travel through the future site of Ottawa. Samuel has a gorgeous view of the Parliament Hill, Ottawa River and the Ottawa Locks.
My timing was perfect when I approached the Ottawa Locks. Two people cranked open a lock by hand let a small boat through. I watched them do two more.
Time ticked on and I had much to see. Bytown Museums next to the locks would have to wait until the next visit. For only six dollars, it gives a perspective of Ottawa’s history. The city was once called Bytown until 1855.
Ok. I’m biased Canadian! I loved Parliament Hill, or as the locals call it “the Hill.” Being the heart of Canadian government, it consists of the Centre Block, East Block and West Block. Plenty of statues adorn the grounds including John A. Macdonald (Canada’s first Prime Minister), Queen Elizabeth II on a horse, Women Are Persons (celebrating 1929 landmark victory Canadian women struggle for victory). My favourite statue is Lester B. Pearson sitting keeping an eye on the Parliament.
Tulips and daffodils brightened the Gardens of Provinces and Territories. This park is dedicated to the provinces and territories of Canada displaying each of the flags. I enjoyed the gentle sounds of the fountains as I snacked on an apple, banana and a bag of chips.
Ottawa is filled with museums. Not being a museum fan, I bragged to family and friends about the Canadian War Museum. It was worth every penny of the $12.00 entrance fee. With the threat of rain, the three hours spend here was just perfect.
My eyes widened when I entered a huge room filled with all sorts of tanks and jeeps used in the both World Wars and Korea. Each vehicle has a description of its history.
The exhibits are well laid out. It starts from the beginning of war (bows and arrows are the first weapons) on to the Plains of Abraham, World War I, World War II, and Cold war and to the present.
I walked through the makeshift trench with gunfire sounds and mannequin soldiers. I closed my eyes and visualized what the horror the men went through. Of course, nothing and compare but nevertheless the exhibit is done well.
I turned a corner to the World War II exhibit. My jaw dropped. Wow! I starred at Hitler’s Mercedes-Benz. Goose bump appeared on my arms. The car was captured by the Americans and given to Canada.
Juno Beach in Normandy France is on my “bucket list” but for now this had to do. With the black and white video in front of me, I felt like I was with the men getting off the water vehicle running through the water toward the beach.
The sudden 30C one-day heat wave proved to be too much of a difference from the day before jaunt in Montreal where I had to break down and bought another layer, a fleece jacket to be exact.
Ottawa is the tulip capital of the world. Commissioners Park beside Dow Lake has the largest tulip display in the region. The colours of the reds, yellows, whites, purples and mixed were so vibrant at this late stage. I stopped and asked a local how long the tulips would last.
“They’ll be gone by next week,” she said. “We were lucky for them to still look good thanks to the cool weather we’ve been having this spring.”
After I walked along the park, I headed toward the pavilion by Dow Lake, where there is a restaurant and bathrooms.
I left the park by Preston St. entrance. Here stood a statue of a man holding up a hat in each hand representing a symbol and link of the lasting relationship and close friends between Canada and the Netherlands. Canada got the tulips as a present of thanks for giving refuge to the royal family of the Netherlands during World War II.
The bus system in Ottawa is fantastic. With help from a local, I hopped a bus on Preston St. and Carling Ave ($3.00) and was dropped off near the Ottawa Public Library.
After a quick stop at the library to check out my emails, I headed toward Byward Market. I didn’t have to fight crowds and savoured the smells and sights of the indoor and outdoor vendors selling items from fresh fruits and vegetables to cheese, meats, and flower. There are lots of speciality shops and restaurants to choose from as well.
The day was perfect to sit on the cushy seats outside of Cornerstone Bar and Grill. I sat for about two hours sipped on a Peach Mojitas, enjoyed a Panini ($16.00) and watched the world go by.
Refreshed, I was ready to hit the sites I had planned for the afternoon. First stop was Carleton County Gaol (1860-1972) is now known as Ottawa International Hostel. I considered staying in one of the jail cells or dorm. This was the site of the last public hanging. There are tours at certain times but unfortunately the timing didn’t work for me.
I looked for Laurier House (once home to Prime Minister Wilfred Laurier now a museum that houses the Nobel Peace Prize won by Lester B. Pearson) in vain. I asked at least five people, no one knew where Laurier House was. Frustrated, I headed toward downtown. Later, I was sorry I just didn’t go inside a building, cool off and try again. I knew I was close to the museum. Next time. I’m lucky to live close enough to Ottawa by bus or train.
Ottawa is a young capital but rich in history. And I love historical buildings and this city has plenty of that. The sparkling steeples of Basilica Cathedral of Notre-Dame captivated me. This is Ottawa’s oldest church that began 1841. And there are plenty more of this around the city.
Down the street is National Peacekeeping Monument depicts three peacekeepers standing on walls above the debris of war. Canada is known as a peacekeeping nation. It played vital roles in Cyprus, Haiti and the Middle East. Ottawa impressed me in its commemorative to those who risked their lives, whether by war or peacekeeping.
Unfortunately my plans for the day didn’t go according to plans; however, I decided to head back to “the Hill”. In the information tent (it’s white and huge); I purchased a free ticket with the tour time on to visit inside the Parliament.
After an airport-like security check-in, we began our 45-minute tour. The guide chatted and joked as we walked along the various halls. Down one hall are portraits of each Prime Ministers who chose their own artists. My favourite is Pierre Elliott Trudeau, once a very charismatic man and leader.
We passed by House of Commons and the House of Senate on toward the Library of Parliament, a quiet yet elegant area of the Parliament.
After the tour, we were left on our own. I took the elevator ride up (only 7 allowed) the 92 metre high Peace Tower, a recognizable landmark of Canada, to enjoy the 360-degree breathtaking view of the city and Ottawa River.
If I had known, I would have tried to make reservations inside the Memorial Chambers to witness the turning of the page of the First Book of Remembrance precisely at 11 (done each morning). The book, in a glass topped case watched over by statuettes of kneeling angels, contains the names of those who died in World War I. There is another book that contains the names of those who died in the Second World War. Scattered around the room are poems of war including the famous “Flanders Fields” by John McCrea, written in 1918.
My time in Ottawa dwindled too fast. Across from the Parliament is a cosy outdoor cafe called Parliament Pub. I sat outside with a fantastic view of the Parliament and Chateau Laurier. Next to the pub is a statue of Terry Fox. Terry was a courageous young man diagnosed with cancer, right leg amputated above the knee. He walked across Canada to raise money for cancer research, but had to stop due to the return of his illness. He died at the age of 22.
I pondered the thought as I ate my carrot soup with fresh bread and sipped my wine that I’ve travelled and explored other countries and their capital. I’m embarrassed to say I’ve waited this long to discover the history and beauty of this thriving city. I anticipate a return to see more sites that I missed in my nation’s capital, Ottawa.
Tips:
- Visit Ottawa Public Library. Get a free card (good for a year) for Internet use to check emails.
- Local bus transportation is excellent. C$3.00 exact cash. Day passes are C$7.00 exact cash fare bought on the bus.
- Visit website www.ottawatourism.ca
- A Voyagers Bed and Breakfast, 95 Arlington St., conveniently located on the back of the bus station, two blocks from the local bus that goes directly to the train station. To most tourist sites about a 20-minute walk or so.
- Canadian War Museum. Do not sit on the tanks, jeeps etc to pose for photographs. On Thursdays it’s free from 4 .m. to 8 p.m.
- Library of Parliament. Inside the Parliament Building. No photographs allowed.
- Memorial Chambers inside the Parliament. Only 5 are allowed at the 11 a.m. ceremony of the page turning. Reservations are made on a first come first serve basis. http://www.parl.gc.ca/Memorial/history_designs-e.htm