all good reasons to visit ottawa

ottawa is a lovely city. i've thought that my first adult visit to our nations capital four years ago and i've thought that every time since then.

jeremy said it felt like toronto on a quiet weekend and that's sort of it, but it's also just such a NICE place. it has nice people and nice buildings and you can walk around the whole city easily and leisurely and sometimes when you want to cross the street you have to wait for a parade of armed guards in bearskin hats to cross first.

here's some other reasons it's good to visit ottawa.


1. this funny airport photo opportunity.

2. the gophers.

this little fellow came so close to me he almost nibbled my toes but i moved too fast and he darted into the well trimmed parliament hill hedge and i spent the next twenty minutes thinking i knew how to call a gopher out to play.

3. the big lawns.

everything is so sprawled out in ottawa like it cares for it's open spaces in the same way other cities care for their building strategy of up up up. you can breathe and the air smells like air. and gophers.

4. the view of the river and quebec.

like there it is! right there! everyone from ottawa walks over the bridge to quebec when they are 18 because it's legal to drink there. to send you back home, quebec just throws you in the river.

5. the women's rights statues on parliament hill.

i visit these crazy ladies every time i come which totals 4 times after this trip and every time we get together no matter how long we've been apart it feels like we haven't missed a beat.

she always gets me with that joke.

6. breakfast at metropolitan.

this was honestly the best breakfast i've ever had. i'm always torn between savory or sweet breakfasts and this had both in perfect amounts. ham and gruyere stuffed french toast with wild berry compote and warm maple syrup mmmmmmmm i wonder if they deliver to toronto?

7. big foot.

8. catherina.

i met catherina my first trip to ottawa so for me the two are interchangeable, i can't imagine one without thinking of the other! here we are at our anishinabe wedding ceremony at the civilization museum in gatineau quebec.

9. the egyptian costumes.

(and jeremy wearing them).

10. the children's museum.

the museum of civilization is pretty interesting and very hands-on and has a neat exhibit on mythical creatures but by far the best part of the whole place is the kids museum it's SO FUN. this area is a simulation of a theatre backstage and it has all these costumes and mirrors and there's a stage you could come out on and if i had have been 8 i would be there still.

it's just so great! they have areas for different countries around the world and you can dress up like people from those countries and pretend you're driving this bus and the fun never ends with make believe.

also, i am the happiest bus driver in the world.

this camel just wouldn't move at ALL. plastic animals are the laziest.

i love this picture because it is blurry and captures the blurry essence of me in the kids museum. i seriously could not contain my joy. this was a giant pretend kitchen with a french chefs hat and pretend pastries and a pretend oven and a little window looking out onto a pretend market.

can i get you a pretend croissant? that will be five pretend dollars.

11. the karaoke.

this was a part of the postage museum (also in the civilization museum). all the songs were postal themed and we sang 'signed sealed delivered' though now i wish we sang 'mr postman'. guess we have to go back!

12. the lucky ron show.

this is my second time to this saturday event at the lafeyette which is a bar with a funny name in downtown ottawa and it was just as fun as the first time. this time i knew some of the actions and chants and i got a bit better at holding my quart size bottle of beer without looking like a total out-of-towner. i think. according to me.

ron sings covers of johnny cash and hank williams and my favourite part was when jeremy was singing along to 'boy named sue'. also this weird part where people try to throw cigarettes into the hole of ron's guitar.

13. this mexican food restaurant.

the nachos were deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeelicious. even jeremy who 'only wanted a few' participated in the silent but serious war over the last sour cream and salsa drenched chips.

and the last good reason to visit ottawa - you can avoid making this face!

the end of a trip is always happy married with a little bit of sad because the adventure is over until next time! but you look at your pictures and you email catherina to say it was so nice to see her and you get to take jeremy home as a souvenir which is way better than any of those ottawa t-shirts or bears dressed up like parliament guards.

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