A brief encounter with Ottawa

After tackling the mammoth task of tidying the chalets and another quick paddle on the lake, we hopped back in the car and decided to stop in Ottawa for lunch. The impression that I have of Ottawa is much like that of Canberra- capital of a very impressive country, but outshone by bigger and better cities nearby. Yet,when we arrived the city was beautiful- helped by the fantastic weather!

We headed straight to Parliament Hill, which is so reminiscent of London, to the point where even the bells in the clock tower sound exactly like Big Ben. The buildings were some sort of a cross between the Houses of Parliament and Hogwarts and there was plenty of green space to sit and admire them. Perched right by the river, it seems like a pretty impressive place to work. We took the opportunity to go up the clock tower and despite the queue, the view was totally worth it.

Our friend Derek, a native Canadian, had made us promise to try something called Beaver Tails, and after clarifying that they weren’t in fact tails of the beaver, we made good on our promise. We headed straight to the markets and bought the tail-shaped pastries and we were not disappointed. I split an apple and cinnamon and a maple butter beaver tail with Ruth and we enjoyed them so much we found ourselves wearing the evidence all across our hands and faces. 

After lunch in the park by the river, we headed back to the car to make our way back to reality. Whether it be thanks to the weather or the pastries, our visit to Ottawa may have been short, but it was definitely sweet!