Travel Stories & Bargains from Manitoba: amazing race canada

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Monday, August 4, 2014

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 12 The Summary

My son and I raced from Manitoba to Quebec and back in four days just to challenge ourselves and have some fun.

I modelled this spontaneous trip after the Amazing Race TV show on CTV. We took planes, trains and automobile during this adventure. I helped my son discover parts of this great country he had never seen before. And in helping him experience things for the first time I, myself, saw Canada again with fresh eyes.

I also saw a different side of my own son. I have known him to be level headed, compassionate and eager to learn, but this time, I got to see those qualities in action in a new environment. Like the moment when he quietly asked me for change to give to a street person. He debated that action in his head and decided it was the right thing to do. And then he did it.

My son capably guided us as we walked touring Old Quebec City. He patiently tried to speak and understand French in an everyday setting. And rather than wolfing down his food, for once he lingered and enjoyed the time that was our patio dinner on Rue Saint Jean. These actions reflected qualities I knew he had in him but are sometimes hard to see in our daily lives rushing to school and hockey rinks.

We talked and we laughed. We had a great time! We took some fantastic photos and most of all, had shared experiences which will become shared memories. That is, of course, the part that will forever be "amazing" to me.

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I've done a trip recap highlighting the cities and adventures along the way. If you'd like to read them in sequence, here's the list. Cheers!

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 11 Ottawa in Pictures

We had a mere 7 hours to explore the city and we did it on foot, but we sure did have a fabulous time! In downtown Ottawa, there is so much to see and do. We managed to see the changing of the guard ceremony on parliament hill. We found the Terry Fox statue, the Supreme Court building and a Starbucks. We walked along side the Rideau Canal, saw great public art, and then had a leisurely lunch at Byward Market. We could have spent hours at Byward Market... there is so much to see! If I lived in Ottawa I would be living off the fresh fruit and vegetable stands. I'd be a gourmet vegetarian chef! What variety and bounty!

I also managed to detour my son into the brand new Fluevog shoe store at Byward Market. They opened just weeks ago and are such a fun place to shop. The shoes are by an eclectic Canadian designer, who has been making shoes since the 1970s. Fluevog boutiques have been popping up in major urban centres in recent years, finally bringing these funky and fabulous shoes to the main stream soccer moms like myself. Indeed, I bought a pair. I couldn't resist!

I will let the photos speak for themselves! If this is what we saw in 7 hours, can you imagine a weekend?

Saturday, July 26, 2014

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 2 The Surprise

July 14th I booked the flights and the rail passes. A few days later, I booked our hotel stays.

Then I started working on the details. I got fancy envelopes and created challenges. I bought puzzles and thought of road blocks. I watched the season premiere of Amazing Race Canada on-line again just to get everything right.

Then I enlisted the help of a few friends. They were as excited as I was to be planning a surprise of this magnitude.

Sunday evening, less than a week after I started booking and really getting the plan in motion, it was "go time!"

My son and I were together and I suggested a casual stop at Starbucks to grab drinks as we often do. We went into the store and ordered a latte and an iced tea. When they called his name and delivered his beverage, they also presented him with an envelope. It said "Your own Amazing Race Birthday Adventure starts NOW! You have an hour to pack. Plan for 5 days, bring your sneakers and sense of adventure. You're heading east."

The staff at the store cheered! My son grinned ear to ear and my own heart raced. When we got home he was packed in 15 minutes. "Let's GO MOM! Let's do this!"

2 hours later, in the truck heading towards the nearest major airport I gave him his second clue. It said "Set your alarm for 5:45 AM. A plane that's blue, and numbered 3-1-6 will not wait for you!"

A few taps into his iPad and he found our flight number and learned the destination was Ottawa! I smiled and thought to myself.... son, you don't know the half of it!

Our Amazing Adventure: Part 1 The Inspiration

My son and I were watching the first episode of the second season of The Amazing Race Canada, on CTV, and he blurts out, "we could totally do that!" And I thought, of course we could. And since I've always been the kind of person to put action to my words, I started thinking and then researching and then scheming. Before long I had a plan... a top secret plan!

Since I am passionate about travel, and have already taken my kids on more than a dozen trips, I knew I had the skills. A quick check of my Air Miles balance, and I knew I had the miles for 2 short haul flights. I had previously blogged about the Via Rail kids' special and was aware of the fantastic bargains on summer travel so therefore I knew I had to incorporate that into our adventure as well.

It has always been one of my parenting goals to show my kids our vast and incredible country. To this point I have succeed in showing them all the western provinces plus a bit of the Yukon. This time I was determined to go east.

A little re-jigging of the work schedule and I could put 4 days off together. So that was it, I had a plan. Plane...train...east and 4 days! Out of that framework came my goal: to show my son as much of Canada as I could in 4 days, in Amazing Race style. What a birthday surprise this would be for him!