Friends from Maryland, Pennsylvania and downstate rendezvoused with us for a reunion before we all departed for the tulip festival, great times and good food. Ottawa, a stone's throw north of us, is a marvelous multicultural city. Canada's capital, along with the even more French city of Gatineau just across the river in the province of Quebec, is home to many grand museums, splendid vistas, fine restaurants and great people.
Canadian soldiers helped liberate the Netherlands during the Second World War. In recognition, Queen Juliana and the Dutch people contributed hundreds of thousands of tulips to commemorate the event. This was the 52nd Canadian Tulip Festival in Canada's Capital Region and we were there.
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Just before going I wondered whether there would be many blooms during this last week of the festival. Back home we had several days of unseasonably warm weather and all but some late tulips were finished. I needn't have feared.
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The Canadian Tulip Festival was awash with flowers. Fields of color. The only place where I have seen more tulips in bloom has been the Keukenhof Gardens, an unfair comparison with the source of these tulips. We even saw tulip beds scattered throughout the city in addition to the four main venues that had masses of flowers. Tulips are one of the harbingers of spring which brings promise of the summer to come. We, who reside in the frigid north, welcome this early display.
The only place where tulips did not predominate was in the ByWard Market. There, the flower stalls were riots of color from a multitude of different flowers. Kiosks sold plants and eager gardeners were aplenty. Early summer brings dreams of lush growth which the merchants were happy to oblige. Unfortunately, plants can not be brought back over the border and I had to sublimate my desires.
Under no circumstances did I have to deny myself other indulgences available in the market. A Patisserie displayed goodies to die for. Not desiring my demise, I succumbed gracefully. This market was a center of our visit. Worth the trip all by itself as a self-contained village including many good restaurants as well as a feast for the eyes.
There were so many things to do that on this trip we were only able to visit one museum, the Canadian Museum of Civilization. It would take more than the four days we were in
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