StarBuzz Weekly, Toronto-by Meena Chopra
Winter sizzles with the three weeks of
Winterlude Festival in one of the most desirable tourist attractions of Ontario and the capital of Canada, Ottawa. Three weekends from 2nd of Feb till the 20th Feb are full of
fun-filled weekends of unique experience, excitement and joy for the complete family.
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| Snow sculpture at Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park. |
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| Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park |
The bright blue
Rideau Canal (which also is Ontario's first UNESCO World Heritage Site) of Ottawa , turns into snow white iced skateway and one can find thousands of people skating with families and wanting to reach to Dows Lake which again offers many other Winterlude activities including the Eco Art Exhibits, Photographs by young Canadians. A cup of hot chocolate and a bite of freshly cooked beaver tail from near by Italian food stalls (A Canadian delicacy) which adds to your Winterlude experience.
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| Ice sculpture at Crystal Garden,Confederation Park |
Confederation Park, the hub of cultural activities turns into a Crystal Garden with beautifully carved ice sculptures by Canadian and International artists. The park is filled with music, controlled by DJs. And if you pass by this place during the night you are going to get completely enthralled by the beautifully lit up colourful ice sculptures and the melodious live music and believe me, you are bound to halt there for a long time, totally dazed by the beauty of it. This is what happened with me and it was an effort to get out from there. I do not think I ever enjoyed my hot chocolate as much.as at the night in this Crystal Garden which was an appetizer for all my senses for life time.
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| Confederation Park |
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| Ice sculptures at Confederation Park |
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| Obstacle courses created by the Canadian Army for kids. |
Snowflake Kingdom at Jacques-Cartier Park, Gatineau is the biggest snow playground on the continent with tons of activities inspired by the Canadian winter and Northern traditions. The Snowflake Kingdom is the place to be for the young and the young at heart, an ideal day out with kids and youth.. The playground features snow slides, snow sculptures, obstacle courses(created by the Canadian Army), kicksleds, craft lessons and more. Here you could also find the beloved mascots of Winterlude, The Ice Hog family. The Ice Hog family lives here at Jacques-Cartier Park while visiting Canada’s Capital Region each February. They love to play and give out hugs, and are happy to pose for pictures.
Another rich artistic experience that was added to my stay was a film THE CLOCK of Christian Marclay, which was being screened in the comfortable and informal environment of National Gallery of Canada. This amazingly gripping film featured more than a century of cinema through a 24-hour looped video that plays in real time. The Clock won the Golden Lion award for best artwork at the 2011 Venice Biennale; it was jointly acquired by the National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in fall 2011.
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| Master Chef Caroline Ishii of ZenKitchen and Meena Chopra |
During my stay I had a chance of having the finest cuisine in Ottawa at the historic1874 Tudor Revival style mansion Le Cordon Bleu Bistro @ Signatures. It was an exceptional culinary experience of world class French cuisine. This is a premier culinary institute also. Dining and savouring the exotic aromas of Canada's finest continental food at Social Restaurant + Lounge will always be memorable to me. The best and most unusual experience of eating out was with the Chef Caroline Ishii and her partner Dave's ZenKitchen. Food was vegetarian, organic, healthy, different and exotic.I highly recommend all three of the restaurants.
I must add here that Ottawa is a very easy to manage city, transport wise. Lot of distances can be covered on foot or by taxis. Buses are also very convenient. During Winterlude Festival there is free shuttle service that goes around on the weekends. My experience with Ottawa is, that it is synonymous with gracious hospitality. Any season, any time!
A very comfortable stay at Courtyard by Marriott with their outstanding hospitality added to experience which I will always cherish. http://www.canadascapital.gc.ca/celebrate/winterlude
Another rich artistic experience that was added to my stay was a film THE CLOCK of Christian Marclay, which was being screened in the comfortable and informal environment of National Gallery of Canada. This amazingly gripping film featured more than a century of cinema through a 24-hour looped video that plays in real time. The Clock won the Golden Lion award for best artwork at the 2011 Venice Biennale; it was jointly acquired by the National Gallery of Canada and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in fall 2011. 
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