We've been back for quite a while now, but I haven't gotten around to sharing some pics from our quick Valentine's getaway. Better late than never, I suppose.
We weren't in Ottawa for very long, and my expectations of the trip weren't very high, but it turned out to be a lot of fun! Everyone always goes on about how boring/small Ottawa is that I started to have a rather low opinion of the city. My memories of the place from my 6th grade trip were pretty much limited to the
Canada Science and Technology Museum, so I was slightly influenced by what everyone was saying. But the city is great! And I love that there is a Canadian flag wherever you look (it can be pretty controversial to have a Canadian flag in Quebec).
The Westin was perfect! The room was lovely and we had a great view of Parliament Hill (from the 20 floor!), the staff was friendly. And I always love to stay in a hotel that gives into a shopping center, which wass the case with The Westin! I would definitely recommend this hotel.
They recently renovated the hotel and everything looked fantastic!
The Lobby
The room had this very zen vibe. Everything right down to the notepads had a a very nature touch to them.
Every page of the post it notepad had a different picture -this page: a fish. And the shampoo, conditioner and moisturizer smell divine! I usually dread smelling the products in hotel rooms. These were a pleasant surprise.
We even had an iPod dock! Too bad I hadn't thought of bringing my iPod...
our awesome view
Due to our reluctance to plan ahead for things, we got there on Monday to find out that all the museums were closed on Mondays. So we made the best of it and just walked around downtown...it was cold, but we're Canadian, we're used to it.
The Boy -plotting his conquest
I don't know what this building is, but I thought it looked nice
The Fairmont -not where we were staying, but wow!
And for supper...RED LOBSTER! There's no way The Boy and I can make our way to Ontario and not stop by Red Lobster.
Needless to say, it was delicious!
That was pretty much it for our first day. On Tuesday, we went for breakfast at Cora's right around the corner from the hotel. I made an effort and ordered something other than my constant 2 eggs, bacon, sausage.
Waffles, english cream, strawberries -it was NOT a mistake.
Then, with full stomachs, we made our way to the
Canadian Museum of Nature. I realize that a lot of people might think museums are lame, but we had a great time looking at all the dinosaur fossils, birds of prey and all other types of Canadian wildlife.
Mooses are cool...and pretty huge
the snowy owl - Quebec's provincial bird
The museum doesn't seem to be getting the recognition it deserves. They have a great collection, but as one of the guides was telling us, they are undergoing some renovations. The grand opening will be on May 22, and it sounds amazing. If it's the kind of thing that interests you and you live in the area, it will be worth checking out.
After that, we finally made it to the science museum...The Krazy Kitchen was just as fun as I remembered it.
They had a lot of other fun stuff, too - like the replicas of the old locomotives. Those were especially cool. But I think that's more than enough.
And after our little adventure, I came home to find this waiting for me in my mailbox.
I always love receiving the new H&M magazine! Especially this edition - it's one of the signs of SPRING!
I hope I haven't bored anyone with what was a really great weekend for me, but maybe not so fun when showing it to others. Have a good one!
