Two days, three nights in Ottawa

Days  9 & 10, Saturday & Sunday, June 23-24

It was so nice to have a couple of days that we didn’t plan to travel and we needed it. To celebrate we started off with a good breakfast of blueberry pancakes and veggie sausages (Lily’s dad calls them soysages) with Lily doing most of the cooking. It is great to have someone on board who likes to be in charge of the galley!

We spent the weekend exploring the neighborhood, ending up at the ByWard Market area which was a bit overwhelming with rows and rows of stands of fresh produce and flowers. After a first stroll through we picked out a few things to buy and knew we would be back again

A small peek at a large market

We got to try out the collapsible bikes that we had gotten for the trip. There is a long bike path following the canal south that winds through the green lawns of Ottawa University. There are lots of bridges to cross to the other side which is also lined with a bike path. We got a few stares as we all pedaled by, because the bikes look a little strange with smaller than normal tires. We may have looked like three clowns from the circus. All I needed was a red bulb for my nose to go with my floppy white sun hat.

The huge Rideau Mall is well within walking distance and Lily was in heaven there. She fit right in with the crowd in her cropped shorts and she had fun trying on a few clothes. We stayed close by, one of us keeping her in sight at all times. John waited patiently and usually found a place to sit where he could check his email.

One of the barbeque stands downtown

John couldn’t resist temptation of the festival barbeque  in town, so he picked up some ribs for his dinner. He said that it was well worth the wait and the crowd.  He said they certainly hit the spot.

The days were complete with music from the concerts taking place just across the canal. We couldn’t see any of it, but the band was good and the woman who was singing on Saturday kept the songs coming. Unfortunately it started raining on Sunday afternoon and the Jazz concert attendees must have gotten very wet. The June sky didn’t darken until late and Lily was listening while taking lots of pictures of the city lights.

Evening lights