Today was an eventful day. After getting ready we headed out towards the Gare du Palais which looked fancy on the map. Turns out the Gare du Palais is the train station. Yes it's beautiful, but I felt rather silly heading there thinking it was a sight only to realize it was the train station that I arrived in on. We headed inside to have breakfast at a cute little cafe because it was pretty cold today. Colder than any other day I've had on the east coast this trip.
After breakfast we headed to the Marché, an indoor market. Lots of flowers and plants with a delicious looking cheese stand, lots of maple syrup, a few jewelry vendors, among other things.
We then went towards the St. Lawrence River and the antique shop part of town. Luckily we didn't go into any antique shops, for my luggage's sake. We then stumbled across the Église Notre-Dame des Victoires, a cute little church that is apparently the oldest stone church in North America. I haven't been to Switzerland yet, but that entire square felt very Swiss. After that we walked back into the walls of Old Quebec and up to the Fairmont Le Chateau Frontenac, a luxurious hotel. After admiring where the fancy people stay we walked over to the Citadelle, an active military base. Since it's the active station of the Royal 22e Régiment of the Canadian Forces you have to be led around by a guide. It was about an hour tour and very interesting. There were military men outside practicing for the changing of the guards which happens daily in the summer, starting in June. A part of that ceremony involves a goat. Batisse the goat. Word on the street is that Queen Elizabeth II gave the first Batisse the goat to the 22me Régiment as a gift. So of course I asked how many goats there have been since then. They are on Batisse #11, and all of them have been descendants of the original Batisse. Interesting mascot for the military, I think.
After that we walked towards the Parliament, snapped a few photos, and then strolled down the Grande Allée which is the big nightlife/club street. Being late afternoon it was pretty desolate when we were there but I could envision what it is like when it's hoppin'.
Oh, how could I forget - mid Citadelle tour it started raining. Megan and Carol bought a poncho at the gift shop. I had my handy raincoat. It was pretty cold and windy but we were still able to enjoy Québec the rest of the day. What a cute little city. So tiny it's incredible.
After a few hours of chilling in the hostel we walked to the nearest grocery store and bought some wine and snacks for dinner since we had a big lunch. Then at around 10pm we walked outside to experience the theatre fun. I can honestly say that I don't think I've seen anything as cool and unique theatre wise. Ever. I don't think my words or the 100+ photos that Carol took will do it justice. Luckily it's all right near our hostel. It starts in a park a few blocks away with about 10 installations such as - a bunch of coworkers miserable in a boardroom, a married couple bored with each other and not talking at dinner, a lonely old woman shopkeeper, a pregnant woman with fears of being a mother, a man drowning his sorrows at an empty bar (literally drowning his sorrows because he was sitting in the pond in the park on a bar stool) etc. There were more but you get the idea. Each of these displays had speakers around them playing their thoughts. While it was all in French you could easily tell what they were thinking and saying. The body language and expressions were so clear and universal. So amazing. The tulips from the park were used as part of the sets, and they looked so cool with all of the lighting.
Then you walk through several streets of other displays - one of my favorites was called 'balconies'. On the side of a parking garage people were sitting on wrought-iron suspended platforms. They all had microphones that they were speaking into. What I took from that one is how there can be many of us sitting on an apartment building balcony, in our own little worlds, and oblivious to the people and world around us doing the same thing. How we can be self-involved and in our own bubbles.
Next was a display called 'lures' where there were huge lures with a hanging pig, an ice-cream stick, a motorcycle, a golf-ball, etc. From these there were people hanging or sitting on the lures talking and singing. So strange.
That's probably enough description. Trust me it was cool. And luckily it had stopped raining by that point.
Tomorrow morning we need to check out by 10am. We're hopeful that Carol's car is still where we left it (seeing that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada, as I learned in Ottawa). Once we leave this cute little city we're heading north to the Montmorency Falls that are about 12km north of here. The falls, at 275 feet high and 150 feet wide, are the highest in the province of Québec and 98 feet higher than Niagara Falls. We're all pretty excited about that.
After the falls we're driving to Greenville, Maine to hang out with my grandparents and several other fabulous family members.
Will be back to blogging once Carol, Megan, and I head to New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Ta ta for now!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Ville de Québec
Yesterday once I checked out I headed to the metro station to then get to the train station. Because of the blistery winter weather they get in Montreal, there are lots of underground tunnels that connect to hotels, malls, grocery stores, beauty salons, metro stations etc. Technically you could spend all winter and not have to go outside. These tunnels are a bit hard to navigate though, I think. I'd get lost all the time if I lived there. While not that far away, I found the signage to get from the metro station to the train station a bit confusing.
Train ride was about 3 hours, slept most of the way.
Once I got to Québec City I picked up a map and it took me a while to figure out where the train station was on the map. Once I did I found the street this hostel was on and couldn't see street signs outside to figure out which way to start walking. I didn't feel like trial-and-error walking like I usually do, so I asked a cute construction worker which way to go. He spoke no English but got the gist of what I was asking. It took him quite a while but he finally pointed me in the right direction. Merci merci.
Once I found the hostel and I opened the door I was greeted by a little white dog. Up a narrow staircase I got to the hostel. After I checked in and had my tour, my first thought was - I wonder what Carol and Megan are going to think of this place. It's not the worst hostel I've stayed in, but down there on the totem pole. I'm staying in an 8-bed shared dorm and they are staying in a double by themselves which feels like a palace compared to my room.
Once they settled in it took us quite a while to find a parking lot for their car. Many of the automated ones were closed. We finally found an outdoor lot, said goodbye to the car, and wandered into the Vieux-Québec, the old walled-in part of the city. We walked down Rue Sainte-Jean and found a pub to have a local beer. I forget the name but I got a nice amber ale. Then after a bit more wandering we settled into a restaurant's outdoor spot for dinner.
This morning I set my alarm for 8am and we're getting ready to head out and explore. Only bummer is it rained last night and the sky doesn't look like it's going to behave for us. Fingers crossed.
As I was waiting for them to arrive yesterday I sat outside of the hostel in the sun and read my book. There were trucks and crew setting up a bunch of speakers and TVs outdoors. I asked one of them what was going on and he said that there is a big festival this weekend. On our way home from dinner we got to witness some of it. I just looked it up online. It's the 12th Carrefour International de Théâtre where along several streets there are theatre, dance, visual arts, and music performances. Last night was the sound-check and practice night. The festival is from 9pm-11pm every night so we'll have to make sure to eat an early dinner so we can head back and walk through the streets and watch some of the creativity unfold. I feel bad cause while Carol and Megan's room is very nice, it faces the street, and there is a bar right across the street that apparently was hopping until the wee hours of the morning. My ghetto-room luckily faces the back of the building and was pretty quiet, other than the creaking beds.
Train ride was about 3 hours, slept most of the way.
Once I got to Québec City I picked up a map and it took me a while to figure out where the train station was on the map. Once I did I found the street this hostel was on and couldn't see street signs outside to figure out which way to start walking. I didn't feel like trial-and-error walking like I usually do, so I asked a cute construction worker which way to go. He spoke no English but got the gist of what I was asking. It took him quite a while but he finally pointed me in the right direction. Merci merci.
Once I found the hostel and I opened the door I was greeted by a little white dog. Up a narrow staircase I got to the hostel. After I checked in and had my tour, my first thought was - I wonder what Carol and Megan are going to think of this place. It's not the worst hostel I've stayed in, but down there on the totem pole. I'm staying in an 8-bed shared dorm and they are staying in a double by themselves which feels like a palace compared to my room.
Once they settled in it took us quite a while to find a parking lot for their car. Many of the automated ones were closed. We finally found an outdoor lot, said goodbye to the car, and wandered into the Vieux-Québec, the old walled-in part of the city. We walked down Rue Sainte-Jean and found a pub to have a local beer. I forget the name but I got a nice amber ale. Then after a bit more wandering we settled into a restaurant's outdoor spot for dinner.
This morning I set my alarm for 8am and we're getting ready to head out and explore. Only bummer is it rained last night and the sky doesn't look like it's going to behave for us. Fingers crossed.
As I was waiting for them to arrive yesterday I sat outside of the hostel in the sun and read my book. There were trucks and crew setting up a bunch of speakers and TVs outdoors. I asked one of them what was going on and he said that there is a big festival this weekend. On our way home from dinner we got to witness some of it. I just looked it up online. It's the 12th Carrefour International de Théâtre where along several streets there are theatre, dance, visual arts, and music performances. Last night was the sound-check and practice night. The festival is from 9pm-11pm every night so we'll have to make sure to eat an early dinner so we can head back and walk through the streets and watch some of the creativity unfold. I feel bad cause while Carol and Megan's room is very nice, it faces the street, and there is a bar right across the street that apparently was hopping until the wee hours of the morning. My ghetto-room luckily faces the back of the building and was pretty quiet, other than the creaking beds.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
710 ml
I slept in again this morning. Our room is like a cave that stays very dark. The four people making noise at 5am didn't bother me too much cause I knew I could sleep until whenever I woke up, which was about 10am. Back to setting an alarm tomorrow.
My first order of business today was walking to the Parc du Mont-Royal. As soon as I stepped outside the sky got dark and it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted about an hour. By the time I had an early lunch at Green, a delicious and healthy sandwich and salad shop, it had stopped raining. So I headed back out and hiked up to the Chalet du Mont Royal. You can walk up stairs or walk back and forth up switchbacks. I decided to take the stairs. Phew. Was happy to get to the top and take in the gorgeous view of Montreal. I was prepared for the view not to be great because of the weather, but it turned out to be a blue sky sunny day. A little weird knowing that this was where a previous boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend, but what are you gonna do, I had to see the sight.
A little trivia knowledge (from Wikipedia): "Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French)."
After snapping several photos and taking in the scenery, I walked over to a park bench, laid down, and read my book. Canada has been less overwhelming than Europe in a nice way. I don't feel like I have to spend all day rushing to several sights. I've been kind of wandering around like I would if I lived here. Although my foot and leg issues is probably adding to that. One place I thought about going to again was Le Biodôme de Montréal. I went in college as an adult chaperone for a bunch of middle school kids. I remember being so impressed by it that I wanted to relish that memory and not go again with the potential of being disappointed.
Once I had read several chapters I decided to head over to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. On the way there I walked through McGill's campus which was kind of fun. Once I got to the basilica I didn't feel like paying to go in so I just admired it from outside. Then I wanted to see the St. Lawrence River, so I walked over there and sat on a bench to people watch. On the way inland I walked through the Vieux-Montréal, the old historic part of town.
When I started to get hungry for dinner I decided to find a grocery store and pick up a bunch of snacks to enjoy tonight and then on my train ride tomorrow. Along with the food I bought a 710 ml Labatt Bleue, or two. My hostel/hotel has a bar but they only have imported beer and the wine I tried the other night was not good. Only problem is you can't drink outside booze in the bar/lounge area. So I ate my little dinner on my bed, which was actually kind of fun. I then remembered that you could borrow movies from the front desk. It was a long day so I just wanted to chill tonight. You can tell by the movie selection that only guys work here. Kind of funny that they were all illegal burned movies as well. I picked Fight Club and headed back to my room. The DVD player in the TV wouldn't open. So I went to return the movie and the guy at the front asked me if I wanted to watch it in the common room downstairs. I didn't know there was one. So now I'm sitting downstairs watching the movie, enjoying my large Labatt Bleue, and relaxing.
Before I forget - they added lots of pink bulbs today taking up now three blocks. I looked it up and this is what I learned: "During the 2011 Aires Libres summer event, 170,000 pink resin balls will be fastened to wires strung out at different levels and through the trees forming a long pink canopy suspended over the St. Catherine street pedestrian zone. The three different size pink resin balls will produce a five-tone hue creating the effect of a long sequenced ribbon. Enjoy unique and festive moments as you stroll under a sky of pink resin balls while experiencing the succession of nine different suspension patterns that stretch over a 1.2km distance between Berri and Papineau streets. A color event that asserts itself in the heart of the Village. Les Boules roses is produced by landscape architect Claude Cormier." Fancy.
Taking a train to Québec City tomorrow afternoon and meeting up with my aunt Carol and cousin Megan. Excited to hang out with them and explore Québec!
Now back to Edward & Brad.
My first order of business today was walking to the Parc du Mont-Royal. As soon as I stepped outside the sky got dark and it started to rain. Luckily it only lasted about an hour. By the time I had an early lunch at Green, a delicious and healthy sandwich and salad shop, it had stopped raining. So I headed back out and hiked up to the Chalet du Mont Royal. You can walk up stairs or walk back and forth up switchbacks. I decided to take the stairs. Phew. Was happy to get to the top and take in the gorgeous view of Montreal. I was prepared for the view not to be great because of the weather, but it turned out to be a blue sky sunny day. A little weird knowing that this was where a previous boyfriend proposed to his girlfriend, but what are you gonna do, I had to see the sight.
A little trivia knowledge (from Wikipedia): "Originally called Ville-Marie, or "City of Mary", the city takes its present name from Mont-Royal, the triple-peaked hill located in the heart of the city, whose name was also initially given to the island on which the city is located, or Mont Réal as it was spelled in Middle French, (Mont Royal in present French)."
After snapping several photos and taking in the scenery, I walked over to a park bench, laid down, and read my book. Canada has been less overwhelming than Europe in a nice way. I don't feel like I have to spend all day rushing to several sights. I've been kind of wandering around like I would if I lived here. Although my foot and leg issues is probably adding to that. One place I thought about going to again was Le Biodôme de Montréal. I went in college as an adult chaperone for a bunch of middle school kids. I remember being so impressed by it that I wanted to relish that memory and not go again with the potential of being disappointed.
Once I had read several chapters I decided to head over to the Basilique Notre-Dame de Montréal. On the way there I walked through McGill's campus which was kind of fun. Once I got to the basilica I didn't feel like paying to go in so I just admired it from outside. Then I wanted to see the St. Lawrence River, so I walked over there and sat on a bench to people watch. On the way inland I walked through the Vieux-Montréal, the old historic part of town.
When I started to get hungry for dinner I decided to find a grocery store and pick up a bunch of snacks to enjoy tonight and then on my train ride tomorrow. Along with the food I bought a 710 ml Labatt Bleue, or two. My hostel/hotel has a bar but they only have imported beer and the wine I tried the other night was not good. Only problem is you can't drink outside booze in the bar/lounge area. So I ate my little dinner on my bed, which was actually kind of fun. I then remembered that you could borrow movies from the front desk. It was a long day so I just wanted to chill tonight. You can tell by the movie selection that only guys work here. Kind of funny that they were all illegal burned movies as well. I picked Fight Club and headed back to my room. The DVD player in the TV wouldn't open. So I went to return the movie and the guy at the front asked me if I wanted to watch it in the common room downstairs. I didn't know there was one. So now I'm sitting downstairs watching the movie, enjoying my large Labatt Bleue, and relaxing.
Before I forget - they added lots of pink bulbs today taking up now three blocks. I looked it up and this is what I learned: "During the 2011 Aires Libres summer event, 170,000 pink resin balls will be fastened to wires strung out at different levels and through the trees forming a long pink canopy suspended over the St. Catherine street pedestrian zone. The three different size pink resin balls will produce a five-tone hue creating the effect of a long sequenced ribbon. Enjoy unique and festive moments as you stroll under a sky of pink resin balls while experiencing the succession of nine different suspension patterns that stretch over a 1.2km distance between Berri and Papineau streets. A color event that asserts itself in the heart of the Village. Les Boules roses is produced by landscape architect Claude Cormier." Fancy.
Taking a train to Québec City tomorrow afternoon and meeting up with my aunt Carol and cousin Megan. Excited to hang out with them and explore Québec!
Now back to Edward & Brad.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Montréal
Today was very pleasant. It was nice and sunny with a breeze. Much nicer weather than I was expecting.
I walked down rue Sainte-Catherine, one of the main shopping streets. I remember it from my college days. Lots of strip clubs and sex shops along with pretty much any retail store you can think of. I went into Roots and bought a few things for old times sake.
Strolled through the Quartier des Spectacles, through the Centre-Ville, and had lunch at Second Cup, a coffee shop chain. I tried to go to a quaint little bistro but their kitchen was already closed for the afternoon. I sat outside and read my book, My Sister's Keeper.
I then stumbled across where the Canadiens play (hockey team), by the Cathedral Marie-Reine du Monde which is very pretty, and sat in the Dorchester Square and read a few more chapters. The wind started picking up and I was a bit worried it was going to start to pour, so I got up and started strolling some more. Went through the Quartier International which has a very downtown business/conference center feel, and then through the tiny Quartier Chinois (Chinatown), and back to the Quartier Latin where I'm staying. Along Sainte-Catherine close to where I'm staying they were stringing up streamers with pink bulb-like things. I'll have to find out what that's for. I haven't walked to the St. Lawrence River yet, will definitely do that tomorrow. I wanted to get on one of those bus tours tomorrow because the walking today was probably more than I should have done. I need a new leg. But the bus tours only start in late May and run Thursday-Sunday. Walking it is.
Random story for the day - A businessman came into my personal space while I was taking a photo and started talking to me in French and I told him I didn't understand. He then changed to English and asked me if I wanted to be friends. Not sure how to respond I just smiled. He then said that we should hang out tonight. I politely declined. He asked what about tomorrow night, and came up with this big explanation that we were both alone and that we could keep each other company. He also told me that I could call him whenever I come to his country (Egypt). After a few polite attempts didn't work, I finally had to tell him that I'd rather be alone. At least I didn't say I'd rather eat dirt.
Something I find interesting is that in Ottawa and Montreal and I'm sure it'll be the same in Quebec, everything is translated in French & English. To the point where it is sometimes silly.
For example:
1) Some stop signs squish both "Stop" and "Arrêt" on there.
2) The sign outside Starbucks reads "Café Starbucks Coffee".
3) Some street signs say both "Rue" and "Street" around the name of the street.
I'm sure it's sometimes helpful, but in my humble opinion for things like that it's a bit strange.
I walked down rue Sainte-Catherine, one of the main shopping streets. I remember it from my college days. Lots of strip clubs and sex shops along with pretty much any retail store you can think of. I went into Roots and bought a few things for old times sake.
Strolled through the Quartier des Spectacles, through the Centre-Ville, and had lunch at Second Cup, a coffee shop chain. I tried to go to a quaint little bistro but their kitchen was already closed for the afternoon. I sat outside and read my book, My Sister's Keeper.
I then stumbled across where the Canadiens play (hockey team), by the Cathedral Marie-Reine du Monde which is very pretty, and sat in the Dorchester Square and read a few more chapters. The wind started picking up and I was a bit worried it was going to start to pour, so I got up and started strolling some more. Went through the Quartier International which has a very downtown business/conference center feel, and then through the tiny Quartier Chinois (Chinatown), and back to the Quartier Latin where I'm staying. Along Sainte-Catherine close to where I'm staying they were stringing up streamers with pink bulb-like things. I'll have to find out what that's for. I haven't walked to the St. Lawrence River yet, will definitely do that tomorrow. I wanted to get on one of those bus tours tomorrow because the walking today was probably more than I should have done. I need a new leg. But the bus tours only start in late May and run Thursday-Sunday. Walking it is.
Random story for the day - A businessman came into my personal space while I was taking a photo and started talking to me in French and I told him I didn't understand. He then changed to English and asked me if I wanted to be friends. Not sure how to respond I just smiled. He then said that we should hang out tonight. I politely declined. He asked what about tomorrow night, and came up with this big explanation that we were both alone and that we could keep each other company. He also told me that I could call him whenever I come to his country (Egypt). After a few polite attempts didn't work, I finally had to tell him that I'd rather be alone. At least I didn't say I'd rather eat dirt.
Something I find interesting is that in Ottawa and Montreal and I'm sure it'll be the same in Quebec, everything is translated in French & English. To the point where it is sometimes silly.
For example:
1) Some stop signs squish both "Stop" and "Arrêt" on there.
2) The sign outside Starbucks reads "Café Starbucks Coffee".
3) Some street signs say both "Rue" and "Street" around the name of the street.
I'm sure it's sometimes helpful, but in my humble opinion for things like that it's a bit strange.
Monday, May 23, 2011
Bonjour!
I understand pretty much no French so this week should be fun. Will try to pick up a bit.
After a great wedding weekend with wonderful St. Lawrence friends, I peeled myself out of bed at 7am and drove the 4+ hours to Ottawa. The route was through Canton so I stopped at the Blackbird Cafe and had a delicious panini. If only that was open when I was living there. The town was eerily quiet. I think I drove through during the graduation ceremony so everyone was probably on campus.
Once I dropped my rental car off I took a train to Montreal. There was another Enterprise customer waiting to pick up a car as I was dropping mine off. Turns out his car was stolen last night, from his driveway. I learned that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada. Glad nothing happened to my rental! Although come to think of it I never got out of the car while in Canada.
After a quick metro ride from the train station I walked to my hostel. It's nice. Saw two rowdy people getting thrown on the hood of the car and frisked by police outside the metro station. Never a dull moment.
My hostel is in the Latin Quarter and I ventured a few streets over to rue Saint-Denis which has lots of shops, bars, and restaurants. I wanted to stroll slowly home but it was raining and I was sans rain jacket so I booked it home and am going to call it an early night after the very eventful weekend. Only problem is my seven roommates are all bonding, drinking wine and eating snacks in the middle of the room on the floor. Waiting for them to venture out on the town. Hopefully soon.
After a great wedding weekend with wonderful St. Lawrence friends, I peeled myself out of bed at 7am and drove the 4+ hours to Ottawa. The route was through Canton so I stopped at the Blackbird Cafe and had a delicious panini. If only that was open when I was living there. The town was eerily quiet. I think I drove through during the graduation ceremony so everyone was probably on campus.
Once I dropped my rental car off I took a train to Montreal. There was another Enterprise customer waiting to pick up a car as I was dropping mine off. Turns out his car was stolen last night, from his driveway. I learned that a car is stolen every 3 minutes in Canada. Glad nothing happened to my rental! Although come to think of it I never got out of the car while in Canada.
After a quick metro ride from the train station I walked to my hostel. It's nice. Saw two rowdy people getting thrown on the hood of the car and frisked by police outside the metro station. Never a dull moment.
My hostel is in the Latin Quarter and I ventured a few streets over to rue Saint-Denis which has lots of shops, bars, and restaurants. I wanted to stroll slowly home but it was raining and I was sans rain jacket so I booked it home and am going to call it an early night after the very eventful weekend. Only problem is my seven roommates are all bonding, drinking wine and eating snacks in the middle of the room on the floor. Waiting for them to venture out on the town. Hopefully soon.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Ottawa
The weather was nice to me today. It sprinkled here and there but I never had to bust out my rain jacket.
I'm staying very close to the ByWard Market so I hopped into a bakery there for breakfast. Only once inside did I notice the signs outside that said that they sell Obama cookies. I then looked up to one of the counters that had a huge poster size photo of Obama in the bakery and two huge displays with several rows of these cookies. Am assuming he liked them and they since named the cookies after him.
Yep, I just looked it up and here's what the internet says "It took only a few words from U.S. President Barack Obama and the Moulin de Provence bakery in Ottawa's Byward Market is still selling cookies at the rate of 2,000 a day, somewhat more than the 200 or 250 cookies they used to sell each week." I just got a croissant and a coffee today, so I'll have to go back for a cookie tomorrow. Next to the poster sized photo of him was a TV that at first glance I thought was showing the daily news. But quickly I realized that it was a loop of the news coverage of Obama in the bakery on repeat. Pretty funny.
I then walked towards downtown and headed up some stairs to see what was at the top. It was the Major's Hill Park which is hosting part of the Tulip Festival. What a fun surprise. I love tulips and festivals. I walked around there a bit and then headed over to Parliament Hill, definitely my favorite part of Ottawa. So beautiful. After taking several photos I walked over to where the bus tours depart from. Since I'm only here one full day and I'm a bit gimpy, I decided a bus tour was the way to go. It wasn't one of those modern looking buses. Ottawa has rickety old trolleys and falling apart double-deckers. I liked it, part of the charm, but a little surprising for the capital. I hopped in the trolley and did the entire circuit, didn't hop on or hop off. Mainly because most of the sites would require a lot of walking, and well because none of them seemed too intriguing. Seeing them from the trolley was good enough. The tour guide was a retired history professor and quite darling. It was only his second day, and he did a great job. Another reason I didn't want to hop off was because there weren't that many vehicles running, and you had to wait an hour for the next one. But you can only hop on if there are seats, and we had several people trying to get on when they couldn't. They were not pleased.
The tour goes through Ottawa and Gatineau in Quebec. The Rideau Hall seemed like a cool place to visit. It's the main government house, but it was closed today because the prime minister was introducing his new cabinet. Speaking of which, we drove by PM Stephen Harper's residence today, pretty swanky. They also pointed out several embassies and ambassador houses. Quite a few museums were on route, like the aviation museum, the civilization museum, and a natural history museum, but none were calling my name.
I learned from the tour that Holland sends Ottawa 3 million tulips every May as a thank you and it creates the annual Tulip festival. The best-known and most colorful flower festival in the country. The tradition started in 1945 in appreciation of Canada's role in liberating Holland from the Nazis and protecting the royal family.
After the trolley completed it's full loop (90 minutes) I decided to do it again. Figured I'd sit on the other side of the trolley and take in new sites the second time around. Well about half way through round #2 our trolley started making terrible sounds. It broke down. Transmission blew. We were in the middle of nowhere so couldn't walk or hop on a city bus. So we waited over an hour for another bus to come get us. The tow truck got there before our ride did. We were right by the RCMP stables. The RCMP being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An officer was there within a matter of minutes directing traffic around us, pretty efficient. Sadly he wasn't mounted, was sporting a popo SUV. The whole thing was quite amusing, you could only laugh. Talked to a few folks and then read a few chapters of my book.
Once we got rescued by the double-decker bus we finished the loop. It was kind of nice to have a new tour guide because he had different commentary. Like when we passed the basilica he said that it's a three year waiting list to get married in there. The big joke is - pick your date and then find your mate.
Two of my favorite sites from the tour:
1) Part of the war memorial's exterior is a large fin-like structure that has tiny windows in the shapes of dashes and dots, a Morse code message that says "Lest we forget". Thought that was pretty cool.
2) I really liked The Man With Two Hats statue, also a gift from the Netherlands.
I then walked back to my hostel to freshen up for my dinner date. My dad reminded me that my parent's friend from high school in Buenos Aires, Deb Martin, lives in Ottawa. She came to pick me up and drove me around a bit before settling into a restaurant called the Canal Ritz which was pointed out on the tour. It's apparently one of Bill Clinton's favorite spots in Ottawa overlooking the Rideau canal. Had a delicious meal and fabulous conversation. Am so bummed that I didn't hang out with Deb when I was at St. Lawrence; great woman.
Four random things to note:
1) I forgot how pretty Canadian geese are.
2) The trolley driver kept saying "eh" and the tour guide kept saying "voilà" as he was guiding in English & French. Was fun.
3) As much as I don't love the cold, I think I'd like to come back sometime mid-winter to skate on the Rideau Canal, the largest ice-skating rink in the world. They drain the canal so the water is only two feet deep.
4) A big reason why I'm visiting Ottawa and Montreal this trip is because I had a different mentality when I came here in college - all I cared about were the bars and shops. So I felt the need to revisit the two cities as an adult with a curious tourist mindset. Glad to be here.
This hostel has a big orange cat that sleeps around the living room common area. I was sitting on a chair that wasn't the most comfortable, so when the cat got up from his couch seat, I swooped in. Well he came back and hopped right on my lap and has been laying here since I've been typing this blog entry. With how much I miss my kitties, I don't feel like I can move. I can also tell several other folks in the room are jealous.
Renting a car tomorrow to drive to Canton, NY since there is no way to get there via transit. Well I could have spent 14.5 hours on a Greyhound bus when it's about a 45 minute drive, but I decided that didn't sound fun. Am meeting up with my good friend Kati and her fiancé Keith. We're having dinner with our favorite SLU professor (Big Al), and then planning on hitting up the two (yes, two) bars in Canton. Should be interesting since it's graduation weekend. Then after wandering around campus and hitting up the bookstore on Friday we're driving to Brant Lake, NY for a fabulous wedding. Back to Canada on Sunday.
I'm staying very close to the ByWard Market so I hopped into a bakery there for breakfast. Only once inside did I notice the signs outside that said that they sell Obama cookies. I then looked up to one of the counters that had a huge poster size photo of Obama in the bakery and two huge displays with several rows of these cookies. Am assuming he liked them and they since named the cookies after him.
Yep, I just looked it up and here's what the internet says "It took only a few words from U.S. President Barack Obama and the Moulin de Provence bakery in Ottawa's Byward Market is still selling cookies at the rate of 2,000 a day, somewhat more than the 200 or 250 cookies they used to sell each week." I just got a croissant and a coffee today, so I'll have to go back for a cookie tomorrow. Next to the poster sized photo of him was a TV that at first glance I thought was showing the daily news. But quickly I realized that it was a loop of the news coverage of Obama in the bakery on repeat. Pretty funny.
I then walked towards downtown and headed up some stairs to see what was at the top. It was the Major's Hill Park which is hosting part of the Tulip Festival. What a fun surprise. I love tulips and festivals. I walked around there a bit and then headed over to Parliament Hill, definitely my favorite part of Ottawa. So beautiful. After taking several photos I walked over to where the bus tours depart from. Since I'm only here one full day and I'm a bit gimpy, I decided a bus tour was the way to go. It wasn't one of those modern looking buses. Ottawa has rickety old trolleys and falling apart double-deckers. I liked it, part of the charm, but a little surprising for the capital. I hopped in the trolley and did the entire circuit, didn't hop on or hop off. Mainly because most of the sites would require a lot of walking, and well because none of them seemed too intriguing. Seeing them from the trolley was good enough. The tour guide was a retired history professor and quite darling. It was only his second day, and he did a great job. Another reason I didn't want to hop off was because there weren't that many vehicles running, and you had to wait an hour for the next one. But you can only hop on if there are seats, and we had several people trying to get on when they couldn't. They were not pleased.
The tour goes through Ottawa and Gatineau in Quebec. The Rideau Hall seemed like a cool place to visit. It's the main government house, but it was closed today because the prime minister was introducing his new cabinet. Speaking of which, we drove by PM Stephen Harper's residence today, pretty swanky. They also pointed out several embassies and ambassador houses. Quite a few museums were on route, like the aviation museum, the civilization museum, and a natural history museum, but none were calling my name.
I learned from the tour that Holland sends Ottawa 3 million tulips every May as a thank you and it creates the annual Tulip festival. The best-known and most colorful flower festival in the country. The tradition started in 1945 in appreciation of Canada's role in liberating Holland from the Nazis and protecting the royal family.
After the trolley completed it's full loop (90 minutes) I decided to do it again. Figured I'd sit on the other side of the trolley and take in new sites the second time around. Well about half way through round #2 our trolley started making terrible sounds. It broke down. Transmission blew. We were in the middle of nowhere so couldn't walk or hop on a city bus. So we waited over an hour for another bus to come get us. The tow truck got there before our ride did. We were right by the RCMP stables. The RCMP being the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. An officer was there within a matter of minutes directing traffic around us, pretty efficient. Sadly he wasn't mounted, was sporting a popo SUV. The whole thing was quite amusing, you could only laugh. Talked to a few folks and then read a few chapters of my book.
Once we got rescued by the double-decker bus we finished the loop. It was kind of nice to have a new tour guide because he had different commentary. Like when we passed the basilica he said that it's a three year waiting list to get married in there. The big joke is - pick your date and then find your mate.
Two of my favorite sites from the tour:
1) Part of the war memorial's exterior is a large fin-like structure that has tiny windows in the shapes of dashes and dots, a Morse code message that says "Lest we forget". Thought that was pretty cool.
2) I really liked The Man With Two Hats statue, also a gift from the Netherlands.
I then walked back to my hostel to freshen up for my dinner date. My dad reminded me that my parent's friend from high school in Buenos Aires, Deb Martin, lives in Ottawa. She came to pick me up and drove me around a bit before settling into a restaurant called the Canal Ritz which was pointed out on the tour. It's apparently one of Bill Clinton's favorite spots in Ottawa overlooking the Rideau canal. Had a delicious meal and fabulous conversation. Am so bummed that I didn't hang out with Deb when I was at St. Lawrence; great woman.
Four random things to note:
1) I forgot how pretty Canadian geese are.
2) The trolley driver kept saying "eh" and the tour guide kept saying "voilà" as he was guiding in English & French. Was fun.
3) As much as I don't love the cold, I think I'd like to come back sometime mid-winter to skate on the Rideau Canal, the largest ice-skating rink in the world. They drain the canal so the water is only two feet deep.
4) A big reason why I'm visiting Ottawa and Montreal this trip is because I had a different mentality when I came here in college - all I cared about were the bars and shops. So I felt the need to revisit the two cities as an adult with a curious tourist mindset. Glad to be here.
This hostel has a big orange cat that sleeps around the living room common area. I was sitting on a chair that wasn't the most comfortable, so when the cat got up from his couch seat, I swooped in. Well he came back and hopped right on my lap and has been laying here since I've been typing this blog entry. With how much I miss my kitties, I don't feel like I can move. I can also tell several other folks in the room are jealous.
Renting a car tomorrow to drive to Canton, NY since there is no way to get there via transit. Well I could have spent 14.5 hours on a Greyhound bus when it's about a 45 minute drive, but I decided that didn't sound fun. Am meeting up with my good friend Kati and her fiancé Keith. We're having dinner with our favorite SLU professor (Big Al), and then planning on hitting up the two (yes, two) bars in Canton. Should be interesting since it's graduation weekend. Then after wandering around campus and hitting up the bookstore on Friday we're driving to Brant Lake, NY for a fabulous wedding. Back to Canada on Sunday.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Oh, Canada
SuperShuttle was 15 minutes early this morning, they got to my apartment at 2:45am. I really could have used those 15 minutes!
Flights to Ottawa were seamless, connected in Chicago and said hello to Oprah.
Good news is my sore throat never developed into a cold. Bad news is my left foot and leg are still very much in pain. I took a bus from the airport downtown and hobbled my way to the hostel which is a converted house. Each room is named after a continent and each bed a site or place in that continent. I'm staying in the 'Europe' room and I was assigned the 'Sagrada Familia' bed. Crazy coincidence. I told the woman that works here that I was just there, but I don't think she got it or even knows what the Sagrada Familia is.
Anyways, going to lay low tonight because of my foot (sad) and eat the fruit that I smuggled in for dinner.
This next trip adventure goes as follows: Ottawa, St. Lawrence/Canton, Brant Lake (wedding and reunion of St. Lawrence friends), Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Greenville (family visit), Nova Scotia. Very excited. While I think all my adventures are fascinating, I'll only blog when outside the U.S.
Flights to Ottawa were seamless, connected in Chicago and said hello to Oprah.
Good news is my sore throat never developed into a cold. Bad news is my left foot and leg are still very much in pain. I took a bus from the airport downtown and hobbled my way to the hostel which is a converted house. Each room is named after a continent and each bed a site or place in that continent. I'm staying in the 'Europe' room and I was assigned the 'Sagrada Familia' bed. Crazy coincidence. I told the woman that works here that I was just there, but I don't think she got it or even knows what the Sagrada Familia is.
Anyways, going to lay low tonight because of my foot (sad) and eat the fruit that I smuggled in for dinner.
This next trip adventure goes as follows: Ottawa, St. Lawrence/Canton, Brant Lake (wedding and reunion of St. Lawrence friends), Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Greenville (family visit), Nova Scotia. Very excited. While I think all my adventures are fascinating, I'll only blog when outside the U.S.
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