Jour 3: Les derniers jours de 2012
jour 3: 27 décembre
OTTAWA -- Once again grateful for Montréal's underground city with winds and snow swirling above, I toted my baggage to the train station, where I ended up in the rear car with only five other people.
The train ride was a thing of beauty, not least of which was the free Wi-Fi and electrical outlets aboard. But shooting through near-whiteout conditions along the railroad track -- and stopping for the occasional reverse-direction trains -- made me wonder why I ever thought about driving in Canada in December. (And, by the way, cancelling the pre-paid rental car only cost me a $50 cancellation fee.)
Once in Ottawa, I chatted up with my Canadian aboriginal river who navigated me through the falling snow to the hotel. (Officially, he would be a member of the First Nations, but I'm not going to guess which tribe he descended from.) And since this was a free-points night -- amended to a paid second night, given the weather and car situations -- I got a penthouse view on the 18th floor (room #1904; no 13th floor, natch).
I trudged over to the Hard Rock Café for Chad's expected present. Then it was hunker-down mode back at the room, until I discovered that Canada's sci-fi channel, Space, was hosting an online viewing of Doctor Who's Christmas special. But wouldn't you know, it was about ravenous snowmen....
I then decided that I, like Chad, would be mailing some stuff back to spare room in the suitcase. Canada Post partners with retail centers (pharmacies, shopping centers, etc.) to locate their retail services. That's why I spent 20 minutes in the basement of The Bay, 4th in line behind two people sending out international money orders. (And yeah, maybe I clapped after the completion of one order -- once again, another example of the benefits of an auto-checkout.)
This decided which movie I'd be watching downtown, as my bus didn't get downtown until 6:30. It was a good crowd on a snowy Thursday night for Silver Linings Playbook -- or, as I had seen in Montréal Métro ads, Le Bon Côté des choses (The Good Side of Things).
Now I don't know about the endorphins that rom-coms may or may not emit, but once I trekked up to Parliament Hill post-movie and saw the Centre Block bathed in both actual and lighted snowflakes, I felt I had snuck in to a snow globe. (And to beat all, I discovered that Santa's post-Christmas job was driving the #2 bus for OC Transport.)
Upon return to the hotel, I had a late dinner at the sports bar attached to the hotel and named for controversial hockey talking-head Don Cherry. Take the statements of Rush Limbaugh, the hypernationalism of Glenn Beck, and the fashion sense of Craig Sager, and you get his drift.
OTTAWA -- Once again grateful for Montréal's underground city with winds and snow swirling above, I toted my baggage to the train station, where I ended up in the rear car with only five other people.
The train ride was a thing of beauty, not least of which was the free Wi-Fi and electrical outlets aboard. But shooting through near-whiteout conditions along the railroad track -- and stopping for the occasional reverse-direction trains -- made me wonder why I ever thought about driving in Canada in December. (And, by the way, cancelling the pre-paid rental car only cost me a $50 cancellation fee.)
Once in Ottawa, I chatted up with my Canadian aboriginal river who navigated me through the falling snow to the hotel. (Officially, he would be a member of the First Nations, but I'm not going to guess which tribe he descended from.) And since this was a free-points night -- amended to a paid second night, given the weather and car situations -- I got a penthouse view on the 18th floor (room #1904; no 13th floor, natch).
I trudged over to the Hard Rock Café for Chad's expected present. Then it was hunker-down mode back at the room, until I discovered that Canada's sci-fi channel, Space, was hosting an online viewing of Doctor Who's Christmas special. But wouldn't you know, it was about ravenous snowmen....
I then decided that I, like Chad, would be mailing some stuff back to spare room in the suitcase. Canada Post partners with retail centers (pharmacies, shopping centers, etc.) to locate their retail services. That's why I spent 20 minutes in the basement of The Bay, 4th in line behind two people sending out international money orders. (And yeah, maybe I clapped after the completion of one order -- once again, another example of the benefits of an auto-checkout.)
This decided which movie I'd be watching downtown, as my bus didn't get downtown until 6:30. It was a good crowd on a snowy Thursday night for Silver Linings Playbook -- or, as I had seen in Montréal Métro ads, Le Bon Côté des choses (The Good Side of Things).
Now I don't know about the endorphins that rom-coms may or may not emit, but once I trekked up to Parliament Hill post-movie and saw the Centre Block bathed in both actual and lighted snowflakes, I felt I had snuck in to a snow globe. (And to beat all, I discovered that Santa's post-Christmas job was driving the #2 bus for OC Transport.)
Upon return to the hotel, I had a late dinner at the sports bar attached to the hotel and named for controversial hockey talking-head Don Cherry. Take the statements of Rush Limbaugh, the hypernationalism of Glenn Beck, and the fashion sense of Craig Sager, and you get his drift.