This Mother’s Day my family had made plans for my grandparents to come up to Ottawa to see us. They usually don’t come into Ottawa too often, so we thought it would be a good idea for them to experience The Canadian Tulip Festival.
The Canadian Tulip Festival is a celebration born out of the Second World War when Canada helped to liberate the Dutch and provided a safe refuge for the royal family. As a show of thanks, the Dutch Royal Family gifted Ottawa with 100,000 tulip bulbs in 1945, and continued to gift over one thousand bulbs each year until 1980.
Over 300,000 tulips are planted for festival which brings in visitors and guests from all over the world. My grandparents had never been to The Canadian Tulip Festival, so we took them to Commissioners Park where some of the best tulip displays are located. The location didn’t disappoint; most of the tulips were protected from the wind and in full bloom. As well, the weather was mild which allowed us to stay out for a few hours to take pictures.
I think the grandparents enjoyed it. Afterwards we headed back to our house for some dinner and Mother’s Day celebrations. My grandfather had brought a really rich chocolate cake from Montreal to eat for dessert. We got both mothers – my mother and grandmother – to cut the cake together.
Happy Mother’s Day!