In May, my husband attended a seminar in Gatineau, Quebec, Canada, and we opted to turn it into a long weekend getaway for the whole family.
Day 1 : Arrival
The drive to Gatineau was quite lengthy. If it had just been my husband and me, it would have likely taken 6 or maybe 7 hours. However, with a car full of kids with small appetites and small bladders, it ended up taking around 9 hours. I attempted this journey without any technology – no tablets, no phones, just us and the open road. I thought the kids might enjoy playing games like eye spy or other road trip games. What a mistake! It turned into 9 hours of constant squabbling over my phone to keep them entertained. When we look back on family road trips, we often do so with nostalgic fondness, forgetting about the car mess, the odors, and all the bickering, whining, and challenges. We basically load up the kids with snacks, strap them in with seat belts, and tell them to "sit still and be quiet for the next 9 hours." The journey is an integral part of the trip, often the most memorable part, so it should be enjoyable. Next time, everyone can bring whatever they want to keep themselves entertained during the trip. Lesson learned.
This was the first time we left the country and everyone had a passport. It was much easier to pass the Canadian border with passports compared to birth certificates. Everything was scanned digitally, and we had no hold ups. Previously we have come through with birth certificates for the kids, and the paperwork for entry into Canada had to be hand written and no one was too pleased with that.
After crossing the Canadian border, it took us another 1-2 hours to reach Gatineau in Canada. Our accommodation was at the Ramada by Wyndham Manoir du Casino. I selected this hotel as we were planning to meet many people from my husband's dojo, and there was a bar and restaurant on the premises where we could all gather. I also considered that the hot tubs in each room would be a welcome amenity for the martial artists after a strenuous day of training. The rooms were spacious, the beds were cozy, and each room featured a spa tub and a fireplace. Being in Quebec, French was the predominant language spoken, but all staff members we interacted with were proficient in multiple languages, including English.
Upon arrival in our room, we unpacked our belongings before heading to the Hotel Restaurant for dinner. The restaurant primarily served Indian cuisine, and my husband and I opted for the tandoori sampler, which was excellent. The children, on the other hand, stuck to their usual choices of hamburgers, pizza, and spaghetti. After a satisfying meal, we made our way back to the room. Each child took a turn in the spa tub for their bath before quickly falling asleep.
Day 2: Adjustment day
I allowed the children to sleep in as much as possible, and it was clear that they needed the rest. I have a theory when it comes to traveling with kids. It usually takes one day to get there, another day to adjust, and only then can the real vacation begin. Today was our adjustment day. The children were overflowing with excitement, making it quite challenging to keep them in check. Being in a foreign country where everything, from street signs to menus, was in French, made it feel even more unfamiliar. My youngest was cheerfully greeting everyone with "Bonjour." All they seemed to want was to visit supermarkets. I'm not sure what was so fascinating about them, but that was the highlight of their day. We visited Super C and Costco to get some items for a barbecue. Later, we went to our friends' house for lunch and spent some time together.
Once we got home we just stayed in the hotel, watched some TV, played some card games, ordered in food from Harvey's and laid low for the evening.
Day 3: Canadian Museum of Nature
While my husband was at his seminar, the kids and I had a day to ourselves! We began with breakfast at the hotel before visiting the Museum of Nature. With 4 floors to explore, we started from the bottom and made our way to the top. The entrance featured a striking display of a suspended planet Earth and moon, which was quite impressive.
We began our visit in the Dinosaur section, where we explored fossils and a dinosaur exhibition. There were numerous informative lectures available for visitors to enjoy at their own pace. Transitioning to the mammals section, we found many well-executed exhibits. Visiting museums with children can be challenging since they are unable to touch most things, and my children, in particular, learn best through tactile experiences. They have a natural inclination to touch everything. Fortunately, this museum featured several interactive exhibit areas where the kids could engage more actively, keeping them interested. Moving on from the Dinosaur section, we proceeded to the bugs exhibit! Here, the kids had the opportunity to observe a tarantula and hardworking leaf cutter ants.
Additionally, there was a kid-friendly ocean life exhibit featuring a display of plastic bags and pieces of plastic floating in water next to a jellyfish tank. This exhibit aimed to show the striking resemblance between plastic bags and jellyfish, which can lead to confusion and severe gastrointestinal problems for turtles.
Moreover, there was a designated area where children could interact with different sea creatures such as starfish and sea cucumbers. The area also had a microscope connected to a large monitor for kids to closely examine shells and sea fossils.
At the bird exhibit, there were bird watching tools available for children to handle and explore. Towards the end of the exhibit, there was a play area designed as a bird sanctuary for kids to enjoy. Following that, we visited the bugs alive exhibit. Initially uncertain due to my dislike for bugs, I was pleasantly surprised by how engaging this exhibit was. It featured numerous interactive elements for children to observe and interact with, such as a beetle slide and touchable bugs under the supervision of museum staff. Additionally, there was a section providing a bug's-eye view perspective, allowing visitors to walk inside a bee hive or a lotus flower to observe a praying mantis. In my opinion, Bugs Alive was undoubtedly the most captivating part of the exhibit.
Once we concluded our day at the museum, my husband was also concluding his day on the mat so we reconnected for dinner at The British Pub. Mama needed a few dark and stormies, and we all ordered some dinner for the evening. I would love to say that the food was amazing, but honestly, I have zero recollection of what I ordered or if I liked it. I remember the drinks were fabulous and I made no complaints and I had no left overs. There was live music, which I remember very well and a ton of friends so this was the perfect way to end the day.
Day 4: Canadian Museum of History
Once again, my husband was away at a seminar, so the kids and I decided to explore Canada. Today, we visited the Canadian Museum of History. I made the mistake of starting our visit by taking the kids to the Children's Museum section right away. I now understand that we should have begun in the sections where touching was not allowed, and then gradually moved to the interactive areas. Lesson learned. Due to this error, we didn't manage to see all the exhibits, but we did see most of them. We explored the First Royals of Europe exhibition, The First People, and the Canadian History Hall. The museum took us on a journey from the stone age to the iron age worldwide, with a focus on the indigenous peoples of Canada, the arrival of the Europeans, and up to modern times.
There were parts of the museum that kids could interact with, but not as much as the Nature museum. The children's museum was both our first and last stop here, and it was outstanding. The children's museum was really kind of focused on cultures and countries. There were little mock homes from Japan, Mexico, & Egypt little store fronts for bakeries, flower shops, and a fish market, a sushi restaurant, a pizza parlor, a book store and mock transportation systems from all over. They spent hours in there, and they did not want to leave. It was definitely a win to come to this place.
After our visit to the museum, we joined some of the seminar attendees for dinner and drinks at Tavern on the Falls. The restaurant offered a stunning view and had outdoor patio seating, making it the perfect spot to enjoy cocktails on such a beautiful day. We indulged in pitchers of Sangria, beer, and even some pina coladas since we were on vacation. While the drink selection was impressive, the food menu was a bit limited. I opted for a Tijuana hot dog, noticing that hot dogs were popular in Canada, while the others chose the chicken tacos. Although the chicken tacos looked appetizing, each order only came with one taco instead of the usual three we were used to. Despite this, we thoroughly enjoyed our meal and left nothing behind. Following a delightful evening with close friends, we bid farewell and headed back to our hotel to unwind and rest.
Day 5: Head Home
After sleeping in later than we should have, we quickly scrambled and last minute packed up the room, and headed down to one final breakfast in the hotel. Once we were fueled up, we checked out and took the long ride back home. This was a wonderful trip and definitely a learning experience.
My take aways this time around are :
Don't limit technology when there is nothing to do - this doesn't need to be a punishment
Designate Day #2 as an adjustment day
Avoid giving kids a ton of candy on days they need to be calm, quiet, and still
Visit the most restricted areas first (the ones where touching is not allowed), and relax the rules as the day progresses
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