Where’s waldo

Blog update: where’s Waldo?
Good news, were five days in and no one has died yet! Despite the rain every time we set up as well as most nights, long car rides, traffic and bugs we are having a great time. In hindsight, taking the 401 to Ottawa would have been better, but I’m sure the scenery was nicer on the 7. Personally I haven’t been able to write blog updates as often as I had planned, but I think appeasing the kidlets has paid off. Each place we have stopped to camp feels like you could stay for a week.

Gatineau was absolutely beautiful with trails and rolling funny mountains ( they’re really just hill areas). Of course most of our time in Ottawa was taken up taking in the mass sea of humanity and mostly kind Canadiana. Starting out on the hull side, we enjoyed beaver tails and a delicious strawberry banana smoothie as well as half mango half strawberry smoothies.  C’est délicieuse! With a firm grip on Ella (who eventually got cranky about holding my hand) we waded across the river of people going across the Alexandra bridge to the real crazy on the Ottawa side. We managed to get to byward market but couldn’t really stop at the discovery village which had info booths for each of the provinces. I guess we’ll just have to go to the provinces our selves. With tummies grumbling, I put on my Free-dar, snagged some turkey samples and lindors, and found that the food court in the Rideau centre was the fastest place to get food. The line ups were insane everywhere. With no seats left, we snagged a table and either sat on the floor or crouched to eat. It was at this junction which we had just about enough of the close crowds, long waits and the kids were pretty tired too. Did you know Waldo is Canadian? He was roaming the byward market streets! Can you spot him in this picture? Can you also see the cane, his glasses Waldo’s sister, dog and other Waldo fun…. I swear…. Really… Look harder… Making our way back to the bridge ( which was going to close to pedestrians at 9pm to prepare for the fireworks) we had a rest stop and pee break and came across some wood spirits, two dinosaurs and a strange hairy individual…. All street performers of course. As the weather slowly started to turn we explored the Gatineau side of the festivities listening to some jazz, meeting the moose-icorn and contemplating going back to the car. We have come so far and waited this long that it would have been a shame to go back without seeing the fireworks. After making a deal with the kids…. YOU SHALL NOT WHINE…. ( say it in a sir Ian Mac kellen voice ala Gandalf) we roamed around listening to some jazz and watching street performers till minute cast said rain was imminent within the half hour. Fortunately we were right beside the history museum which was free that day. After a very short wait for the special hockey exhibit, we were in, leisurely enjoying educational dryness. Thanks to Terri who gave us a heads up from the experimental farm that the storm was hitting them and on its way to us. The museum was also kind enough to blare a warning to everyone outside to get inside because of the oncoming thunderstorm. In hindsight we should have picked the main museum first because as soon as we were done with the hockeyness the place was jam packed full of wet cranky people. Wandering to find somewhere without a lineup longer than one for the ladies room at a Justin beiber concert, we found a place on the ground to sit, stairs to a finely crafted dome which gave the adults vertigo and the kids an urge to press up against the glass. After being told we can’t go backwards through the museum, some phone calls home and another plea for less whining, we decided to stick it out for the last hurrah. With a tarp packed in my man purse we staked out our spot to view the fireworks. Not a bad spot, but we had lots of space. The fireworks were quite good, definitely top 3 that I’ve seen, which includes Bastille day in France, and Disney world in front of Epcot.