Ottawa Adventures Final Post

Saturday morning, Todd went for coffee at the Tim’s on the corner, but it wasn’t open; it doesn’t open until 9 on weekends! Had to settle for Starbucks !  After coffee we started our walk to Rideau Hall. On York, between Byward Market and Sussex, numerous police cars (RCMP and Ottawa police) and yellow tape caught our eye. Apparently someone reported a suspicious vehicle (padlocks on the doors and stripped inside with a bed). Being so close to the US embassy and the day before 9/11, no chances were being taken.

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The two guys (punks) whose vehicle it was,  were not allowing a search (drugs??). The bomb squad was called in. After a couple of hours, police determined the vehicle was not a threat.

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http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/news/latest-news/streets-re-opened-after-suspicious-vehicle-cleared-in-byward-market-1.3066628

We watched for a bit, then continued to Rideau Hall. It was their Savour Fall event.

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We toured a few of the rooms like the tent room and the ballroom.

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It was interesting seeing a table setting and menu example for heads of state and dignitaries who visit.

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We toured the greenhouse and herb garden.

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Numerous stands were set up on the grounds promoting freshly grown local foods with plenty of samples – apple fritters, goat cheese on sable bread, cucumbers, apples, watermelon, butternut squash soup, sausage, sorghum salad, and more….so good!

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After leaving Rideau, we walked back to the Byward Market area to locate Lowertown Brewery. We enjoyed some cold ones while cheering on the Jays (yay! – they won!)

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For dinner we went to a Greek restaurant fairly close to the hotel. Unfortunately, they didn’t have my favourite – Moussaka (apparently it was yesterday’s special). We both ordered a Souvlaki plate. They were very tasty…yummy potatoes.

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Sunday, we drove to the small town of Vankleek (population under 2000), just over an hour from Ottawa. Why Vankleek? Beau’s Brewery! I tried their Lug Tread just over a year ago…It is now my go-to beer; so good!

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I had emailed Beau’s back in the spring to ask about their brewery and what IPAs they had for Todd. Email response was quick and I was told to let them know when we were coming. I did. Upon entry when I said I had been in contact… “Oh, are you Cindy and Todd? Welcome!” We were started with some tastings at the bar.

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Following a few tastings, we did the brewery tour….so informative. Owner, Tim Beauchesne, once used the building for manufacturing leather clothing, but when the industry took a downturn, he decided to go in a different direction. He toyed with the idea of turning the building into a recycling facility or a paintball arena, but with his son they decided on a craft brewery.

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Their signature beer, Lug Tread, was released 10 years ago (2006) on Canada Day.

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The Italian bottling machine, originally built for bottling wine, can bottle 75-80 bottles per minute. Currently, Beau’s only produces 600 ml bottles of beer.

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We had lunch from their patio (ate inside because of the chilly weather). We each had a Vietnamese Burger (pork and beef patty with ginger-chili glaze, mayo, cilantro and pickled slaw) and a side of Barley Salad (barley, roasted beets, and carrots with feta and a lavender-honey beer vinaigrette). Getting hungry??? It was delicious! And very filling…

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We were then treated to a complimentary glass of beer after lunch. Before leaving, I turned in my Beau’s collected points. We were allowed above and beyond the allotted trade – Todd and I each got a shirt and Todd got a hat. Our visit to the brewery was excellent. All the staff treated us fantastic!

Dinner was a bit of a disappointment. We walked a distance for Thai food at a place that receives good reviews. We arrived at Talay Thai at 8:20PM, only to find the doors locked, even though the sign said they were open until 9, lights were on and staff were inside. Todd knocked on the door and we were told they closed early because they weren’t busy. Not happy, we just picked another Thai place on the way back. Food was only average.

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On our last full day, we decided to go walking (actually, we have done a lot of walking each day…). We walked over to the Ottawa Locks that connect the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River. There are eight locks located here.

We were lucky to get there just as 3 boats were waiting to transport through.

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The water level has been lowered for transit to the next lock.

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The 8 locks are still manually opened, just as they have been since they were built back for the first boat (a steamboat) through in 1831.

We continued our walk along the canal for quite a distance – a nice relaxing stroll away from traffic and crowds.

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For lunch we walked to Chinatown. The grand entrance leads to a number of small restaurants and shops.

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We ate at Saigon Boy Noodle House. We started with beef cold rolls to share, then Todd had the Beef Pho and I had BBQ Pork Pho. Flavours were great – the broth wasn’t salty like some Pho places and the soups were filled with lots of tasty ingredients.

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After a lot of walking today…the Fitbit says 24000 steps, we headed back to the hotel to rest our feet.

Our last night was spent cheering on our BlueJays to another win !

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Tomorrow morning the long drive back home and in 2 weeks we go back to Las Vegas to meet up with our friends Aline and Dave for more fun times !

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ottawa Adventures Post 1

Although, we both really like driving our new Leaf electric vehicle, we drove the truck to Ottawa…didn’t have the time to stop for charging along the way…. The drive was smooth, with a couple of stops (Todd made egg salad sandwiches for our lunch).

We are staying at the new ALT hotel in the heart of the city. It is built according to ECO friendly building standards. It is styled very modern and has a fun vibe.

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For dinner we walked to El Camino – featured on “You Gotta Eat Here”. The place was packed and we waited about 30 minutes to be seated. Located on the basement level, it was dark, loud, and bustling with activity. I read the restaurant is named after the car of the same name, but no pics of El Caminos were on the walls. The theme was more Mexican revolutionary.

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We shared a dish of chips and salsa – Delicious fresh flavours! Then Todd ordered an ox tongue taco and a fish taco. I opted for their el norte (chili) taco and pork taco. The order took a long, long time, so we were given complimentary crispy prawns wrapped in betel leaves…Todd enjoyed them. When the tacos finally came the fish and pork tacos were definite winners in the flavour category and worth the wait.

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After dinner, we headed back to the hotel to wind down for the night.

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Friday morning after coffee and Todd’s homemade breakfast cookies, we headed to Parliament Hill. We looked for Justin so he could have a selfie with us, but he was nowhere to be found. His loss…we took the selfie without him.

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We got our tickets to tour Parliament, then wandered about the grounds until it was time.

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Our Parliament is so impressive. The architecture, sculptures, and paintings are extensive.

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After security, we got a look at the House of Commons (through the glass doors).

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Just before we entered the Library, I got a call on my cell phone….TD Visa Security. Apparently, my credit card got compromised somewhere yesterday (Tim Hortons road stop???).  The Library is overwhelming with more than 17 linear kilometres of materials including books, periodicals, government documents, CDs, and videos.

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We did get to enter the Senate.

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For the finale, we went to the Peace Tower. The day was clear and the views were fantastic.

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Dinner was at the newly opened upscale Riviera restaurant. Same owners as El Camino, same car-themed restaurant name…no reference to the car at all though in the restaurant. The location on Sparks St. is in the old CIBC bank building…really high ceilings. We started with chicken liver pate, then Todd had the Black Cod and I had the Short Ribs (with way too many fries). The food was really good and definitely filling.

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After dinner we headed to Parliament Hill for the Northern Lights show. The story of Canada was told through narration and lights.

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The story was broken into 5 parts – Foundations of the Nation, Strength in Partnership, Discovery and Adventure, Valour, Pride and Vision.

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The Light Show ended with the playing of O Canada. What a feeling of pride!

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Final Blog for Our Western Adventure

Day 31

Well, this is it……..Our Western Adventure is (sadly) at the end.

Next door to the White River Inn (our sleeping accommodations last night), is a Robin’s Donuts, so Todd went there for coffee this morning. We packed up and were on the road by 8:15.

Many of the rocks from the Canadian Shield along the highway must have had graffiti on them because areas were covered in blotches of red or grey. Now, while I don’’t condone graffiti, I really thought the “paint-overs” were ugly – couldn’’t the company doing the work, at least try to colour coordinate with the rock (grey on red, or vice versa just looks sloppy….).

For the first time since we left home, we had rainfall (heavy at times) this morning on our drive between White River and Sault St. Marie. (We have had excellent weather this vacation….).

We stopped for lunch in The Soo at Swiss Chalet. After lunch Todd got gas and decided to take the filthy truck through the car wash. Now, the Tacoma has been through many car washes, and Todd has never yet taken the antenna off (needs a wrench to do so), but today’s car wash bent the antenna. When Todd went to try and straighten it, he barely touched it, and it snapped off…. Now the visit to the Toyota dealership will be: oil change, front window replacement, and new antenna.

Shortly after leaving The Soo, we spotted some cows in a field on the roadside – the first cows we’ve seen since leaving the Prairies. We also saw Mennonites on the roadside and riding in a horse-drawn buggy. We had no idea there are Mennonites this far north.

Tonight we are in Sudbury, staying at the Fairfield. Dinner is going to be at a restaurant called Mr. Prime Rib (Fairfield offers numerous dinner discount coupons and the prime rib restaurant is one of them).

Tomorrow – HOME. Time to lose all the weight we have gained this trip! (So glad I brought my workout clothing with me…….made for great leisure wear….).

Stay tuned for our next Adventure