Ottawa

Another long weekend, another trip within driving range. Oliver and I spent "Family Day", Ontario's brand-new holiday, in Ottawa, the nation's capitol. We were drawn there by the Rideau Canal: waterway by summer, world's largest skating rink by winter. I had these beautiful visions of Oliver on his first pair of ice skates, of being out with the masses in one of those timeless winter activities. The reality, unfortunately, turned out to be a rainy day and a closed canal. Rain? In February? In Canada? Doesn't feel right.

Luckily, there were other things to do. We took a tour of the Centre Block building of Parliament Hill - the equivalent of the Capitol building in DC. Among other ghings, we saw the commons and senate rooms where elected officials make their speeches, vote, etc. The whole tour was a field-trippy paradise, and I found myself wishing that Oliver and I hadn't cowered in fear when the tour guide asked if anyone in our group was from outside of Canada. I would have loved to ask some questions, but my "local" status kept me from saying things like "why does Canada still have a queen?" and "how does the government work?" Maybe it would have been better to tell everyone where I was from. Then I could have said things like "your Parliament building is so cute!" or, looking at portraits of former prime ministers, "I love these paintings. Everyone looks so serious. It's almost as if they think they have real work to do."

Jokes aside, we really liked Ottawa. It has great pedestrian districts, an impressive art museum, and a distinct feel to it. Maybe I'll even lose the bitter taste of my failure to skate on the Rideau Canal. That'll make the memories even better.