Unwinding in Ottawa: A new mom's Victoria Day weekend getaway

Victoria Day long weekend fell just a week before I was to return to work after a year-long maternity break. It felt like the perfect time to unwind before diving back into routine.

 

Ottawa, with its tulip festival wrapping up that weekend, seemed like the perfect pick. As Canada's capital, it is home to parliament, the supreme court, Rideau Canal, and other landmarks. Once this was decided, our little boy excitedly reported that two classmates were also heading to Ottawa, and stopping at 'The Big Apple'. He insisted we do the same.

 

So, we started on Saturday, car packed with "just in case" baby stuff. I blame the delay on the baby—she can't protest yet! We reached Ottawa by late afternoon after several baby-related stops. After checking in, we set out to explore.

 

We did stop at The Big Apple, which is by the way, an apple-themed roadside attraction with an apple pie kitchen, snacking options, stores and washrooms.

 

Ottawa is compact, with most sights within walking distance along the Confederation Boulevard loop: Parliament Hill, National War Memorial, Rideau Canal Locks, Byward Market, National Gallery of Canada and Major's Hill Park. The city borders Gatineau, Quebec, allowing the loop to extend across the Alexandra Bridge to the Canadian Museum of History.

 

But rain and wind kept us from walking. We drove around instead, stopping only at the Supreme Court for photos. As dusk fell, the rain paused, and we strolled through the lively Byward Market—Canada's oldest public market—buzzing with shops, cafes and live music. After dinner at Zack's Dining, we called it a day.

 

Next morning, we headed to the Tulip Festival at Dow's Lake, which, despite its colourful history and Dutch roots, was underwhelming due to poor weather. After a quick lunch at Shawarma Al Mouna, we visited the Canadian Museum of History, managing only the Children's Museum and the Grand Hall before closing. The kids enjoyed the hands-on exhibits, while the Grand Hall showcased magnificent totem polls.

 

Later, we visited the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ottawa's oldest church. It is a heritage site as per the City of Ottawa and a national historical site as per the Government of Canada. The interior is surreal with many Canadian religious artworks. Just across the church was the National Gallery of Canada with the great Maman statue in front of it. Maman is a behemoth bronze sculpture of a mama spider carrying her 26 eggs in a bronze bag under her abdomen. It is a tribute by the artist Louise Bourgeois to her mother who was a skilled weaver and very protective of her kids, just like a spider.

 

It was dusk by then, and everyone was in a mood to taste home food. So, dinner was at ‘Kochin Kitchen’, where we were served appams and dosas. It was quite expensive, but that was expected of one of the only Kerala restaurants in Ottawa city. We hoped to catch the Victoria Day fireworks at Dow's Lake but were thwarted by traffic, catching only distant flashes through buildings.

 

On our final morning, we visited Parliament Hill. The weather tricked us yet again with her ‘feels like 2°C’ chill'. We walked past the Bank of Canada and were very furious at the building for its increased mortgage rates! A short walk across the street after, we reached the Parliament Hill, home to Canada‘s federal government buildings built in Gothic revival architecture. It has the Senate and Commons chambers, the Peace Tower, the library of Parliament, Centennial Flame, several bronze statues of dignitaries, Victoria Tower Bell, war monuments and the crisp lawn ground spread across the area where we can walk in leisure. During summer (late June through late August) we can view the ceremonial change of the guard. Also, if you book at least a month ago, we could take a free guided tour of inside the Parliament.

 

Despite another chilly day, we admired the Gothic revival buildings, the Peace Tower, Centennial Flame, and various monuments. Our son enjoyed a scavenger hunt from a Parliament activity book.

 

Before leaving, we stopped by the Rideau Canal, grabbed Obama cookies from Moulin de Provence, had a quick poutine at Smoke's Poutinerie, and headed home.

 

It wasn’t a perfect trip but multiple factors, weather being the main, hindered us from experiencing Ottawa at her best. She certainly deserves a more mindful second visit when the skies and my new mom-brain fog are clearer.

 

Pournami Ann Jose, a software developer, is based in Toronto. 

Tourism