On The Road Again ...

Rob and I spent a lot of time on the highway this last long weekend, between Toronto and Ottawa. We noticed a lot of bad drivers on the road and, therefore, a lot of (in my opinion) unnecessary traffic snarls.

We've decided that mini-vans are the scourge of the earth. Nine times out of ten, the people driving these view-blocking mammoths don't have a clue about how to drive on the highway. We figure it is because they spend more time driving between home and Wal-Mart and hockey arenas than actually doing any consistent highway driving. The rule in Ontario and, in fact, most roads in North America and the UK (according to Rob) is that you drive in the right lane unless you are passing someone in the right lane. You are supposed to signal your intentions, move over to the left lane, pass the car moving slower than you and return to the right lane.

But some drivers get into the left lane, see it is clear and remain there, forgetting to check their rearview mirrors for traffic coming up fast behind them. We passed more cars from the right hand lane than was necessary. And we weren't the only ones doing it. Invariably, a mini-van was tottering along in the passing lane, doing just over the speed limit, which a hugh line of cars formed behind them, hoping they'd get the hint and move over. I can totally understand how road rage develops. I wasn't even driving but I was getting frustrated with these idiots. Anyways, enough of that rant. Watch your driving next time you're on the highway!

Ottawa itself was such a treat. I haven't been there in almost two years and it is as gorgeous as I remember it. We stayed at the Westin, right downtown and attached to the Rideau Centre. We were close to Elgin Street, the Sparks Street Mall, Parliament Hill, the Rideau Canal and the Byward Market. The hotel was under construction so we were given a free room upgrade which afforded us a spectacular view of the many of the above-mentioned sites. We arrived late on Friday night and crashed after the long drive. Saturday morning saw us up early, raring to go on a walking tour that I had planned for Rob. We started with a hearty breakfast at the Mayflower on Elgin Street. Good food, lousy service (why can't waiters multi-task?) and a high price of almost $30 for our meals and a marginal tip.

We walked south on Elgin Street, West on Waverley Street (I used to live in an apartment building on Waverley) and then north on Bank Street. We veered slightly off course because of the construction on Bank Street but ended up on the Sparks Street Mall and walked east the length of it, back to Elgin Street and then across the street to the War Memorial. As you can imagine, this Memorial has special meaning to me so we stopped and took a lot of great photos. I will post the links to pics at the end of this blog. Then we headed across the street and up to the Hill.

Canada's Parliament buildings and grounds are readily accessible to tourists and, because of the fabulous weather, the place was really crowded with people from many different cultures. We toured all around them, front and back and took tons of photos. We walked along the Canal and viewed a boat going through the locks on the Rideau Canal. We finally had to return to the hotel because we were overheated and short on water. Anyway, here's a few pics to keep you going until I continue this mini trip report:

Ottawa Photos