a peek inside the fishbowl

Fishbowl patron Saunders Farm is hosting this fantastic giveaway for a Family Annual Season’s Pass.

If you don’t happen to win it I should point out at THIS should definitely be the year you pick up a Family Pass. I happen to know that there are some cool and exciting things planned for 2011, a notable year because it’s a 35th anniversary for the Saunders family and the 20th Anniversary of Saunders Haunting Season.

There are plenty of good reasons to love the Season’s Pass:

It’s a great deal if want to visit more than twice.
Summer and Fall (a.k.a. Haunting Season) are very different seasons at Saunders and you definitely want to visit at least once during each season. But let’s do the math. Single-day family admission during the summer is $50 (+HST) and $64 (+HST) in October. If you’re a family of four, the cost of a 2011 family pass is $176.28 ($156 + $20.28 HST).

It’s a great deal if there are small children in the picture.
When the girls were wee, family passes were a real blessing. Sometimes we realistically only had one “good” hour or two between various naps, and sometimes we needed to cut visits short (you know how it goes). A family pass gives your family the freedom to visit often, and for as long (or short) as you like. No pressure.

It makes a great gift.
Grandma! Grandpa! Are you struggling to come up with a really special gift for your son, daughter-in-law and the grandchildren? This is it. Saunders Farm offers 100 acres of green space to get fresh air, lots of exercise and is a great place for families to play, learn and grow together. It is a lovely spot to visit. We go every year, at least once! A family pass is truly the kind of gift that keeps on giving.

To clarify, family pass holders receive UNLIMITED VISITS to the Farm during regular public hours from June 1 through October 31, including:

• Unlimited visits to Haunting Season in October
  (One admission per pass holder per day)
• Unlimited visits during the Summer Farm Park season
• Invitations and discounts to special events throughout the year
• A welcome bonus FUN BUNDLE which includes:
  • 10% off a Birthday Party package
  • 10% off non-food items in the Farm Shop
  • two “Bring a Friend” Summer admission tickets – Valid any weekend in June 2011

More details about the Family Annual Season’s Pass are on the Saunders Farm website.

Now for the giveaway part! Woot!

This giveaway is for one Family Annual Season’s Pass for FOUR. (Note that kids under two are admitted free and do not need to be listed on the pass.)

A few summers ago Mark and I spent a weekend in Old Montreal to celebrate our tenth anniversary. We fell in love with this lovely part of the city and promised to return someday with kids in tow. So that’s what we did.

We left Friday night and returned last night. I’m still recovering. There was a lot to see:

1. Old Montreal, 2. DSC_0883, 3. DSC_0906, 4. Cupcake!, 5. DSC_0901, 6. Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal, 7. Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal, 8. Notre Dame Basilica of Montreal, 9. Palais des Congres, 10. Palais des Congres, 11. Old Montreal, 12. Frogs at the Montréal Biodôme, 13. Fish at the Montréal Biodôme, 14. Puffins at the Montréal Biodôme, 15. DSC_0904

On Saturday we set out for Le Biodôme de Montréal. It is a neat place to visit. It’s essentially a cross between an indoor animal habitat and nature museum, divided into eco-zones. My favourite was the sub-Antarctic. I could have sat and watched the penguins and the puffins for a long time.

A suggestion for you: wear a sweater! The Antarctic zone is ok, and it’s hot in the tropics… but rather chilly in the Laurentians right now. (I’m not kidding.) Also, don’t leave without checking out the extensive “touch and learn” area near the coat check downstairs. It’s sooo worth visiting with kids, yet so easy to miss.

After our visit we returned to our home base, the Intercontinental Montreal, so we could park the car and browse around the old town on foot. It’s very difficult to drive and park in that part of town… we’re talking about very old cobblestone streets and super narrow sidewalks, but that just adds to its charm if you ask me.

I should mention that the hotel was fantastique. It was perfectly situated for us (it’s right on the edge of Old Montreal) and very modern and beautiful. It’s a great deal in the off-season too. I totally recommend it if you’re looking for a place to stay.

It was a unique experience to visit this time of year. Some of the stores and restaurants were closed but there was still a lot to see and do. We had lunch at Van Houtte’s because there weren’t that many options. Still, it was very good. The girls had homemade chicken soup and flaky croissants and I had a grilled vegetable and goat cheese panini. (It is clear to me that I must obtain a sandwich press of my own.)

Old Montreal is a wonder. It is a part of town that is full of contridictions. I spent much of the time just looking up:

I’m amazed I didn’t walk into a signpost, or step into traffic. :)

Montreal itself is pretty amazing to me. At every corner I kept thinking: WHY CAN’T THEY DO THIS IN OTTAWA? Take the Palais de Congres for example, and its indoor orchard of hot pink tree trunks. Public art rules here.

After lunch we went to see the Notre Dame Basilica (official website here). If you’re in Montreal this is a must-see. It is breathtaking, inside and out. There is an admission fee ($5 for adults, $4 for kids 7-17) but  it’s worth every penny (do note you can attend services for free). I can’t describe how deeply beautiful it is. And don’t forget to visit the chapel.

Afterwards we enjoyed cupcakes at Les Glaceurs (453 rue Saint-Sulpice), and they were divine. Emma had peanut butter and chocolate. Yum.

After lots of walking around we went back to the hotel for naps (me) and a bit of swimming (Mark and the girls).

We had an early dinner was at Tokyo Sushibar at 185 (rue St-Paul Ouest). It was, AMAZING – inexpensive and crazy-deliciously fresh. We followed THAT by a tour of the Milky Way at the Montreal Planetarium. The girls were pretty impressed. The planetarium website seems to be down right now, but it’s at 1000 Saint-Jacques Street West.

Sunday was a blur of walking and exploring around the old port, part of which is open for skating right now, which is cool. (See The Quays Skating Rink for more info.)

One of the highlights of our Sunday was a visit to Pointe-à-Callière, the Montréal Museum of Archaeology and History. If you visit Old Montreal you must include a visit. It’s basically a museum built over a very significant 1000-year old archaeological site. You can read more about it on their website here. I really recommend you take a couple of hours to wander and learn how this site evolved from a Native settlement to what it is today. (Pictured here!) It is totally fascinating to be standing next to ruins of old buildings (mind you, it’s all indoors) knowing that it was the centre of so much history. It gives the visitor an unprecedented sense of realism and connection that just wouldn’t happen otherwise.

After we checked out on Sunday afternoon we drove around downtown and up Mont Royal, which seemed to be home to a hive of winter activity right now. Before we knew it, it was time to head home to Ottawa.

Some of you may be wondering, why the focus on the old part of the city? Why not the fabulous wining and dining and shopping? What about Schwartz’s Deli? And Sainte-Catherine Street? Things that Montreal is famous for? Well, there’s a reason for that. We’re saving it for summer. :)

It was a really great trip, and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

If you’re keen, you can look at the rest of my Montreal photos over here.

I’m going to sleep A Very Long Sleep. And write more about this tomorrow:

À demain!