Ottawa Tulip Festival

The Ottawa Tulip Festival has officially started and the people are out in droves to take in the colourful flowers. There are many different spots around the city where you can see the tulips, mainly; Parliament Hill, Dow's Lake, and near the National Art Gallery where the above picture was taken. The Festival lasts for two weeks and is the highlight of spring in Ottawa. 

At this moment when I went out to view the tulips I found there were some that still hadn't bloomed downtown. Don't get me wrong, it's still worth a walk around to see the colours and to just people watch too. I would suggest though, actually making the trip to Dow's Lake, where there will be a whole lot more to see. 

If you want more then just looking at flowers, they also have fireworks at night downtown. I can usually hear them going off, but can't quite see them from my balcony. 

Now if this festival doesn't live up to your standards, than I suggest you get on a plane and head to the Netherlands, where it originated. A tulip festival there might be slightly more impressive, I'm just saying.

613 Night Market

Saturday night was the 613 Night Market here in Ottawa, held at the Shaw Center downtown. Now I was very excited to go to this event. I had been looking forward to it for a couple months. It's not like we get the chance to go to a night market very often here.


I must say I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I do have a few criticisms, mainly the lack of food vendors. I thought that when I walked in I would see rows upon rows of food stalls of every variety, that was not the case. There was one long row along the back where they were set up. The food itself was delicious, can't complain in that department. I tried 4 different stalls, all very different styles: Asian, Italian and western and of course I had to have something sweet from a dessert stall.

Shrimp and mango salad

There was also an array of stuff being sold as well, everything from jewelry to hot sauce. I did enjoy the fact that it was not just food, but the vendors selling items far surpassed the vendors selling food. I talked to a couple people that were there and they did mention to me that they thought the amount of food you received was too small for how much you were paying. Now I'm on the fence about this comment, in a way I can see there point, some of the vendors portions were not that big, especially when you're paying five dollars for it. But on the other hand, there were some good portions, and it did allow you to hit a few different stalls and try everything, which of course is the whole point, at least for me.

All in all the event is something everyone should at least go to once just to experience it. Be prepared to spend money, it is far to easy to lose track of how much you're spending when you're hoping from stall to stall.

Upcoming Posts

Now that we are half way through April, here in Ottawa a lot of events are starting to be announced. I will be putting up a couple posts about a few events in the next coming weeks.

1) 613 Night Market – Our beautiful Shaw Center in downtown Ottawa will be turned into a bustling and exciting night market on May 2nd.

2) Yoga on Parliament Hill – Now that summer is just around the corner, we can all start stretching for the first day of Yoga on the Hill on May 6.

3) World Press Photo Exhibition – this will be held in July, at the Canadian War Museum and I will definitely be going to see this interesting exhibit.

I hope to post about more events in between, but these are the three major ones that are coming up that everyone should know a bout. If there is an event that you think I should go to or write about just leave me a quick message.

3 Weeks Wandering Western Canada

Me at the top of Sulphur Mountain Cosmic Ray Station in Banff, Alberta.

I have recently arrived back home from a 3 week whirlwind in western Canada. Now this may not sound as interesting or glamorous as say Asia or Europe, but I find Canada to be a remarkable place to travel around. Canada has so much to offer and a lot of times we tend to take the place we are living in for granted.

My first week was spent on Vancouver Island soaking up the sun and enjoying the 15 degree weather. Fifteen degrees may not sound warm to a lot of you, but I flew from Ottawa where it was -30 and snowing, so I was pretty happy. I have been to the Island (how western Canadians like to refer to it) before, it helps that my father lives there, but I never get tired of it. British Columbia has got to be one of the most beautiful places I have traveled to. The forests, mountains, rivers, lakes, wildlife and of course the ocean, make up one spectacular area. 

I was staying in a little town called Lake Cowichan, not many people have heard of it, it’s in between Victoria and Nanaimo. There is not much to do in this small town, but it is set in a valley, with beautiful hills surrounding it. A cute river runs right through the middle and in the summertime I would often go tubing down it. Winter gave us even less options for activities, if you can call fifteen degrees winter. Basically I just relaxed and spent some time with my family. We did drive over to Victoria and Sidney a couple times. Victoria is an amazing harbour city with some beautiful buildings and lots of fun activities, it also features The Empress hotel, a Fairmont property that has a wonderful old world charm and some interesting and tasty places for food and tea, my favourite being The Bengal Lounge, the decor inside is unusual and wonderful.

The Empress Hotel, Victoria, British Columbia

Sidney is a small town along the coast, fairly close to Victoria and has a wonderful array of small quirky, cute shops that sell unique items, also a lot of thrift stores. This town also boasts a large amount of bookstores in one area, which if you are anything like me, makes you so excited you don't know which direction to walk in first. There is one more interesting thing about this place, its Aquarium, it is small, but put together really well and the staff are all very knowledgeable.  

My next stop on the whirlwind western adventure was Calgary, which I only stayed in for one night and then the next morning promptly caught my bus to Banff. Not that there is nothing to do in Calgary, there is quite a bit, but I did not have time to stick around. 

Now living in Banff is quite the double edged sword. You walk a very thin line between being amazed and awestruck by the scenery and wildlife, and being on the verge of poverty and homelessness. It mostly has to do with how expensive most things are there, and it's so difficult not to spend money while there. I did have a reason for going to Banff and draining my funds, I was doing a two week placement with Brewster Vacations, a tour company that focuses on Canada. Lucky for me they provided my accommodations, one less expense. I have to say though, they were a tad bit sketchy, although I think it was only our room. They were set up dorm style, two single beds, with a bathroom. Our toilet didn't flush, the light inside the bathroom could have given you an epileptic seizure and for some reason the heat kept coming on, even though we had turned it completely off. Our own little seizure inducing sweat lodge. But seriously, I can't really complain, we were staying there for free.

I should probably mention that there were three other girls that accompanied me on this placement. We all go to the same college and are in the same program that this placement is a part of. The four of us packed everything we could into two weeks. As soon as we arrived in Banff and put our stuff in our rooms we went out for a leisurely hike along the Bow river, which just happened to have a couple lovely waterfalls. Our next grand adventure was going to Johnston Canyon which had another beautiful waterfall, basically everywhere there's water in Banff there is some sort of waterfall. I have to say it is really difficult to hike in the winter when the trails are slick with ice, it was not fun slipping and falling on my rear end, I hurt for a couple days after, but the view was worth it.

Lower Falls, Johnston Canyon, Banff, Alberta

During our grand outing that day, we came across a lot of different types of wildlife, hence wildlife bingo was born. First, there was a squirrel, I know, very exciting. Then we stumbled across a mule deer, who was very unimpressed by us and just laid down and watched us walk around snapping pictures like the silly human tourists we were. Next was our greatest find, a whole herd of Elk, who were not impressed with us either and decided they didn't want to be around for our shenanigans, gave us a dirty look, then proceeded to wander away. Our crowning achievement was spotting a coyote, who really did not like us and got the hell out of there as fast as he could, and that was the end of wildlife bingo.

The next day we decided to rent a car and head out to Lake Louise and do some more site seeing. Lake Louise was beautiful, but the best part of that day was our hike through Kootenay National Park, some of the most spectacular scenery yet. 

Along the Paint Pots trail, in Kootenay National Park, BC

That night two of us went up the Gondola that takes you to the top of Sulphur Mountain and gives you some of the best views you will ever encounter. They also do a three course dinner at the top, which gives you a great view of the town below and the mountain range, plus they have pretty good food for being so isolated up there.

Towards the end of our trip we did a hike to the Cosmic Ray Station, which is where I am in the first photograph of the article. This station is a National Historic Site, here you will see the remains of a geophysical laboratory. If you would like to know more about this you can visit this website : http://www.pc.gc.ca/docs/v-g/pm-mp/lhn-nhs/cosmic_e.asp.

Afterwards we headed to the Banff hot springs, which is basically just a man-made hot pool, nothing too spectacular, but the view is good, and you can also learn a bit about the history of the area. I would definitely suggest to anyone wanting to explore Canada to visit Banff, but be warned it is specifically geared towards tourists. The winter is a good time to go because the sidewalks are not jam packed with people and things are a bit cheaper. There is lots to see in this area and renting a car or taking a bus out to some of the nearby towns and parks will benefit you greatly and give you a more authentic Canadian experience.

Just the Journey

Just a small note:

Traveling has never been fully just about the destination for me, now don't get me wrong, the destination is a major part of it, but the actual transit from place to place has always held a spot in my heart. There is this wonder and excitement that always sets in when I'm traveling. It doesn't always happen right away, but no matter what, there comes a moment when I am filled with a sense of contentment and peace. Watching the airplanes taking off and landing, the people scurrying about and flying off to unknown destinations, there is nothing like it.

One would think after traveling for about 8 hours, on full-to-the-brim planes and being stuck in the seat directly adjacent to the toilets, (and I mean directly adjacent), my mood would be that of a caged wild animal, and the wonder and excitement would be gone, but that is nowhere near the truth.
(I am talking, of course, about my recent flights from Ottawa to Victoria about a week and a half ago).
For all the craziness and questionable clothing choices, (seriously should have worn yoga pants that day),  I still have that unwavering sense of excitement and peace. Yes, I know, that seems like an oxymoron, how could one feel excitement and peace at the same time, but believe me you can.

So now, I am currently in Banff, Alberta, reveling in the quiet beauty of the Rocky Mountains, but I will have more on that later.

Stay tuned...

The Hiatus is at an end

Finally, after a long hiatus, my blog is coming back to life. I know, it has not been updated in over a year, but new posts are coming very soon.

The next place I will be blogging about is Banff, Alberta. I will be heading there for two weeks and I am going to give snowboarding a try, my very first time. Seeing as how I am accident prone, we'll see if I get through it intact.

So stay tuned everyone...

The Single Girl's Happiness

Sometimes life likes to knock us on our ass, and then when we think we’re alright and we’ve picked ourselves up, we turn around and get knocked right back down. These last four and a half months of traveling have been exactly like that, every time I have picked myself up after a blow, I am pushed back down and find myself staring back up at the ceiling.

There is a point, somewhere between the fifth blow and the tenth when you start to wonder if you should try to get back up at all. I wondered that many times, thinking to myself, what’s the point? Every time I take a step forward I am pushed five steps back. After a while, when everything that has gone wrong is now a leaning tower rising in front of you waiting to fall, you start to think, maybe it won’t all work out in the end like you’ve been telling yourself. It’s so easy to be negative and think the whole world is against you, when it really isn’t, but sometimes, maybe you just need to go through that stage. No one is happy 24/7, 365 days of the year; its not possible, being human means you feel sadness and anger and depression, but it also means you feel happiness, joy, love and excitement.

I’ve come to realise, that the bad moments may feel horrible and may seem like they last forever, but we need those moments in our lives, to show us how great the good moments truly are, and they should be cherished. Everyone is in charge of their own happiness, we can not rely on someone else to make us happy. But sometimes a friendly push from someone can help us get started in the right direction.

I am going to pick myself up once more, from the horrible blows that have knocked me down this past week and look on the positive side. You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can choose how you approach it. So from today onwards I will be trying new and old ways to make myself happy and try to figure out how to keep that feeling longer then one day. I will be asking all of you and others what makes you happy. Seeing as how I am a single girl and I enjoy being single and independent, I will call this experiment: “The Single Girl’s Happiness.”

So tell me, what makes you happy?