Formula 1 is a sport we love! Whenever there’s a race we gather ourselves in front of the TV and watch how our favorite drivers go against each other for a place at the podium.

We have visited various circuits and enjoyed several GP’s around the world. Italy, Germany, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, US, Canada and Mexico, each of them fascinating in their own way.  Not to mention some of this circuits are legendary with so much history behind! Every trip has been a unique experience.

Our first Grand Prix adventure as a family took place in Montreal at the Gilles Villeneuve Circuit. Dad and I wanted to take the children to a live F1 race. So I started to check the seasons schedule, dates and circuits.

Since the beginning, the Canadian GP was a good option. It always takes place in June, when the children have their summer school break, it is relatively close to where we live, and best of all, they had a good deal on ticket prices. We didn’t want to spend too much money on tickets since it was our first family GP and we did not know if our children would endure the whole event. It is definitely not the same to watch it at home than live. This trip was a trial and error for future F1 related adventures.

We arrived on a Thursday. Friday was practice day, Saturday the quali and Sunday the race. We were all excited!

Our decision was to skip practice so we could have a quick tour around Montreal. Our first stop was the Olympic Stadium and grounds.

 

One of my sons loves insects. He is a total fan of the series “Monster Bug Wars” on Discovery Channel, has a dissected collection of specimens on his room, has books and encyclopedias dedicated to this topic and even owns a pocket microscope just in case some dead bug deserves examination. Taking all that into consideration, we thought it might be fun if we visited the Montreal Insectarium.

Montreal Insectarium is considered the largest insect museum in North America. It displays both live and dead insect collections. Located near the Olympic Stadium and right next to the botanical gardens this museum is impressive. It took us half a day to admire all the interesting exhibitions they have. We never thought the museum would capture our attention the way it did, we were just accompanying E to something he likes. It was a big surprise when we were all immediately immersed into the bug world. (If you are interested in bugs here are some pics  Insectarium)

After the museum we explored the botanical gardens. Peace and tranquility.

 

 

 

We then had a quick-lunch break and went to Montreal´s old town. We started with Place d’Armes, where the Basilica of Notre Dame is located. We had the opportunity to hear mass since it was starting when we arrived.

The inside of the church is elegant and has such a personality. Loved the ceiling in combination with the stained glass decor! Not to mention the way the illumination is handled, very cleverly. It enhances the beauty and creates a peaceful atmosphere.

It was getting darker, E and P were getting tired so we decided to inspect the old town just a little more and then returned to our rental apartment.

The quali next day was exciting for the children! First time they had heard the roaring sound of the engines running. Nowadays it’s so different, it just doesn’t sound the same.

That afternoon we went to Crescent Street and took photos of the cars displayed.

 

The day of the race had come!! We were all ready to go and have fun! We left the apartment early. Each one of us wearing our favorite racing team shirt. It was the first time we had general tickets, so we took precautions to ensure a good seating area.

That day the weather was perfect and the race did not disappoint! My daughter A was the one who enjoyed the drivers parade the most. (If you want to see some of the drivers you can click here  F1 Drivers Parade) And my two boys raised our country’s flag with joy and pride from time to time during the race! We had lots of fun and great memories were made. I still remember who won first place, Vettel, E’s favorite driver. And Dad’s favorite was Alonso, who’d won second. So it was all exciting to watch.

 

Our trial and error f1 adventure passed the test!

Since that day we have had other F1 family travels, of course, without taking away some Dad-Mom solo GP events. Love family bonding trips but then again… we got to keep the romance too 😉