Ottawa, Canada

We just spent eleven amazing days in Canada. It was pretty much awesome from beginning to end. We left on a Friday morning and arrived in Ottawa, Ontario around 4. Mom and Dad were there to pick us up in a minivan and drive us out to the cottage, which is actually in Quebec, about an hour away. It was a great drive. the kids slept in the car and mom and dad had brought wine with them so we could toast on the drive there. I love that tradition and Michael and I agreed that we will try to adopt it.
The cottage is in the middle of forest and on a pristine spring fed lake. There is no cell phone service and no internet. The house is up on a hill and surrounded by trees so it feels like you are in a tree house. A gorgeous deck leads to a boardwalk path that meanders down to the lake level where they have a dock, paddle boat and motor boat. The weather was cool, often between 60 and 75 degrees. It was raining quite a bit there and the local people often complained about the cool wet weather, but we loved every moment of it after the oppressive heat and drought in Texas.
We slept in a tiny bedroom filled with the softest white bed and left the windows open at night to feel the cool winds and listen to the rain on the tin roof.
The kids adored the cottage and being with their grandparents. Davis most loved to have quality alone time with Mimi and PaPa, paddleboating with his Mimi and being read to by his PaPa. Sam most loved to fish, which he did every time we let him. He woke up in the morning asking for it and would stop us in the middle of another adventure asking us why we were not fishing right then. We haven't given him a hook yet, but he is really good at casting and has amazing patience for it. Michael and Dad did quite a bit of fishing too, both on the dock and out on the boat, but they never were able to bring any fish home.
I went on paddle boat rides with my mom and long exploratory boat rides with the family. We hiked up a mountain with an amazing view. I did yoga on the boat dock, played games, drank lots and lots of wine. My mom and I shopped in the Byward Market in Ottawa and then had a great time cooking gourmet meals together. I ate and ate and ate. We invited some friends over and made dinner and sat our on the deck and talked. We sat up in the evenings and talked philosophy. We went out in the rain on a walk and picked the most delicious wild raspberries and blueberries. I'd never had wild blueberries before and they are amazing. Sweet, but still a bit tart. Indescribable really. We also had campfires and roasted smores. I read and read and read in my down time and finished three and a half novels.
The beavers kept building a dam over the road and that was a main topic of conversation on the trip. We cursed the beavers which is a very Canadian thing to do so we felt like locals. Then we got out our cameras and took lots of pictures of the beavers which is a very touristy thing to do so I think we negated the whole local vibe.
We spent one rainy afternoon in Wakefield which is a picturesque town near the cottage. We ate lunch and walked up and down the street. (there is one main one) We were most excited to be in Wakefield to see the real, working steam train that visits there around lunch time. The kids were amazed and could not understand why we didn't just get on and go for a ride. Maybe we'll do that next time.
We went into Ottawa several times. While we were there we met up with Darcy and Mel. Darcy showed us around downtown Ottawa and then the men had beers in the oldest bar in Ottawa while we shopped in the market. We explored the parks with the kids as a family and ended up in Ottawa's version of Chinatown at an amazing restaurant. So yummy. We also ate in my favorite Ottawa bistro, The Black Tomato where I feasted on the most amazing crab cakes. We ate a lot of good food in Ottawa. Another night we ate a great pub called the Black Thorn and on our last night we ate absolutely amazing food at Vittoria Trattoria where I had a pizza with Gorgonzola cream sauce, pine nuts, figs and prosciutto. Mmmmmm.
We also visited the Children's museum while in Ottawa. It's fantastic. The kids absolutely loved it. The busker festival was going on the last weekend we were there and we spent the whole weekend in Ottawa enjoying it. We stayed at the Minto Suites and walked everywhere.
Our second to last day, we rented bikes and went for a seven mile bike ride along the Gatineau Canal. It was one of my favorite things we did there. The lake and canal is gorgeous, the weather was perfect, the flowers were in bloom. We watched a boat navigate the locks and I enjoyed watching Michael and Davis share a bicycle built for two. Mom and Dad also enjoyed it, though Mom had to stay ahead of Dad since he managed to bike and smoke a cigar at the same time!
On what was supposed to be our last day, we arrived at the airport and found out that our flight was cancelled due to weather and we wouldn't be able to leave until the next day. This turned out to be a blessing. We found a beautiful room in a great hotel- the Hilton Garden Inn. They had a heated pool and decent room service. It over looked the airport so the kids entertained themselves by watching planes land. And we were transferred to Air Canada which is a great airline with individual tv screens in each seat which amused our children all the way home.
Our vacation was probably one of the best we have ever been on. Mom and Dad's hospitality exceeds any expectations and we just adore being with them. The kids were easier this year than they were last year and we are hoping that is a trend. They were difficult at times, but in general we loved being with them and sharing the beautiful weather, stunning views, and special family time with them.
I'm sure I'll think of a ton of things I forgot to mention, but this post has been really long already so I'll wrap up now. Enjoy the pictures. XXOO, Amber