Ottawa....
We breathed out on arrival here - we are 'back east' now, and the rest of our travels will not require such great distances nor the haste we have felt getting here. Drizzle and grey skies greeted us as we drove into the municipal campsite about 7:30 p.m on Wednesday the 7th, our 6th day of travel. The morning, however, dawned bright and sunny and we spent several hours tidying and sweeping and reorganizng ourselves before setting off for the city.
During that tidying, I discovered a loss. We had already left a towel on the railing at the park where we swam but this new loss was much more painful.
I left my precious fair isle cardigan on the train from Chenai in India and now I had left another precious cardigan at the restaurant where we stopped for breakfast after North Bay. We tried to remember the name of the place and googled any number of configurations of a vague recollection of a name - but no luck. Anyway, it had a good long life with me - I knitted it while we drove around the south island in New Zealand many years ago now. The only good thing about it is that now I can justify buying more wool and making another one.
Anway, we set off for the city but just outside the town centre, we couldn't resist the magnet sent out by Lee Valley and detoured into the store.
We then spent the afternoon and evening at the Museum of Civilization. Great building and well designed exhibits. We were especially interested in the story of the Arctic expedition in 1913 and also the choice of people to celebrate as participants in Canada's history.
Dark and late by the time we left and got to the camper so we ended up parking and sleeping in a parking lot, realizing we might get woken and moved on, but we weren't and didn't so it was fine..
Friday, we visited a former college friend of mine, Alice Hughes. We were in residence together at MacDonald College in 1958. She and her husband John opened Argosy Books in downtown Ottawa 28 years ago and are still going strong - a wonderful independent bookstore chock -full of rare and fasciniting collectors books.
Spent part of the afternoon on a tour of the Parliament Buildings - corridors lined with portraits dating back to confederation, nearly all men, maybe three women... Impressive buildings, and an especially beautiful library - reminded me of La Scala with its tiered floors and ornately decorated balconies with the crests of the provinces emblazoned in a central panel on each.
Wandered about - admired the city's many parks, waterways, and quite dramatic juxtaposition of 18th and 21st century architecture, and enjoyed the mixed sounds of French and English.
We breathed out on arrival here - we are 'back east' now, and the rest of our travels will not require such great distances nor the haste we have felt getting here. Drizzle and grey skies greeted us as we drove into the municipal campsite about 7:30 p.m on Wednesday the 7th, our 6th day of travel. The morning, however, dawned bright and sunny and we spent several hours tidying and sweeping and reorganizng ourselves before setting off for the city.
During that tidying, I discovered a loss. We had already left a towel on the railing at the park where we swam but this new loss was much more painful.
I left my precious fair isle cardigan on the train from Chenai in India and now I had left another precious cardigan at the restaurant where we stopped for breakfast after North Bay. We tried to remember the name of the place and googled any number of configurations of a vague recollection of a name - but no luck. Anyway, it had a good long life with me - I knitted it while we drove around the south island in New Zealand many years ago now. The only good thing about it is that now I can justify buying more wool and making another one.
Anway, we set off for the city but just outside the town centre, we couldn't resist the magnet sent out by Lee Valley and detoured into the store.
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| Tea at the Museum of Civilization |
We then spent the afternoon and evening at the Museum of Civilization. Great building and well designed exhibits. We were especially interested in the story of the Arctic expedition in 1913 and also the choice of people to celebrate as participants in Canada's history.
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| Camping in a parking lot - Ottawa |
Dark and late by the time we left and got to the camper so we ended up parking and sleeping in a parking lot, realizing we might get woken and moved on, but we weren't and didn't so it was fine..
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| Alice & Wendy in Argosy books |
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| Parliament buildings |
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| The tour |
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| In the clock tower |
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| Library roof from the clock tower |
Wandered about - admired the city's many parks, waterways, and quite dramatic juxtaposition of 18th and 21st century architecture, and enjoyed the mixed sounds of French and English.
Our gps took us out of town to a campsite for the evening, so we are legal tonight and have electrical hook-up, water, and showers in the morning!
Hi Wendy
ReplyDeleteenjoyed the pics...Joe lived in Ottawa and comments "been there" at each picture. The trees should be in full Fall color by now. Diana