Vacation Time Is Over

We're back in Mpls after being in Ottawa for about a week. Our flight out there was smooth and we were able to check into our room right away. The hotel wasn't all that great, but it didn't suck. But I did avoid the kitchen chairs as much as I could since they were stained with god-knows-what:



I should mention that the hotel we stayed in is actually more of a place to LIVE. I think we were one of the only people who were just visiting, instead of living. It wasn't a bad place, per se, but it had it's issues. Like the fact that the windows only opened about 4 inches. And that they never cleaned our room for the whole time we were there*. But it was cheap and mostly clean so we were OK. Oh, and it had a whirlpool in the basement that soothed my feet, which was right on.

During our stay we tried to save money by eating out only one meal a day. Since our room had a kitchen, we bought stuff at the grocery store to make for lunch/dinner. I love how everything is printed in French, but the actual product was made in the USA:



When we did eat out, here are some of the things I ate:

2 Grilled cheese sandwiches made with Canadian cheddar (not something I'd like to have again as the cheese was super oily and kind of flavorless)

French Fries

Chicken Ceasar salad

Crispy beef and rice with an egg roll

Poutine (which was delicious and had me wishing I could get some here in Mpls):

Gelato

Various British candy bars

Dairy Queen (which I was totally surprised to see!)

Eggs Benedict, which was icky at one place, and so-so at another place

Beaver Tail

Lots of iced tea, water, and diet coke

In my opinion, vacations are all about the food first, tourist attractions second. We went to Byward market on our second day there. That's a place I could live in until I died. We went into one stinky cheese shop and I was in heaven. I think I need to be more well versed in cheese, since it's something I love to eat. They also had great meat and seafood shops, too. If I lived in Ottawa I'd do most of my shopping there, for sure.

Tomorrow I go back to work. I'm actually looking forward to it as I'm now completely broke. I was going to go in today (even though I took it off), but our flight was delayed almost 3 hours out of O'Hare, and I had a crap load of stuff to get done while I had the chance. My next day off won't be until the end of October, so I had to take advantage of the day.









* they came in and took away the trash and left towels, but that was it.

Ottawa Day 4

The Hubs and I split up today and did our own thing. I went back to the Rideau Mall and the Byward Market to look around. I didn't spend any money as my stupid ATM card suddenly won't work in ATM machines here in Canada (even though it worked last year in Vancouver). I wanted to get a caramel apple from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, but the line was too long. While I was in the market I saw this guy with two dogs that "pose" for pictures. They were cute dogs, but something about this is just so sad:




They sat like that while people took photos of them. The owner put bits of hot dog in their mouths so they could pose with it and when they wanted to eat it, they got yelled at. The dog on the left is named Zoe, but I don't remember the name of the other dog. They just seemed so sad. Here's a video I made:



I guess I'm too sensitive when it comes to animals. I also saw a woman with a wiener dog that she dressed in a fur coat. That's just too much!

We also saw Superbad this afternoon. Yeah, it was funny, but not as awesome as everyone has been saying.

Tonight we're going to an 80s night to do some dancing. Tomorrow is our last full day here. I hate how short vacations are.

Ottawa

Ottawa is nice. The weather is great. 75 degrees during the day, about 50 at night. Perfect for The Griffins, as we hate the heat.

Today we went to Byward Market and I didn't want to leave! That place is my heaven. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sold under tents, and you can get any kind of meat or cheese you'd ever dream of right there. I had to try a Beaver Tail and I was not disappointed. I want to go back and buy some more stuff before we leave.

Also, I had to go to the LUSH store in Byward Market, too. They were having this awesome sale where you buy two items and get one free, so I ended up getting a crapload of bath bombs, bubble baths, and face scrubs. Since the nearest LUSH is in Chicago, I figure I better stock up while I can.



We also walked along Parliament Hill and looked at all the government buildings. The architecture is really cool, in my opinion. Tomorrow we plan on taking a boat tour down the canal and then we're going to the Civilization museum.







I'm just glad the weather has been nice. The weather reports I read before we left said rain for every day we're here. I'm glad it was wrong.