A 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?

Club Med on Ishigaki Island, Japan

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.

How to Develop Character in Your Children (and Yourself) Through Travel

For many, many people, travel has a special lure, attraction, enchantment that calls to them, beckoning from far off lands. It’s idealized by the image of a lone backpacker traversing Europe, Asia or South America, sleeping in hostels and hitchhiking if necessary.

It’s long been thought of as an activity that can’t be done with a family, especially small children; it was a choice you had to make – travel, or start a family, but not both.

However, there is a rise in the number of families who are making travel a reality, with infants and older, and they’re doing it deliberately as a way to educate, expand, and inform their children in ways that are not possible by staying at home.

Are these parents crazy? Although they’ve been asked this question many times, the reality is that they simply realize the tremendous benefits of personal growth and character development, not to mention adventure and fun, available from family travel.

So how do you use your family vacation to develop virtue? Here are a few ideas to get you thinking.

Get Uncomfortable

Although difficult for most people to do for themselves, let alone to purposefully inflict on their children, being uncomfortable actually means that you are experiencing growth.

Instead of planning the usual, touristy trip, try something new, and well… a little uncomfortable. Think about visiting someplace you might not have considered before, a location that is a bit out of your comfort zone – South America instead of Europe, Dominica instead of Disneyland.

The first time I ever traveled outside of the United States was when I was in my early twenties. My family had taken a vacation to San Diego, and we spent a day visiting Tijuana, Mexico.

During the initial half hour of our visit, I felt literally sick to my stomach. I hated it, I just wanted to run away. I had no real-life concept of the kinds of conditions that others lived in throughout the world, and when I came face to face to it, I was extremely uneasy.

Yet that trip has stayed with me. It planted a seed that has grown more with each journey, and has given me a huge heart for humanitarian work, and a desire to relieve suffering worldwide.

Extend the Stay

If you want to visit a place that you hope will have an impact on your kids, its more likely to happen on an extended trip, rather than just a weekend jaunt.

The longer the trip, the more time to experience the true nature of the place you’re visiting. You’ll have more occasions to immerse yourself (and your children) into the culture and customs.

While staying in Las Galeras, Dominican Republic we lived near an all-inclusive resort. Every few days there would be a new group of tourists arriving to enjoy their week of relaxation, and scheduled tourist trips.

In contrast, we were there day after day, week after week. We would walk to the beach, hike on trails, explore the area, visit remote beaches, learn the language, develop diverse friendships, and enjoy the changing weather conditions.

I marveled at how much more our extended visit allowed us to really absorb the ‘feel’ of the place, and I realized that it could not have been done on a week long vacation.

Consider a summer touring South America, or a semester studying abroad. The added time away from home will only expand budding realities.

Get Grateful

There’s nothing that develops gratitude as fast as coming face to face with humble circumstances. Are your kids feeling a bit of entitlement? Are they not seeing the bigger picture? Getting up close and personal with poverty can check that attitude real quick.

Despite the stigma of being unsafe, our experience has proven that visiting the ‘local’ areas can provide some of the best encounters for getting a good look at what you (and your children) have been blessed to enjoy.

While living in Costa Rica, we went to visit the home of our maid. She had a large family of seven children and two grandchildren – all of whom lived in her very humble, three ‘room’ (and three bed) home of cement, wood and corrugated tin which she had built with her own two hands.

She made us (very delicious) soup, with her limited food supply, that she prepared over an open fire. Her family allowed our family to eat first because there weren’t enough dishes and utensils for everyone.

You can’t help but feel gratitude for everything that you have when you are in a situation like that. It’s kind of like ‘shock’ treatment, bringing you back to a grateful realization of your life as it ‘really’ is.

Of course you don’t want to walk around a local area at night with all your bling and a haughty (or fearful, which is just as offensive) attitude, but you do want to get out of your comfort zone. Go shopping at the ‘local’ store, take a walk into that ‘local’ neighborhood.

If you do it with humility and an open mind, you’ll probably find very friendly people who will welcome you into their hearts and (very humble) homes, expanding your definition of poverty and wealth along the way.

Start ‘Em Young

Stop the stigma that traveling can only be done by the single, wealthy or vagabonds. Travel can be (and is becoming) a family activity that can be done even with very small children.

Our first trip abroad as a family began when we drove from Utah to Costa Rica with our children who were 4, 3, 1 and 2 months. It was one of the greatest experiences of our lives.

We visited beautiful beaches, ancient ruins, crocodile refuges, jungle rivers. The most amazing part of it is that we actually did it. The original belief was that it couldn’t be done- too unsafe, and too much time in a car with kids- limits that were actually only in our mind. We crossed borders, not just politically, but philosophically as we widened our belief about what was possible for us to accomplish.

‘Will they remember it?’ is the question most people will ask when they consider the expense of a trip with small children. For us, we’re not concerned with whether they remember every trip, but with the paradigm that is being developed in their young minds by introducing them to the experience. They grow up believing that the ‘impossible’ is possible.

It does require flexibility and finesse to travel with little ones, but it can be done, and improved upon, with practice. There are plenty of ‘safe’ spots to see and it’s definitely worth the effort if traveling is on the agenda for your children’s education.

Give Back

Finding an opportunity to participate in humanitarian work while on a family trip provides moving experiences that bond, build character, and create lasting memories.

While living in the Dominican Republic we took the opportunity to outfit an outlying school with children’s books, visit orphanages and connect with other visiting volunteers, all of which provided memorable family experiences and created lasting friendships for ourselves and our children.

A few weeks before we were leaving the country, we still had some books we needed to give away. My seven-year-old daughter single handedly (and on her own initiative) passed out 50+ books to neighbors and friends in the area, who were more than eager to receive her gifts.

It doesn’t matter where you go, if you look for it, there’s an opportunity to contribute in some small (or large) way. Whether you donate books to a local library (or start one), visit an orphanage, dig a well or build a greenhouse, contributing to another culture develops hard work, compassion, empathy, gratitude, contribution, open-mindedness, tolerance.

Travel can be a very rewarding, as well as character developing experience, for the entire family, if you take advantage of the opportunity. Consider how you can make your next trip into a time for personal growth.

Read about author Rachel Denning and check out her other BootsnAll articles.

All photos by Rachel Denning

In Vietnam, Capitals and Culture That Dazzle

Hoan Kiem Lake, Hanoi

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.

Cyclos in Hoi An

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.

Buddhist monks at the Citadel, Hue

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

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!

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

Hitler’s Mercedes-Benz inside the Canadian War Museum

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 11^th, 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.

Basilica Cathedral Notre Dame

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.

Colourful tulips in Commissioners Park beside Dow Lake

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.

Statue of Terry Fox. Behind is the Frontenac Chateau Laurier Hotel

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.

In Byward Market

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.

National War Memorial

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:

1. Visit Ottawa Public Library.  Get a free card (good for a year) for Internet use to check emails.
2. Local bus transportation is excellent.  C$3.00 exact cash.  Day passes are C$7.00 exact cash fare bought on the bus.
3. Visit website www.ottawatourism.ca
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Library of Parliament.  Inside the Parliament Building.  No photographs allowed.
7. 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