On the evening before the Winterlude fireworks, Dad and Khadija took us to eat at Chez Fatima in Gatineau, Quebec, across the river from Ottawa. After the feast, they drove home, and we walked the few blocks to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. There on sloping, snow-covered lawns leading to the edge of the Ottawa […]
Tag Archives: canada
The Two-Hour Ice Sculpture Competition
Sun, 12 Feb 2012, 05:21 PM (-06:00)
The contestants in Ottawa’s Winterlude two-hour ice sculpture competition were arrayed around what in warmer times must be a bubbling-spraying fountain. There was ice on the sidewalks, snow on the lawn and white flakes falling from the sky. When we arrived, the artists the carving had begun. Hints of shape were beginning to emerge. There […]
Coffee Time
Sat, 11 Feb 2012, 08:58 PM (-06:00)
When you cross the border, you go from the Land of Starbucks to the Land of Tim Horton’s. This isn’t a terribly original thought, nor is it entirely accurate, still there’s something here. There’s something reassuring about a Tim Horton’s coffee shop, some kind of gemütlichkeit that you just don’t find in a Starbucks. Although […]
Morning Luxuries
Sat, 11 Feb 2012, 04:44 PM (-06:00)
We shift now to our recent trip to Ottawa, a trip from which we recently returned. What follow are several stories of that vacation… I suppose we should have been disappointed that we slept in. The two-hour Winterlude One-Block Challenge had started at 8:00am, and we would arrive an hour later. But no, we were […]
Waiting for a Train
Thu, 12 Aug 2010, 06:39 PM (-06:00)
Soon after we sat down to wait for the next subway train, a woman and her young son walked up and sat near us. I didn’t notice them at first, but then the boy erupted in an exclamation of unconstrained glee. “I’ve never ridden a train before!” A few seconds later, he repeated himself, this […]
Got a Map?
Thu, 12 Aug 2010, 03:10 PM (-06:00)
We had just ordered breakfast at the Euro-bistro on the corner near the hotel, and we were trying to figure out how to get down to Vieux Montréal. A family sitting next to us suggested that we take a look at their map of the bus and metro system. It was the #129 bus that we wanted, […]
They Can Just Tell
Wed, 11 Aug 2010, 09:19 PM (-06:00)
It was kind of like when I see a little kid from India or Pakistan. We pass each other, and they look up at me. I mean, they stare at me hard with a look of recognition in their eyes, turning to look back at me when we pass. Even Trudy can see it: they […]
Dinner and Fire in Montreal
Sun, 8 Aug 2010, 09:51 PM (-06:00)
We checked into our hotel rooms in Montreal and promptly took a nap. But just what were we going to do for the rest of the day? A bit of googling provided an answer which I proposed to Trudy and Khadija and Dad: dinner followed by fire. 1. Dinner When in Montreal it seemed right to […]
Maple Leaf Wrapped Around the Flagpole
Sun, 8 Aug 2010, 04:25 AM (-06:00)
Blue sky. Warm breezes. Sunny days. Just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Canadian flag.
Boats on the Rideau Locks
Sun, 8 Aug 2010, 04:13 AM (-06:00)
There are locks at the end of the Rideau Canal: a series of eight gates the step the water down from the level of Parliament Hill to the Ottawa River. And if you’ve got a boat, they’ll crank open the gates for you, and you can go down in the morning and climb back up […]