Days 16-18 Oshawa to Ottawa

Monday July 9th - Wednesday July 11th

  

We packed up the RV, said “good-bye” to Norm’s sister, brother-in-law and niece and made tentative plans to meet in 10 days or so somewhere in New Brunswick if we are both in the area.

Such a great view out these huge windows!

We stopped to get gas along the way (ouch!  Prices are about $4.56 per gallon).  We got to check out our skills of unhooking the car in an emergency situation.  I got out to check the area around the gas pump, and to assist Norm in pulling up to the gas pump where the filler is – it was very crowded.  Well, as he approached the pump he was so focused on avoiding cars that might jump out in front of him, that he chose to ignore my “Stop! Stop!” international hand signals (of which I used many) and he brushed the tire up beside a curb and got a little hung up.  Ooops! 

We assessed the situation and zip-zip got the car unhooked and backed out of the way. People watching might have thought were practicing a “Chinese Fire Drill “. Norm was then able to back up, turn, and get gas.  Maybe no one noticed.  I can only hope that next time I am directing, or checking for obstacles he will at least believe me!  Men!

P.S.  I just learned another important tid-bit.  I need to charge this computer battery before we head out on a 5 hour drive intending to write blogs!  I only have 40 minutes left, and won’t be able to do all the picture work I need to do.  This may be a very, very long drive.  Ugh.  Now back to the blog…..

We arrived at Recreationland campground in Cumberland, Ontario (about 15 miles east of Ottawa) at about 3:30 PM.  We had 40-50 feet between RV’s, no trees or shrubs, and it was level and flat.  There were a ton of house fly’s that kept us indoors during dinner, but that was fine, we could deal with that.  We were so happy to finally get internet service, then discovered they charge per computer, and it was so unbelievably slow it took me 5 hours to “post “ the last blog.  The pictures alone took about an hour each.

The next day we headed to Ottawa, the capital of Canada, which is rich in history that dates back hundreds of years. The beautiful Ottawa River flows along one side of it and is an important part of Canada’s cultural and industrial heritage.

The first stop was to the Apple store to fix a couple of issues with our iPhones and questions I had with the iPad.  We discovered we had to make an appointment for the next day, which we did.  We then set out to solve our slow or no internet problem.  We wanted to switch from Verizon to Bell for our mobile data, but they do not make it easy for US citizens to get their service.

We then strolled down the street to Byward Market and ogled over the fabulous fresh fruits, vegetables, cheeses and other sundry items usually found at a farmers’ market, and had lunch at a lovely seafood restaurant.

Ohhhhhh  such great vegitables and fruit!

As we later headed for the dock for an Ottawa River cruise, we noticed the cutest restaurant/bar advertising a “Husband Day Care Centre“. They cater to men whose wives are out shopping for a while.  What a great idea!  We wished we found that earlier!

We caught the boat at the bottom (or beginning) of the Rideau Canal – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  We understand it is a boater’s paradise connecting lakes and rivers by its 125 miles of length.  It is the oldest operating canal in North America, used much the same way as when it opened in 1832.  Most of the lock stations are still hand operated, and can accommodate vessels up to 90 feet in length!  We were also told it is extremely expensive for boats to use these locks.  I would have loved to sit and watch a boat navigate some locks, but it takes 1 ½ hours to pass through the 5 consecutive  locks at the bottom.  Time is a-wasting - so much to see and do!

View of Rideau Canal

As we slowly cruised down the Ottawa river for 1 ½ hours (gee, everything takes 1 ½ hours) we soaked up the perfect weather, all the while listening in both French and English at a brief explanation of the sites.  We saw many museums, residences of various ambassadors, (we even saw where President Obama stays) and federal buildings, the most important of which are the Parliament Buildings -   built in 1866 in a neo-Gothic architectural style.

After we walked what seemed like miles to an information center which was very disappointing, we went back to the mall for some more “internet runaround”. What we needed to do to make all our devices internet capable could have been set up by Apple earlier in the day!  We will return in the morning with needed credit info, and hopefully we will be all set.

Parliament Buildings from boat 

                  Watch the video !
                                                                                Wednesday July 11-18

Today we got up bright and early and headed toward Parliament Hill to see the changing of the guard.  The brass band and Scottish bagpipes were quite good.  It was rather odd seeing the soldiers marching around with huge bearskin hats, and others in skirts.  A little hard to take them seriously, I thought.  If you watch the video, you can see the soldier either sniffing or looking down the butt of the rifles.  Perhaps he was making sure they were clean?   I just loved the “pomp and circumstance“of it all. 

After the ceremony we went into the building and up to the Peace Tower which is a 302 foot tall free standing bell tower built from 1919 to 1927 to honor the 65,000 Canadian soldiers who lost their lives during the First World War.  The interior was spectacular.

We hustled back to Apple for our appointment and noted that all workers there were very “normal looking”, unlike the multi-tattooed, grotesquely pierced, freakishly hair colored Apple employees in the US.  They very quickly addressed our questions and problems, got us the internet access we so badly needed and we were out the door!  Yeah! Now I can access the internet in route. Which Norm loves because it keeps me from whining “are we there yet?” on these long travel days. 

Inside the Parlament Building

After lunch we headed over to the Canadian War Museum.  We had both been to the US National Infantry Museum in Georgia, and Norm had previously been to the Imperial War Museum in London, and he found this much more impressive.  Norm really enjoyed the inclusion of the German and Soviet armaments.

 There was an incredible exhibit on the war of 1812 which we both checked out. It portrayed it from the perspective of the four participating forces:  Canadian, American, British and Native Indian.   My feet were sore, and I had just been to the Infantry Museum, and there was just so much battle memorabilia I could take. So after I took in the tank exhibit in the basement  I sat, people watched, caught up on my emails, and had that ice cream I had been dying for.   Norm spent a couple of hours perusing the various exhibits. 

Tank exhibit at the Canadian War Museum
These babies are very intimidating!

Norm's nephew Michael had us for dinner and while his scrumptious steamed lobster with broiled scallop dinner was cooking, he showed us his lovely home and all the incredible improvements he made both inside and out!  Clever, hardworking, and a great cook! Must run in the family…….   We had a great visit.  Unfortunately I think we have run out of family and friends to mooch off of. 

Note - I just figured out how to put a video on this blog, so if you are interested in seeing Norm and I on the six o’clock news, go back to the North Bay Blog (days 9-12) and check out the video I added there.