Ottawa, Sunday May 19th 2002

With Victoria Day looming in the background, the first annual Tulip Festival activites took place on its last weekend days.

Despite fall-like weather while bracing forcasted snow flurries, the turnout from all over the country was a smashing success. All the way from Toronto to Montreal and of course Ottawa, the Druze Youth came out in great numbers taking part in the various experiences on this occasion.

After several formal greetings and required introductions, the day began with some sightseeing, composed mainly of a tour of Parliement Hill, where the famous "Eternal Flame" and "Peace Tower" are located. Since the Canadian government had several days notice of the Druze invasion on the Hill, they decided to shutdown the Parliement itself, hence we were not cordially invited to debate today's problems.

 

From there, the tour moved to Major Hill's park, where most of the Tulips were being sheltered from the frozen weather. However, as the tour began to form its own shape, the Druze Youth became familiar with each other and the atmosphere began to warm up. Thus, the Flotilla on the Rideau Canal was the next natural destination, as several tulip-decorated boats were being showcased to the public. As with the Druze tradition, several members offered a lending hand while the boats were being docked by the river. As you can imagine, it was quite a humorours scene!

The group then broke for a joyous lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in downtown Byward Market. While the market was buzzing with street merchants and pedestrians, most of the group opted for the warmth of the sheltered restaurant.

From there, the tour finally moved to the location of the most beautiful sites in the spring to have graced our beloved city, Ottawa. Dow's Lake is renowned world wide for its beauty and grace during this time of year, where all the tulips are in full bloom. The tour was marching to the sound of its own drum, with frequent stops to enjoy the beds of tulips lined across the different pathways.

All across the rideau river, the tulips formed incredible photo opportunities, which the group took advantage of, by snapping up as many pictures as theu could. With many new friendships being formed, the day ended with a joyful aura, as the temperature dipped, however with the closeness of the community being able to rise and spread its warmth to its constituents.

The Ottawa Druze community would like to thank the Montreal and Toronto community for their participation, and we look forward to many successful events in the future.