Byward Market

A few blocks from our apartment is Ottawa’s famed Byward Market, a very large block centered around a long, skinny building.  In the market there are restaurants and Irish pubs and little specialty shops that sell cheese and pastries and meat and fish.  On the weekends, Byward turns into a regular street market with stands all over selling everything from maple syrup and candies to handmade wares.

The Byward Market in October

Now that the weather is getting colder and snow is more and more common, the market is getting more winterized.  I expected the stands to become more and more sparse and, eventually, leave entirely.  Last weekend, though, when Chad and I ventured to the market in the brutal cold to find me a warm hat and mittens, we found that no stands had left.  They had simply altered their wares.  There were stands with freshly cut Christmas trees and wreaths, rather than fresh berries and fruits, and stands with wool mittens and deerskin moccasins rather than summer jewelry.

It was so cold last weekend that we could only stay outside for a few minutes before retreating to the indoor portion of the market (the long skinny building) to warm up and browse the shops.  We did end up finding a warm hat and mittens, and also got some of our Christmas shopping done.  Chad even bought us a delicious chocolate and hazelnut-filled hedgehog from the indoor candy shop, and we shared him during one of our warm-up trips.

Eating the hedgehog in my new hat!

I love the market; it reminds me of my time in France where we would buy our produce and bread from street stands every Saturday.  In Ottawa we don’t visit the market nearly as often, but when we do, it is always a good time, usually complete with fresh Fish and Chips (from a stand or our favorite Irish pub, the Auld Doubliner) before walking home.