Canada Day in Ottawa!!

Last Friday was Canada Day up here in good ol' Canada- a joyous day of sleeping in, fireworks, and Beavertails! Cam and I decided that it would be a good time to finally visit with my friend Sarah (and her husband Johnny and baby Jack) in the nation's capital of Ottawa! We didn't want to drive due to long weekend traffic (Ottawa is 5 hours away on a good day), and the train tickets were getting unreasonable, so we flew! It is only an hour flight, so it was quick and enjoyable and we got to leave late Thursday night. We took Porter airlines, which I just love. The airport is a 10 minute walk from my condo, there is virtually no lines, and there is unlimited free cookies and pop. And complimentary booze on the flight!

We arrive around 9:30pm and Sarah came to pick us up and took us back to her place, where we were staying for the weekend. We just caught up that night! Sarah and I lived together for 3 years during University, but I hadn't seen much of her since she moved out to Ottawa a few years ago. I blogged about her wedding (which was exactly a year ago- happy anniversary guys!) here!

Friday we headed downtown to take in all the festivities around Parliament Hill. It was crazy busy and hot, but a lot of fun! After some wandering, we headed to a nearby park for a lunch of chicken sandwiches, lemonade, and free cheese curds. We also picked up some free ice cream on the way over :). I love free food!

Fun fact- I actually didn't own a Canada themed shirt, but Sarah apparently has quite the stash and we are around the same size, so that all worked out! After lunch it looked like rain so Sarah and the fam packed up to take baby Jack home for a nap and Cam and I headed over to the Canadian War Museum- all museums in Ottawa were free on Canada Day so we decided to take advantage while the weather looked iffy. I had been to this museum before and it really is fantastic and I would recommend it to anyone. It did indeed pour buckets of rain while we were inside, but it was clear again when we finished so we headed back to the park to get some Beavertails! Beavertails are like fried sugar dough and I love them- I got maple flavoured. After our Beavertails I also convinced Cam to get some Moose Tracks ice cream from Kawartha dairy (the best ice cream). Calories don't count on Canada Day!

After all that food, we took the bus on back "home" to Sarah and Johnny's, though we ended up missing our bus stop and Johnny drove out to rescue us. We had walked about 19,000 steps that day so I was grateful! We had a late dinner and then hung out and caught up. Cam and I had debated coming back downtown for the concert and fireworks, but it started pouring rain again so we stayed in.

Saturday we got up and all of us went to the Museum of Nature! We got there not long after it opened and I am glad we went early because it was crazy busy later in the morning. Darn tourists ;). They had a special exhibit on dinosaurs that I really enjoyed! Cam and I got through about 75% of the museum before saying goodbye to my friends and then going to visit his old roommate from University who also lives in Ottawa! We had a nice lunch and visit with him and his family and then Cam and I drove to the Aviation and Space Museum, which is free from 4-5pm. We toured that for an hour, then home once again for dinner :). Such good friends to keep us so well fed!

Sunday I got up early and did a long run (16-18km), which was beautiful and I am so glad I didn't skip (I skipped Saturday's)! Our friends live near the Greenbelt, and the local road through it closes for bikers and runners on Sunday mornings- so it was such a nice run! At first I got a little lost and frolicked around in some farmers' fields, but then I found the correct direction of the path through the Greenbelt and ended up running all the way to the river! I went a little too far and ended up running over my scheduled 16km- well worth it though!

I got back home and Sarah and Johnny made us delicious crepes for brunch! Then Cam and I headed back downtown to walk around. We had hoped to take a tour of Parliament, but the English tours were sold out by the time we got there. Instead we wandered all over- checked out the Byward market, the river, the locks, and got a late lunch/early supper.

They are restoring the copper roofs and stonework of the Parliament Buildings!

My fit bit app says I went 35,000 steps on Sunday! I was tired!!

We headed back to Sarah and Johnny's for a last little bit of visit before heading home for Toronto. We had such a great time in Ottawa and I can't wait to go back soon! Happy Birthday Canada!!