June 17 and June 18, 2008 Ottawa
Hello friends,
Despite the pouring rain of the past 2 days we have been having great experiences. The RV lifestyle affords us the opportunity to meet the BEST people. We are in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, which is NOT part of our Maritime plans so everything we heard and saw here was a bonus.
We met a couple on our Yucatan trip, Fern and Annette, who live just outside of Ottawa.(very near our Recreationland Campground) They were born in Quebec, speak fluent French and were our tour guides on Tuesday. Ottawa is the Capitol of Canada and 50% of workers here are employed in a governmental position. We toured Parliament Hill, which is the epicenter of Canada?s political scene. ( a phrase taken right from the tour guide) The gothic architecture is impressive as are many of the buildings in Ottawa. We saw the American Embassy , heavily fortified a massive yet plain building. We saw the Rideau Canal that is an 8 mile long ice skating venue in winter. We saw streets dedicated to shopping( Sparks Street Mall) , farmers market, fresh flowers, restaurants and night life. We saw the most impressive of museums. It is said there are more museums here than anywhere else in Canada. We determined that we would have to stay for over a year to see them all. Our time was short so we did not take in any of the museums but I must tell you I have marked Ottawa as a place to return. This is a beautiful ?big City? but with easy access. (Marcia you and Lindsey would love it her for your mother daughter weeks) The icing on the cake with our visit with Fern and Annette was a trip to their home on the water near Ottawa River. Fern built the home did all of the impressive woodwork and Annette has become a master gardener upon her retirement. The rain denied our trip up the river on their pontoon boat but we had such a good time. Fern introduced Terry to a fast food treat, French fires smothered in cheese curd topped with gravy. I called it ?something? but our friend today said I liked prostitutes so I am no longer confident in my French pronunciations.
On day 2 in Ottawa, June 18, 2008 we had the pleasure of visiting with Steve and Ginette Pally , who lived in Montreal for years and have now been living in a luxury high rise condo in Ottawa for 4 years with winter visits to their winter home in Titusville, Florida. Following a delightful lunch at Robbie?s, their favorite Italian Restaurant, Ginette graciously drove us through the major highlights of Ottawa. It was a treat for Terry to not be the driver. Their car is a Mercedes crossover, SUV and very luxurious. Russ is now demanding better auto accommodations for his rides with us ! Ginette navigated traffic, one way streets, road closures and of course pouring rain. We again saw Parliament Hill , stopped to see the locks on Rideau Canal, noted Fairmont Chateau Laurier, drove by the National Gallery of Canada with it?s big spider sculpture out front.
I could go on and on but all I can say now is VISIT OTTAWA. It is on my list of places to return!
We stayed an additional night here at Recreation land . This park is quite suitable for big rigs and one of the few within access of the city.
Betty