NYC Trip - Brooklyn Bridge

The Brooklyn Bridge

So finally I get to the last of the last post of our trip to New York.

It wasn't particularly that interesting except that we spent the day with an exceptional old friend, walking along the Brooklyn Bridge.

Boy, that bridge is long. And I mean, really long. I'm not entirely sure it's a good tourist attraction if you ask the tourist to trek the almost-2kms length of the whole bridge. And that's just one way. How do you come back? It's dreadful just thinking about it.

But I suppose I'm an eternal sucker for punishment. Plus, I really wanted to say I made it through and so I dragged my family and friend along. I was ever so grateful that my friend was a regular New Yorker and knew her way around the area. We didn't have to walk back. We just hitched a subway ride back from the Brooklyn side.

Cheater? You betcha! My feet were tired at this point that I'd gladly accept that title.

For a better, panoramic view of the full bridge, here's a grab of the Wikipedia picture.

 

NYC Trip - How Can I Leave NYC Without Seeing My Beloved Jollibee?

Since the family and I were wanting to have a taste of Jollibee (my all time favourite fast food in the Philippines) before we leave New York, we braved the NYC subway to go all the way to Brooklyn to visit the fast food chain.

I was very chuffed that we got to Jollibee in one piece. The fast food chain was situated in an area in Brooklyn that could only be described as bursting in Asian-ness. Asian small shops, bakeries, hairdressers, etc. It almost felt like Chinatown but this was Asiantown.

 

Anyways, the food did not disappoint. Still tasted good or as good as I remember it, which is not really saying much since the last time I tasted Jollibee was at least 4 years ago. Still though. I could be just biased. In my mind, Jollibee is always the best.

It was in the middle of the afternoon when we got there and by no means lunchtime nor dinner time, but the chain was super busy. I got to try my fave Chickenjoy and some halo-halo. It was really worth it.

After having our fill, we decided to head back to Manhattan to see and walk around it one last time before we made our way back to our hotel that night.

How could I pass up a chance to relive my #childhood? Look at the joy on my face....talaga namang #ChickenJoy level. #NewYork #Jollibee

A photo posted by MJ Rodriguez (@jamie250196) on Jul 11, 2015 at 10:27pm PDT

NYC Trip - Ellis Island

Ellis Island Immigration Museum

After procrastinating for several weeks, I guess I'm ready to tackle more of NYC...

So aside from Miss Liberty, we also had a chance to visit Ellis Island.

Located in the Upper New York Bay in the Port of New York and New Jersey, Ellis Island housed an olden day immigration building that saw thousands of immigrants pass through its gates.

The place resonated with us since we were immigrants ourselves. Granted we came to Canada and not the United States but still....something about immigration banded us with the then-immigrants of America.

Hubby and the kids enjoyed playing with a machine that assessed a person's eligibility of becoming an American immigrant. It asked you a series of questions and yielded a result in the end of whether one was accepted or not.

It reminded me of the time we immigrated to Canada and the series of questions and hoops and loops that we had to go through. Immigration was not easy even then.

We needed more time for the tour bit had to watch our time since we were meeting up with the rest of the tour to catch a bus back to midtown Manhattan.

If you are ever in the vicinity of Miss Liberty and love history and all that it entails, then this is one place you cannot miss. The tour of the Immigration Museum is an emotional and moving experience.

NYC Trip - Liberty and Her Island

Up close and personal with Madam Liberty

Well, well, well......

No trip to New York is ever complete without seeing Madame Liberty on her pedestal. One of the most iconic woman to ever grace this world, she stands for freedom, hope and America.

The Statue of Liberty is one of UNESCO's heritage sites. She was dedicated to the United States by the people of France in 1886. Sculpted by Frederic Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel, she is based on Liberty Island, standing at 305 feet from ground to the top of her torch. (Wikipedia says so)

Those aren't ants, they're the visitors to Liberty Island...

So it was really an exciting day for us when we ventured out to Liberty Island. It felt very much like an appointment with the royalty of some sort, like she was the Queen of New York. More than 3 million visitors take the trip to Liberty Island each year to see her so we knew it was going to be jampacked with people. That day, being summer as well, it was no different.

We got to Liberty Island at around 11am and proceeded to take photos with "Liberty". We only had grounds passes as the tour only offered access to the ground. Access to the crown needed to be booked way in advance and I had not done so in the earlier months so it was too bad for us.

Touchdown on the grounds of Liberty Island

Even on the grounds though, she looked majestic as she towered over us, waving her torch way up to the heavens. We took photos in all angles - as we approached the island, as we got on the island, as we entered her personal space, as we walked past underneath her pedestal, and on and on.

All hail the Lady of New York.... :-)

On Lady Liberty's feet

It was such a beautiful and glorious sunny day as well, which made me wish even more that I had booked those crown tickets beforehand. Tsk, tsk. It would've been perfect but oh well....another thing to do for the next trip to New York.

Enjoy the photos!

Liberty around the bend

It's Been Waiting For Me

Rest week this week, guys.

Going away for the Canada Day weekend, hoping to come back refreshed next week.

To tide you over while I'm gone, I'll leave this pic to signify what's coming to the blog this summer :-)

Photo credits:
Photo found on Pinterest - https://www.pinterest.com/pin/1548181097213354/
Original photo taken by Thomas Ritzerfeld - https://www.flickr.com/photos/ritzerfeldorama/5127510871/

Summer Getaway Day 6 - La Citadelle du Quebec

Family photo

The tour of La Citadelle du Quebec turned out to be a much better experience than the one we did at the Plains of Abraham.

I don't know what it is with men in red uniform but I simply love looking at them as they stand guard and refuse to bat an eye or divulge a movement. I think this has something to do with my visit to the United Kingdom a few years back when I first laid eyes on a man in red uniform at Buckingham Palace....but I digress.

Hubby tries his hand at the red uniform



As I said, the visit to La Citadelle was quite enthralling. La Citadelle is perched atop the Gibraltar of America, housing Canada's Royal 22° Regiment, and is the largest British fortress built in North America (according to official website).

The tour took us to all the corners of the place. We got to see the barracks, the mess hall, the military prison, etcetera. There was so much to see and so much information to digest that it was all almost surreal.

As you enter, the gardens have various statues and a flowery reminder "Je me souviens", meaning "I Remember". It is the official motto of Quebec.

 

Right at the top we got a very good view of Quebec City.

Since it was a military attraction, it would not be complete if it didn't include cannons and tanks. We even got the chance to stay and witness the firing of the cannon.

 



The interactive museum at La Citadelle was good but I felt that the Plains of Abraham had a better one. Maybe it was because of the cool audio-visual clips that the Plains of Abraham had, clearly highlighting the battle between the French and the English. Nonetheless, La Citadelle, as a whole, was entertaining and full of military history tidbits, if you're into that kind of thing.
 

Visit La Citadelle du Quebec's official website.
 

Quebec City Accommodation - Hotel Manoir Victoria



Photo from the website

During our visit to Quebec City, we stayed at the Hotel Manoir Victoria.

Hotel Manoir Victoria can be found within the Fortificiation wall and is part and parcel of Old Quebec.

I wanted us to be able to take in the authenticity of Old Quebec and so decided that a stay within the wall would do it.

It did wonders. The hotel was close to everything. Every little shop was within walking distance that we did not really our car to explore.

The hotel is situated on a busy street. It also has valet parking, which is not visible from the street. It is included when you book reservations. As you enter the hotel, you are greeted by a few flights of stairs. The front desk can be found atop the stairs.

The hotel has 4 stars and did not disappoint. Very clean, very modern and very nice - can all describe the room that we got (as pictured above). It was big enough for 5 people.

All in all, our stay at Hotel Manoir Victoria was uneventful and satisfactory. It was nice and warm...which is what you would want for any hotel stay in an unfamiliar city anyways. I'm glad we stayed there.



Photo from the website

 

Summer Getaway Day 5 - Fortification of Quebec

The Wall

Luckily I had booked our hotel within the Fortification wall.

Let me explain. Quebec City is a city that is divided with places that are outside the wall and places that are within the wall. The wall that divides the city is called the Fortification of Quebec.

When you pass through the wall, it feels as if you've been thrown back to medieval times and you are living, breathing Old Québécois life. Okay, so maybe the big M McDonalds sign at the bottom of the street is no help, but everything inside the wall feels so authentic that even the air tells you that you have left civilization.

McDonalds up ahead

 

After taking some photos with the Wall, we walked around the streets of Old Quebec. Well, there is really no better way to roam and experience Old Quebec than on foot. We found another Notre Dame Basilica but this time we chose not to go in. We visited the small shops and  ate dinner at a quaint Chinese restaurant just opposite the church.

Notre Dame in Quebec City

We walked some more and found a bakery that seemed to be bustling with people clamouring for macarons and gelato. We wanted both and so wasted no time in getting inside to taste the delicacies.

We could've walked a bit more but we decided to call it an early night. We were pooped from travelling so early and the hassles of the day really tired us. We vowed that tomorrow would be a better day.

Summer Getaway Day 5 - Plains of Abraham

Instagram photo by jamie250196

We tried to leave early that morning to make our way to Quebec City but still wound up leaving an hour late. Quebec City was at least two and a half hours away from Montreal and we had a full two days of frolicking planned for it. In the end though, it probably was not meant to be. Out of the whole Quebec City leg, we did not really get to see as much as we wanted.

Our first frustration occurred upon arrival. The city streets were fraught with road constructions. The GPS could not really tell us exactly where to go without hitting one of the construction sites that we wasted a whole hour just trying to find the Plains of Abraham.

At one point we were already actually at the Plains but I had wanted to go to the tourist centre to check out the interactive museum and book a bus ride, so we went around and around and woe was us.

It was really quite difficult to manoeuvre streets you've never seen before. No matter how prepared you are, armed with Google Map and the Tomtom, unknown territories can be quite overwhelming. After the hour, in my desperation, I decided to call it quits and head for the hotel.

The GPS urged us to take yet another turn and voila! The visitors centre for the Plains of Abraham stood right in front of us. How's that for dumb luck?

We signed up for the bus trip but had a whole hour to wait. So we went through the interactive museum. We went through a series of audio visual clips of how the French and the English were fighting, and how the Plains of Abraham came to be. The French-English battle for the City was all but 20 minutes, but it was a historic battle that would forever change a country.

We learnt why Quebec stayed a French province although the English won the battle. We were shown why La Citadelle, the fort next door to the Plains, was a security key point in Canada.

The bus ride was equally entertaining. Madame Abraham, the wife of the famous Abraham who owned the Plains, drove us around and talked about areas on the Plains where specific events occurred.

Madame Abraham

After the ride was over, we checked out the neighbouring La Citadelle and promised to come back the next day for the full visit.

Because we lost so much time with directions, there was not much left to do but check in at the hotel and prepare for the night.

For the official website of the Plains of Abraham, click here.

Summer Getaway Day 4 - Vieux Port of Montreal

Vieux Port of Montreal

 

We've been to this part of Montreal before.

When we first landed in Canada and visited Montreal the first time in the dead of winter, we celebrated the holidays in the Old Port of Montreal.

The Old Port was a winter wonderland with an ice skate rink and glistening white snow everywhere. It was bustling with entertainment for young and old.

Kinda strange to see the Old Port now in a different light. It's a totally opposite season and so the ice and chill have turned into water and green grasses.

We walked the Old Port but did not really go into the flea markets to look at things. We had already done our shopping round earlier on our visit to Old Montreal and the Notre Dame Basilica. We just wanted to relax.



Look at them go!

The kids decided to paddleboat around the lake. They rented the boat for an hour and paddled like furious ducks while hubby and I rested on the grass, waiting for their hour to be up.

After the kids came back to land, we decided to trek home. It was a short trip but we didn't really had anything in mind but take in the tranquil scenery, and the Old Port of Montreal did just that for us.

Have you been to the Old Port and what do you remember of your visit?



Instagram photo by jamie250196

Summer Getaway Day 4 - Basilica de Notre Dame, Montreal

Basilica de Notre Dame, Montreal

This was going to be our laid-back day in Montreal. We've been sightseeing non-stop the last couple of days that it was time to slow things down a bit. We were still Montreal tourists but we were looking and doing less things today.

I think my family was pleasantly surprised to find that aside from being a place of worship, churches were also sometimes part of a city's attractions. This was the case with the Notre Dame Basilica in  Montreal.

Inside the Basilica, main church

There was an entrance fee to get into the church, which my husband thought was quite strange. "You asking me to pay to pray?", he mumbled as he paid for the ticket at the entrance kiosk. It wasn't until we got inside that he fully understood why a fee was necessary. The church does not ask money to make profits, but rather to support its upkeep and care of the architecturally beautiful building.

Looking around the church, you can see that it is well-maintained, appreciated, cleaned, loved....

Chapel of the Blessed Sacrament, inside the Basilica

I was touched by the many visitors and parishioners at church that day. It wasn't packed but when I look around, more than 20 people is already a good number for church on a Tuesday afternoon. Not to mention that there wasn't even a mass on.

I wondered how it would feel like to attend mass at the Basilica. Somehow I imagined it would really be quite special and wonderful.

Click here for its official website.

Summer Getaway Day 3 - Montreal Botanical Garden

Chinese garden inside Montreal's Botanical Garden

 

After going through the Biodome, Planetarium and the Insecatrium, we finally got into the visit of the Botanical Garden itself that late afternoon.

 

Unfortunately, we were pooped by this time. So I'm really sorry that this post will not contain a more comprehensive view of Montreal's Botanical Garden. We didn't really try and walk around the whole place. We went to the closest gardens and made our peace with that.

 

The Japanese and Chinese gardens were our last stops for that day. I'm not really much of a plant person but the Japanese garden had a few of the bonsais that I've always been fascinated about. There was even a zen garden enclosed within a Japanese make-believe house unit. It reminded me of these small, portable zen garden displays that are put in executive offices to somehow relieve stress. And I wondered if I needed to let off steam, how easy would it be to make circles on this big zen garden? Surely, raking sands on a big garden would be more added work to my already stressed body, hahaha.....

 

Zen garden

 

The Chinese garden gave us some wonderful views of a serene lake with colourful boats on them. Much like scenes from a Chinese movie (of course, when they are not involved in some kung fu chopping and fighting), they really brought about some tranquility and calm to me. Or maybe I was just tired.

 

I left the botanical garden that day, feeling that there was really more to see. There truly is. How I wished that I had planned better.

 

Oh well. I suppose another visit to the garden is in order for the future. Maybe when the International Mosaiculture of Montreal comes back into town, which happens once in a blue moon. That would really be something to look forward to.

 

Summer Getaway Day 3 - Planetarium, Biodome, Insectarium

the stars, the bugs, the animals, the gardens - all in one place!

A trip to Montreal's botanical garden warrants a full day. There's just so much to see, what with the planets and stars, the insects and bugs, the animals and the gardens all in one place, there's really no other choice. We could've split the trip into two days but who wants to come back and see the same thing? Since we had already pre-planned to plan nothing else that day, the botanical garden was the place to be indeed!

Right from the onset, it showed the telltale signs of a long day. We thought that we'd start with the Planetarium before anything else. The walk to the Planetarium, which we were told was about 15 minutes, felt much longer.

 

Once we were at the Rio Tinto Alcan Planetarium, we were treated to some excellent audio-visual presentations about the planets and the stars and the galaxy while lying on bean bags. Outside the theatres, there were cool interactive entertainment media. Although I felt this area benefited the younger crowd more, there was no denying that some of the "toys" were cool. One of these cool toys was a projector that changed your body into an alien's when you step into its line of light.

My alien kids

Next up was the Biodome, since it was right next door to the Planetarium. The Biodome showcased ecosystems and animals and felt very much like a visit to the zoo or an aquarium. Yes, the animals were quite different, some were/might have been exotic, but their allure was lost on me. Despite my ignorance, it remained an interesting walk-through.

Lovebirds

Walking back to the main botanical garden was equally long. They were renovating the area at the time which I think might have contributed to the walking distance seeming farther than it really was. Because of the renovation, we decided not to visit the Parc Olympique, which was in the same locality.

Our next stop was the Insectarium. And as the name would suggest, this place had loads and loads of butterflies and bugs of all shapes and sizes. Literally.

Butterflies

 

Summer Getaway Day 2 - Royal Canadian Mint

My child as a quarter

 This place surely could have been a numismatist's paradise. After all, the whole place was all about making coins, who wouldn't wanna know?

On a whim, as our last stop in Ottawa, I decided that we would pass by the Royal Canadian Mint.

We were ushered into the boutique whilst waiting for the tour of the plant to start. We perused the collection on display and were really amazed at the different sizes and values. I tried both my hands on lifting a very heavy, very solid gold bar at the boutique. The gold bar weighed 28 pounds and was valued at more than half a million dollars.

Instagrammed by jamie250196

Inside the tour, they showcased some samples of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic medals. All the hard work and dedication and how each medal was a part of a larger piece of the puzzle. The Olympian winners were even given a map to find where their medals fitted in the bigger picture.

We saw how King George VI's and Queen Elizabeth II's images on the coins changed through the years, how a simple crown (actually, the lack thereof) on their images could emphasize that they were the common people's King/Queen.

Although we weren't allowed to take photos inside the plant, it was great and informative. And for an occasional coin collector like me, it felt like a kid being in a candy store. I couldn't/wouldn't be able to afford most of the coins in that place but it was really special to see how valuable a small silver can get.

Summer Getaway Day 2 - Rideau Canal

Rideau Canal - a view from under the bridge

We had a few hours to spare before we took our tour of the Centre Block at the Parliament of Canada so we decided to take a stroll along the Rideau Canal.

We had originally planned to take a boat tour along the canal but since the tour would make us late for the Parliament tour, we decided to rather walk. Our feet did not take us as far as the boat could have, nevertheless it was a peaceful, canal side amble.

Rideau Canal is one of the World's Heritage Site. During summer, people would jog around, canoe and ride boats along the canal. During winter, the canal is turned into a rink enjoyed by ice skaters.

With all the surrounding greens and the slow breeze of the wind,  authentic bagpipe music filled the air. It had truly transformed into the perfect place under the sun.

Rideau Canal - National Historic Site of Canada

Summer Getaway Day 2 - Parliament of Canada



Centre Block

We checked out of the hotel around 9:30am the next morning to try and catch the Changing of the Guards that was set to happen at around 10:00am at Parliament Hill. Imagine our surprise, and disappointment, to find out that the Changing of the Guards had finished the day before. What a bummer! Although I'm pretty sure that their website said that it was only ending that Sunday morning....anyways, moving on.

Parliament Buildings

We went to the Information Centre across the Parliament Buildings to arrange for a free tour of the government structure.

We had a little bit of time on our hands before the tour, so we decided to explore the grounds and take some photos with the garden statues.

Women statues with women to be

When the time came, we took the Centre Block tour. We were led by a tour guide who showed us where all the honorable government representatives rub shoulders. The Centre Block housed the Senate, the House of Commons and my all-time favourite, the Library of Parliament. I swear I would've loved to have gotten lost in that library for days, but it wasn't at all possible since the tour only lasted for 45 minutes and I had to move along with the group.

Library of Parliament backdrop

For more information about the Parliament of Canada, visit their website.

Ottawa Accommodation - Albert at Bay Suite Hotel



Photo credit: Albert at Bay Suite Hotel

I booked this accommodation with Hotels.com 2 months back and although the hotel got very good reviews all over, I wasn't really quite sure what to expect.

Frankly, this hotel, and actually the room they gave us, was such a pleasant surprise. Not only did it come with the standard double bedrooms, it had its own kitchen, lounge and dinette area as well. It had a microwave, an oven, pots and pans, plates and other kitchen utensils. You'd think we were staying there for a good few months. I suppose now I wish we had extended. We didn't really expect the room to be so big, but certainly appreciated the space.

The hotel was close enough to some of the major sights, including the Parliament Buildings.

The only downside of this hotel that I must point out, since it had been mentioned on reviews a few times and we experienced it first hand, is that there are car parking issues. The hotel had its own underground parking, which was situated around the corner. But it was full when we arrived at the hotel. We were advised by the hotel staff to park across the hotel, on the street. This is of course a chance event. If there is space, you get parking, if not, well then... We were lucky that we arrived on the weekend and street parking was free until Monday morning.

Other than the parking issue, I highly recommend this hotel to anyone visiting Ottawa. Check out their website here.

Summer Getaway Night 1 - MosAika

MosAika            

In my mind, this was certainly the highlight of our visit to Ottawa.

After our walk through the ByWard Market, we started our way back to the Parliament Buildings where the MosAika was to take place.

MosAika is a sound and light show that happens every summer in Ottawa. It normally starts around 10pm and is presented at Parliament Hill. It tells the story of Canada, through the years, its development and how it came to be.

Spectators abound the hill were treated to a spectacular show. Its dazzling lights and booming sounds entertained both young and old. We were fascinated by the audio-visual display but I was even more amazed that the presentation remained vivid in my mind, even after many, many days since.

It's a wonderful feeling to have such a powerful reminder of why we love Canada!

For more information on MosAika, check out their website.

instagrammed by jamie250196

Summer Getaway Night 1 - ByWard Market

We had to quickly hit the streets again after we checked in at our hotel because it was turning night time and we hadn't had a chance to have dinner.

We suffered our first disappointment looking for dinner. I was really wanting to have some KFCs and the GPS was pointing us to go to Rideau Centre. After a few around-the-block searches for parking, we eventually got to the mall, only to find out that everything was closing at 6pm. We literally only had one minute left. Sadly, I did not get my KFC. I had to be satisfied with a McDonalds dinner across the street from the mall.

The diversion gave us a chance to walk the surrounding area a bit. Which was a good thing. We stumbled our way to the nearby ByWard Market.


ByWard Market

Well, it's true what they say that there is always something happening at ByWard Market. We walked through the picturesque streets lined with restaurants and shops. There were even street stalls that sold small trinkets and treasures. It had also been good timing since as soon as we arrived at the ByWard Market Square, some people huddled around a street performer, who was just about to start his performance. He turned out to be a medallist in the world cyr wheel championship.

His show, a brief 45-minute stint, was engaging to say the least. It was highly enjoyed by both young and old. He also picked out an assistant in the audience, who later actually turned out to be his real-life fiancée. To learn more about their act, The Engagement Ring Show, check out their official website and their Facebook page.

The ByWard Market seemed like a heavy hustling-and-bustling place. We walked around the market until around 8:30pm when we headed back to the Ottawa Parliament Building to catch The Light and Sound Show. I suspect that nightlife was a great part of the market. We decided that we would have lunch around the area the next day.

Summer Getaway Day 1 - Ottawa - Canadian War Museum

Our getaway officially started at 9 that morning. It was going to be a long day for us as we made our way from Mississauga to Ottawa. At least a 5-hour drive to be exact.

We eventually arrived at our destination at around 2:30pm. We were a little too early for our hotel check-in, which was only happening at around 4pm so we decided to swing by the Canadian War Museum.

The Canadian War Museum is a national museum detailing Canada's military past and how it shaped the country. The museum had a vast collection of war pieces that included artillery and armoured tanks. The whole place was very informative about the role Canada had in the different wars throughout history.

The museum kept us busy for just over an hour and half. After which, we left and were on our way to the hotel.

Here's a few photos to give you some idea of what you can see with a visit to the museum:

Cannon

In the trenches



More trenches photo

Hitler's car