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| The View From Our Bus Tour |
Driving East is way less intense than West. We started enjoying our vacation on day one. The kids were amazed that in 5 hours we were at our first destination – Ottawa, with virtually no mishaps. No real mishaps anyway.
We weren't 5 minutes from our house and I happened to glance back behind my seat where Abby was getting comfortable in her spot on the couch. I saw a glimmer of yellow. 'Abby!' I hollered, 'Get OFF that pillow!' When packing up my classroom the day before I took home the pillow that had been in our calming tent for the ENTIRE year. The yellow pillow. Ugh! Every month or so, I told myself that I should take it home and wash/disinfect it, but always managed to forget. Every sick, tired, sad, sniffling, gastro-compromised kid for an entire year, sought refuge on the yellow pillow. Keith, who had been unpacking the van and repacking the RV thought I got a comfy pillow to put on our couch. Seriously that pillow needs to be in a hazmat bag. What to do with this huge, germ infested pillow? We ended up putting it under the bed in the back where we have a storage area. I'm not sure how well I'll sleep knowing that thing is underneath me. Maybe we'll use it to start a campfire. Other highlights from our short drive – Keith + Farmers Market = no Fun, I’m still thinking about the painted rock he talked me out of buying. And a moving bush at the side of the road is probably just a lady in green dress helping a turtle cross the street (time to update the glasses prescription).
Due to the lack of camping close to Ottawa’s city center, we had booked a hotel with a parking lot able to handle Maje. We took no time starting out on our bikes to explore the city. It seemed a little quiet and we were excited that the crowds would not be an issue (nice try). As the navigator, I really did not know where I was going, so asked the front desk person to help us out. I motioned to her,
-I’m going out this door and heading this way to get to the Parliament Buildings (motioning with my arms).
-Yes – says front desk lady.
Off we went. Within minutes on the bikes, we were lost. Typical. The map that I thought I put in the knapsack was not there and we were a sweating, angry mess. Funny how our good moods vanished into thin air! Oh, and the crowds we thought were non-existent, were hiding in the Byward Market, where we had ended up. A few grumpy moments later and we had a new map and were making our way to the canal for real. People will think it’s funny that we missed the canal completely but we weren’t surprised! Once we got our bearings, we enjoyed biking the canal immensely. It wasn’t crowded at all. Ottawa is a gorgeous city and the weather was amazing. All our grumpiness started to melt away. Looking back, I’m not sure why I took directions from that front desk because when I asked about making tour reservations for the mint, she asked me what a mint was... She only clued in when I said money factory! Too funny.
The first day in Ottawa was rounded out by dinner at OCCO at the bottom of our hotel at Albert and Bay – (highly recommend) and a walk down to the Parliament Buildings, the War Memorial and the locks.
Day two in Ottawa: Full on tourist mode. We were at the War Museum pretty much when it opened and it was a ghost town. I asked where the people were, but we didn’t mind. We had the place to ourselves, including a volunteer take us around LeBreton Galerie. He had a wealth of knowledge that could fill 4 years of high school history. I love learning this way and this man had such a passion for the subject, I could’ve listened to him all day. However, we had things to see and do! Every time I’m in a city I don’t know, I love to take a hop on hop off bus tour. I’ve even done one in Toronto – the amount info you find out is unbelievable. Luckily Ottawa has open air double decker bus tours and the kids were excited as well. So, from the War Museum, we hopped on and headed to the National Gallery and the Royal Canadian Mint. The mint guided tour (aka the Money Factory) was recommended to us and we all found it really interesting so I’m recommending you put it on your must do list when you visit Ottawa. Unfortunately, much to Abby’s disappointment, they don’t give free samples. We walked back through Major Hills Park to the hotel and another dinner at OCCO.
Day Three – July 1st - Ottawa: Still in tourist mode. Abby and I had decided to spend the day in Major Hill's Park which is where the fireworks would take place. The boys couldn’t believe that we could spend a whole day in a park, but we did it. The boys came and went throughout the day. I had my book, Abby had her iPad, we had water, lots of food vendors and we were ready to lie under a tree and people watch. We saw a bunch of musicians, Tyler Shaw included. We both enjoyed it and the weather was great again. We started a small obsession with Gabriel Pizza which was a vendor in the park. Great pizza. 10 hours later... the fireworks started they were well worth the day long wait! Love that we spent our first stop and Canada Day in this wonderful city!
Parker aka Loverboy update: He’s doing great and seems to be into this Epic East Coast Adventure. He is constantly on the lookout for good insta pics and we are happy to oblige. The hotel had Wi-Fi, gb are all in check. I only got one stink eye when I asked the boys to join us in a photo booth. Things are good.
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| Seriously, Mom? |
I’ve decided my fuel for this summer is Georgian Bay Smashed Tea. Oh, my goodness. You think you’re drinking iced tea, but you’re totally not. Such a nice way to unwind after a day of touristing. Georgian Bay Gin, I’m looking for a sponsor for my travel blog. I can share my love of Georgian Bay everywhere I go – call me.
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| Nectar of the Gods |
