Trip to Ottawa

We decided to have a mini-vacation in November. Mexico would have been warm and probably sunny, but it was expensive, and the hurricanes were still a possibility. So we looked elsewhere, and Ottawa was a place I had wanted to go back to. So here we are.

...And we could take the train from Burlington!

So we booked, and splurged and got business class on the way up. What a pleasure after flying: large seat with lots of leg room, meals that taste good with real silverware. And wine if we wanted (we did). How civilized.

And our package included entrances to several museums. Museum of Civilization, the National Art Gallery, the Museum of Nature, and the War Museum. How could we go wrong?

After arriving, went over to the bus area. A kindly strange asked if we needed help and told us which bus would get us downtown. When we got on it, we found out that Friday evenings are free for Seniors. We like Ottawa. Got to the hotel, checked in, and went out for supper, at a fairly local restaurant called the Fresco Bistro Italiano. Dinner was good, and the place was noisy, so it was nice to leave and get back to the hotel afterwards. Lots of sleep for the next day's adventures.

The next morning, Darlene was up earlier than I, as usual. I finally roused, and we got going, in the mid-morning. We walked down to the Byward Market, looked around, and then went into a little coffee shop for some breakfast. Good coffee, bad breakfast. But in the market building, I got some bagels, and then we took off to the Museum of Civilization in Gatineau. This turned out to be a wonderful surprise. After looking through the First Peoples exhibit, we went to the Canada Pavilion, and it was wonderful, full of good planning and amazing details. And after that, we watched a 3D film on saving orphaned baby elephants and orangutans. Also amazing.

Supper, always important, was at the Vittoria Trattoria, also quite pleasant. An early supper and an early back to room experience.

Sunday was the Art Gallery, and after a lazy morning we wound our way down there for a second museum day. Looking at art can be particularly tiring, and we found that the hours was about enough for us. I had to have a little nap before supper, and we went for our third Italian-themed dinner, at Johnny Farina's. A generally bad meal, and then to bed.

Today was Monday, and the only museum open was the War Museum, so that was where we went. We went with some trepidation, since we are both pretty confirmed pacifists.

But let me back up. Before that happened, I was the surprised recipient of a plan concocted by Darlene to meet one of my wishes. I have for a long time been a fan of "Tempo" on CBC Radio. And she had arranged that we meet up with Julie Nesrallah, the host, and watch a part of her daily show. It was terrific, and she was terrific. Not just a good voice and a pretty face, but a nice person as well. We were both impressed and enthralled, and spent more time than we had planned. What a great surprise!

Then on to the Museum.


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Location:Ottawa Road 36,Ottawa,Canada