Trip To Ottawa – First Stop: Byward Market
This summer was very busy. Usually work slows down a bit in June/July and ramps up again in August for back to school, work and travel. This summer there were many custom bags and wedding orders. I didn’t have any trips planned for our family, so my summer was spent working and taking the boys out.
When school was about to start, my husband and I decided we should take a few days off. We looked at my son’s school calendar and he had a professional day in late-September, making it a long weekend. We decided to go to Ottawa for a few days and the boys stayed with my parents. This is unlike us actually. We usually plan things out well ahead of time, but it was fun to do something on a whim for a change. I know…we’re wild!
We wanted to stay in Canada since we were only going for a few days. We have never been to our nation’s capital city, Ottawa, so we decided that that would be a nice little trip.
I love going to markets, so when I found out central Ottawa has an outdoor market, it was my first stop. There were rows of produce vendors from Quebec and artisanal goods. Ottawa is located on the Ontario and Quebec border, so you will hear a lot of English and French.
What I like about the Byward Market is that it’s mainly an outdoor market. We don’t have any year round outdoor markets like this in Vancouver. There are seasonal farmers’ markets and Granville Island (which is an indoor market), but nothing like this.
The first day we arrived, was the first day of Fall. All these varieties of pumpkins are a reminder that it truly is Fall and Canadian Thanksgiving will be here soon.
Here’s Christian and I near the market where there is a OTTAWA public display. We are truly looking like tourists…lol.
Quebec is the world’s largest producer of maple syrup. You will see maple syrup products sold all around the market. This is the real deal, not the stuff you get at your supermarket that may be sugar mixed with maple syrup or whatever it is they call “syrup flavour.”
Here’s a nice seafood restaurant by the market. Central Ottawa has a high number of restaurants. It reminded me of Montreal where it seems every other commercial space is a restaurant.
The Byward Market does have an indoor building. Inside has a few small shops, food stalls and cafes.