Winterlude Kick Off
Yesterday we attended the opening ceremony for Winterlude. The festivities took place at Rideau Hall, the official residence of Canada’s Governor General, Michaëlle Jean. Winterlude is a festival that takes place over the first three weekends of February. It’s a great way to take in the best of winter right here in Ottawa and Gatineau.
At the kick off, there were hay rides, dogsled rides, two outdoor skating rinks, snowshoeing, outdoor exhibits, hot chocolate, snacks and music. The opportunities to have fun seem endless. At one point, we had a chance to speak with her Excellency, Michaëlle Jean. We were all impressed by how friendly she is and how she was genuinely interested in what we had to say to her.
We also ate some tire d’érable, maple syrup snow taffy. “Tire” is a French Canadian treat you can make. All you have to do is boil some maple syrup for about 4 minutes, pour it over some lightly packed snow and let it harden for a minute. Then you take a popsicle stick and roll it through the syrup. The syrup will stick to the popsicle stick and you can eat it a lollypop.