Ottawa Train Station

Being that I am more antsy than practical I arrived here 2 full hours before my train arrives. I was half-expecting a European-style bustle here and a rush to catch my train. But no. I have instead Canadian-style polite waiting. Also the earliness was due to bus connections. i haven’t been able to make a one since getting here so I wanted to allow time to make up for getting lost/missing busses, etc.

(Shoot. Just remembered I was going to steal some fruit from the B&B. Damn.) (And there’s no food yet for sale at the shop to my right. I can see right inside: empty deli cases.)

The dude who processed my reservation print-out was totally bored. I didn’t laugh or anything as he took my papers (my reservation confirmation that was e-mailed to me was handed over to be replaced with an actual card-stock paper ticket.) All slouching in his suit uniform, elbows on desk in front of him.

(Now there are a couple of Asian girls in the cafe– and I think I see a bottle of milk? I am so sick of food.)

I do not like lugging around both my backpack and suitcase. If it were one or the other it would be better– and preferably the one with wheels. There’s a young woman now with a bigger suitcase than I and 2 other bags. I’m going to see how she deals. I think she just left them all at a table before going into the cafe. I should go steal them.

Now there are people sitting across from me and are probably looking at me. I hate that. I hope they can’t read my mind. Oh. They’re French so they wouldn’t be able to understand me anyway. Oh no! The kid knows both languages and is now laughing at me. Maybe I should move or go get a panini. Paninis make me nervous, though, if the bread is milky. I think that’s what I had at Boston Pizza that time in Vic with Mum, Jordan, Bonnie and Michael? Too many funny words for “sandwich”.

Ottawa

I didn’t go to the museum of civilization today but I did walk all around Parliament Hill. I didn’t go to the M of C because I couldn’t find a bus to take me there. It would have worked better if I had planned (in one of my many plans that go through my head daily and are each the best plan ever…) to take the hop-on hop-off bus tour where you can get off at the various culture exhibitions in town all day long and that take one over to Gatineau. However, any plans involving that were put asunder when I took a plain bus tour last night. Thus is life. I can only really handle a couple of museums a day anyway and I was tired enough today.

Parliament was quite super. I took a guided tour through Parliament and did about half of a self-guided tour of the outside parts of Parliament Hill. The best parts were the cat sanctuary and the summer pavillion; the rest is just statues of dead polititions, who were great and all but a cat sanctuary!

This is the Library of Parliament. I got to go inside during my guided tour. It smelled like books. Not old musty books but brand fresh books. I wanted to roll around so I could smell like that too. Not the biggest library ever, but very pretty. The outside looks like a midget, gothic castle! The inside is all wood since it’s the only building left after the 1916 fire. The rest of Parliament is all rocks now.

I also saw the foyer of the House of Commons (which I write her now with a French accent since the tour guide was French) which is where scrums happen with the press after question period. I also was in the House of Commons which looked just like it does on television, and I saw the cameras. The room is green-green upholstery, green carpet, in appreciation of the greeness of the British Parliament. The Senate is red. My goal now is to be appointed to the Senate. They represent the monarchy in Canada! And probably less work to do than the Governor General.

I bought a t-shirt with the Centre Block on it. It is that nice green I like lately so I figured I must. I will wear it with pride because I very much liked my visit to Parliament Hill.

(I have to buy a Cirque du Soleil shirt so I can wear it to tap class!)

I didn’t go up the Peace Tower (that’s the tower with the clock) because there was a line-up and it’s kinda high.

Next in chronology I went and bought a movie ticket to see “Stardust” and then watched it. Now if anyone asks if I’ve seen “Stardust” I can say “Oh, yes! I saw that when I was in Ottawa!”

(Note there was a space of 45 minutes or so between buying ticket and seeing movie, which is why I wrote it like that. In the interval I bought noodles and fried chicken from a woman who called me “madam” a lot.

Ottawa

Yesterday on the bus from the airport to downtown Ottawa I watched the sun set and it felt *further away*.

Today was the National Art Gallery which was big. I spent the morning (10:30-noontime) on the first floor, then had lunch in their sharp little caf, then strolled about the second floor. All the gallery workers ate lunch at noon. I was them. I had a BLT and a juice and it was cheap and good. For supper I had a hot dog: also good. I went home after the gallery (after a walk through Byward Market; after a walk through Chapters, too, and a mall) and had to lie down and rest my feet. So sore and tired. I napped then walked along Bank St. which is on the tourist map as a neato shopping district but it is kinda crummy. Then walked through Spark St. Open Air mall, which is similarily advertised and is actually neato. Then I bought a ticket to take this tour ! Then I ate aforementioned hotdog from a stand across from the Parliament Buildings. The tour was *rock on* because the bus turned into a boat. It was like my dream come true, let me tell you! I somehow managed to not get any brochures from the National Gallery so there’s no pictures of Renoir that I looked at and sighed and decided that I, too, can be a painted. Not are there any pictures of the 1300s-1800s paintings that make me think why should I even bother trying they are so fine. No pictures of the contemporary Don Judd, Richard Serra sculptures either. Or the guy with the big geometrical drawing that was huge but warm-feeling so that when I stepped close to it I just wanted it to wrap around me like a blanket. No pictures of any thing today because I forgot my camera in my room! Twice. I’m going to remember it tomorrow because I’m going to put it in my bag right now.

On the amphibious bus tour I saw all the good stuff -and- went into Quebec for, like, 15 minutes. I will figure out how to get there again tomorrow so I can go to the museum of civilization, which is in Gatineau. I also saw 24 Sussex and the trees surrounding Rideau Hall and the supreme court; and the embassies of Japan, USA, Kuwait, France. Or high commisions if they were that. I don’t know.

I kept buying magazines to entertain myself: first on the plane (I totally didn’t bring anything to read!) and then because my room doesn’t have a TV like I thought it would. That’s three now that I’ve bought. But since they go pretty quick and I don’t want to buy anymore I’ve bought a book instead. A thick book. It had better last (it will: I also have, like, 2 magazines to finish as well). It’s “Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell” which I haven’t even read yet. So I hope I like it. Another reason is that I buy a mag, finish it, and then am going to just leave it behind so as to not weigh down my baggage which I have to carry. Right? One thickish book; heavyish but a trade paperback at least. It had better last. I won’t start it yet.

And now there is no one, except for three baggage trains that went past, none of which stopped at my plane.

I’m tired usually when I’ve been awake for 5 hours. It’s, like, nap time, which is what I will probably do when I sit down on the plane.

Vancouver

I’m having a bad plane day. I didn’t like the ride over from Vic because the plane was too small and shaky. Only 20 minutes, though.

The second plane was grounded, which means we didn’t take off and every one had to get off. Now I watch the replacement plane hook up to the airport.

The first plane had propellers. That made me nervous. Also the flight attendant looked nervous and that made me nervous as well.

I’m watching for a truck or vehicle bringing baggage to the plane. I think they snuck inside some covered metal containers. although there’s one being ejected from the plane now, so maybe they are empty supply vessels.

I am soooo nervous today. Interestingly enough, doing things like packing relieves nervousness. Also, buying buns and meat for sandwiches also relieves it. I take food with me on planes so I have something to eat that I can eat during my trip. I am all packed except for a few little things (phone, wallet) and all of my bags are heavy. One of them has wheels though. Also, tomorrow I have to work which isn’t the best of planning but I’m all packed so there’s nothing left for me to do but worry. And I have leftover pizza for lunch, and a citrus-flavour sugar-free pop. I’m going to watch Dr. Whoo and have some ice cream!

I thought to myself: “I wonder if Sense and Sensibility is on TV” and indeed it is complete with ads for the new Jane Austen movie which looks as though it stretches the truth just a tad but which I will watch for sure. It’s playing in select cities: I wonder if I will be in one of these cities in the near future?

I’m going to have pizza with chicken upon it for supper because Mum brought home a menu for somewhere “Blackberry” and there is a spicy chicken pizza on it which I couldn’t have at a restaurant, of course, but which I can make at home to my own taste. I don’t want it spicy. Or with corn as the menu suggests. Tomato and orange soy cheese. Other things as I see interesting.

Sense and Sensibility has like the whole cast of the latest Harry Potter movie in it although Snape is much better looking in S&S.

There is no one here but me which means lots of quiet time for thinking and writing, correct?

No! It means driving downtown to cash a cheque and visiting Naomi at the store for a while (bookstore… close) and then getting movies! Then bringing movies home and eating and watching movies and eating and then wandering around and then driving downtown to go to wal-mart for moisturizer and then coming home and eating and then watching movies.

At five o’clock *promptly* Sid the Cat came and mewed at me because five o’clock (*promptly*) is kitty suppertime. Now they’re outside even though I told them both that I was free for cuddling. They’ll want in now that I’m busy doing something.

I didn’t obsess about my trip at all today except to think about getting some toonies and getting my extra pair of goggles tuned up for back-up.

P.s. It seems that in my head I have replaced the word “Glasses” meaning “spectacles” with the word “goggles.”

P.p.S. I think I had cereal for supper. I go seriously punk when I have to fend for myself.

I now have pants. They are simply beautiful and just what I wanted.

Um. The pop on my fingers is now on my keyboard.

I’ve spent the last two days or however long and whenever I have a moment looking up transit routes in Ottawa and Toronto. I’m going slightly obsessive with it, but on the other hand, I know where I have to go in those two cities. I’m looking forward to Toronto more for unknown reasons. I’m excited to wander around and see what there is to see. And of course there’s St. John’s to look forward to as well! But that will be after.

I have to pack on Monday because I’m busy on Tuesday with work and then of course it’s Wednesday that I leave. But I have all weekend to do my laundry and rest and drink cider. (I don’t know about that last one; Mum just got her boxes of cider and they call out in the night “drink me! drink me!!”)

I bought pants today. And had lunch with Susan (not in that order!) The pants are super and just what I wanted. I had a choice of these and another pair, but since I liked them equally, I decided on the cheaper ones. They are brown, and, I found out when I brought them home and looked at the label, linen. I like linen. I must have been shopping with my unconscious mind. Or shopping while unconscious since Susan got me drunk. She’s so bad. We then got a tattoo of a butterfly. Half each. When we stand next to each other it makes a whole butterfly.

I keep sleeping too much I think, and then be sleepy all day? Or something like that. Maybe I’ve simply come down with a case of Lazy-itis. But, oooh! vanilla Earl Grey tea is very yummy.