Parliament (Ottawa)

On Remembrance Day, November 11th we were able to get into Parliament. Since it was a National holiday it was opened until late. We saw the hall were the House of Commons and the Senate meet to decide on the laws that should be passed. The peace tower is one of the most outstanding parts of the building.

                         

Guided tour of the Canadian Museum of History

On November 22nd we had a guided tour of the Canadian Museum of History in Gatinaeu which is the first city in the province of Quebec bordering Ottawa. Here we can go back in history and see Canada from its origins from when the Inuits and the First Nations people inhabited Canada to the invason of the English and French who eventually took over 'unceded Algonquin territory' as they say.

Main Gallery

                     Totems, world famous

First explorers

First Nations Art

 

                      Mouldings

Canadian Museum of History at night 

Night view of Ottawa from Gatineau

Escape Room experience

One of the most memorable experiences in Ottawa was the Escape Room experience. Not only was it fun, but it brings you and your team together. 

We went to the Escape Manor in Downtown Ottawa on Queen's Street. 

https://www.escapemanor.com/ottawa#rooms

We had the pleasure of going to BEAU'S BREWERY where we had to try to discover where Beau's long lost secret recipe for his beer was hidden. We weren't able to find the recipe and therefore escape, but the fun was worth our while. 

More interesting classes at Brookfield High School

During my stay there I had the privilege of attending other subjects, not just English classes. I was able to watch the School Band during some of their rehearsals and a few interesting Art classes where the Art teacher encourages students to develop their imagination to the fullest. I was also able to attend a Drama class where a couple of 12th graders represented a sketch on domestic violence. Unfortunately I was unable to film it at that moment. 

SCHOOL BAND 

ART CLASS

Can you guess these two puns? What words do you think the students who created these two projects were trying to represent?

The Art classroom













A sequin fish

Quebec City

On November 16th we travelled to Quebec City which is the capital of the province of Quebec. Whereas in Montreal we found many contrasts between the old and the new in Quebec we find a picturesque city which was one of the first cities established on the North American continent by the European settlers. 

Arriving in Quebec City during the early evening just before dusk.

Christmas market in Quebec.

Chateau Frontenac Hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company to encourage wealthy tourists to visit Quebec. 

Quebec City is one of the oldest European settlements in North America and the only fortified city north of Mexico whose walls still exist. This image we see on top is St. Louis Gate, one of the entrance to the old part of Quebec City. 

Chateau Frontenac Hotel built by the Canadian Pacific Railway company to encourage wealthy tourists to visit Quebec. It was opened in 1893. 

The plains of Abraham are part of the history of Quebec, as well as, a place to see some of the most beautiful views of the city.

Anytime is a good time to go ice skating in Quebec City. People enjoying the snow on a sunny Sunday morning. 

The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa

On November 15th it was a Thursday and Thursdays are the days museums in Ottawa are opened until 8 p.m and the entrance fee is free from 5 p.m. on,  so we decided it was a good day to visit the famous National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. 

The building in itself is a work of art, but the different items we saw were also definitely worth a visit. As you can see the building has a giant bronze spider which is the gallery's most expensive object. It is part of a series of six spiders in all designed by the renowned Franco-American artist Louise Bourgeois as a tribute to her mother.

We also saw beautiful paintings like these.

There are also characteristic items designed by Canadian artists to represent one of the most popular free time activity carried out by its citizens. 

Canadians have an Ice Fishing Championship on Lake Simcoe, the most popular ice fishing spot in North America. 

A field trip to a sugar shack

On November 16th we went on a field trip provided by the Ottawa International Projects and Exchange Programme to a sugar shack in Montreal and then we attended a guided tour of Montreal.

WHAT IS A SUGAR SHACK OR A 'SUCRERIE' AS THE FRENCH SAY?

A sugar shack is a small wooden house built in the middle of a maple forest to make maple syrup. 

The maple leaf is a federal symbol of Canada because maple trees can be found in every province in Canada from coast to coast. Canada produces about 80 % of the world's pure maple syrup and Quebec alone makes over 90 % of the country's production. 

Sugar shacks are popular in the northeast because maple trees love cold winters and in order for the sap to flow in the spring, the trees need cold nights and warm sunny days, which is exactly the type of climate we find in the only French province in Canada, Quebec. In a nutshell maple syrup is made by removing the sap from maple trees. 

We visited a very popular sugar shack near Montreal called 'Sucrerie de la Montagne'. We saw how the maple syrup was made in spring and then we had a brunch which consisted of some of the most popular food which Canadians eat with maple  syrup.

Stone oven where some of the items are cooked such as homemade bread.

The reception room where we enjoyed our brunch. 

 Entertainment during our brunch.

The man who established the sugar shack and his son who has now taken over the  business.