My First Canada Day in Ottawa: the Immersive Experience

Nancy and the girls have risen early, eager to stake their place on the lawn on Parliament Hill. Coleman Hell will be performing. I am more inclined toward Metric.

Nancy has been left an absurd note from housekeeping warning her of the dangers of storing insulin in the minibar. These include errant in and out charges due to automatic sensors which take the inventory. They are already in the lobby making alternate arrangements with the concierge as I affix my I [heart] Canada pin.

I press the button for the lift in gray shorts and a white quick dry shirt with red trim. I believe what I have on is the appropriate extent of patriotic Canadian display. The doors open. The couple already on board is covered head-to-toe in Canada paraphernalia: shirts, shorts, hats, pins. Rocket Richard, Stompin' Tom, and a maple tree have vomited on them. She is festooned with 2 flags protruding from either side of some kind of hat/hairpiece. He has maple leaf socks. Then, a tall figure, gray hair, but somewhat bald, tastefully dressed in khaki pants and a navy blazer asks for the lobby floor. Glancing at the couple and then at me, Peter Mansbridge, all business, asks, "Going to the Hill?" Glancing at the couple and back at our national newsman, I say, "Where else?"

Such is the start to my most Canadian of Canada Days.

Happy Birthday, Canada!

I can't do it justice. Canada Day in Ottawa beats the band.  Everything is red and white and organized and festive and fun and happy, without being over-the-top. Museums are free. Food trucks all over. Roads closed to traffic so pedestrians can roam easily. There were heaps of volunteers and police to help out. Highlights:

Waiting in the shade to get on The Hill, as people call it. 

Even though it was really hot when the sun was out, there was a breeze, and The Hill wasn't overcrowded. Good planning by local government. Lots of portapotties and water stations, too. 

BAGPIPES!  I love how they always play Scotland the Brave. The fabulous Honour Guard also marched beautifully. 

Trudeau!!!  And his wife, Sophie, and their two eldest kids.  We were so close!

The SNOWBIRDS!!!  Possibly my favourite part of the whole day.  Look above the crane in the center of this photo. 

Waiting to leave the main area. This was after 1:00 pm. It was really hot and crowds were growing. There was a variety of Canadian artists playing on the main stage. We were really wilting, so we headed out for lunch. 

This was part 1. 

Forgot these photos from last night

Here's the Cdn Tire Centre, located in Kanata, Ontario. 

It doesn't capture the spectacular set. 

Happy Birthday, Scott!

My handsome husband turned 48 today. We feted him with gifts suited for travel --socks and gonch. After a slow morning (due to wretched jet lag), we made our way to Benny's Bistro on Murray St., our friend Geoffrey's recommendation. 

Girl drinks for bday breakfast. 

All our meals were perfect.  SO SO SO GOOD. 

The rest of the day was great, but I'm too tired to give many details, so here are pictures of highlights with less commentary:

US Embassy flying the pride banner. 

Llamas at Byward Market.  Byward is a fabulous outdoor shopping area, sort of a cross between Granville Island and Portobello Road in London. 

Girls getting henna tattoos at Byward Market. 

The glorious National Gallery of Canada, one of my favourite places on the world, partly because of Maman. 

You can stand under a glass-bottomed pond, and this is how the light dapples. 

This garden is actually inside. 

It's just so grand and elegant!

And it contains such unique pieces. 

Back outside to increasing heat. Ugh. But lovely vistas. 

Scott's bday evening consisted of a yummy dinner in our hotel and then Toruk by Cirque du Soleil.  UNBELIEVABLE dancing, acrobatics, gymnastics, lighting, sets, and artistry. Don't ask me for the plot; I was just transfixed on the visuals. It was in the Canadian Tire Centre, home of the Ottawa Senators. 

And now we're wiped. 

Obama's timing is perfect

What are we watching?

We noticed a LOT of police on the drive from the Ottawa airport to downtown.  Turns out OBAMA is here too.  How did we miss this detail in our planning?!  The road to our hotel was blocked to car traffic, so we abandoned our cab and walked up to the Parliament Buildings, Barack's voice getting louder and louder as we approached. Holy cow, he and Trudeau were inside, building and celebrating camaraderie between our two nations, with parliament as audience. It was broadcast on a huge screen with speakers all around. 

We couldn't ask for a better start to this trip. 

YAHOO! Summer 2016!

Like last summer wasn't awesome enough. Now we're in Ottawa for the next few days, followed by Canada's glorious Maritimes for an epic Canadian field trip. Already it is VERY hard to turn the teacher in me off -- "Notice the landscape. How is it the same as and different from the west coast?"  "Are the speed limits the same as at home?"  "What provinces have we flown over?"  The family is patient with me. 

Longing for Wolverhampton*

Home two weeks and still wish we were there. The hardest adjustment upon our return hasn't been the jet lag; it's the resumption of adequate fruit and veggie intake. 

It's time to wrap up this wonderful trip and our beloved blog with a list. Therefore, 

Top Ten Things About the U.K.:

1. Beautiful glossy paint on doors, often in black, or fun colours. 

Added bonus: crisp, polished brass on doors and signage. 

2. Scottish strawberries.  Tiny and sweet. Who knew the climate could grow them?  Grocery stores Tesco and Sainsbury's sell them with the grower's name and location on the package. 

3. Gorgeous expanses of land. 

4. Copious sheep and cows. Shock of shocks: no photos!!!

5. Cream for tea and coffee. The lightest we found had 15% milk fat. Helped give us energy to walk, I swear; we feel so slow without it. 

6. Fun, different architecture. Being a history buff, I love how very old most structures in Britain are. There's so much character. It made me see Vancouver as a giant strip mall. 

Added bonus: mews:

7. Traffic lights: when they're red, they turn yellow before they turn green. It's very helpful. 

8. The tea, because it just tastes better (even if you just put good old milk in it).  

9. 220 volt power. POWER!  Kettles boil in mere seconds, I swear. And the water is hot. 

10. British tans. We blended in with the indigenous folk during the summer months. 

Pasty rules!

Stay tuned for concluding thoughts. 

*Longing for Wolverhampton is the title of Adrian Mole's novel in progress.