The flight to Ottawa was one hour door to door, or just 39 minutes in the air. That sounded good, thought I. I was pleased to discover the plane even had proper engines rather than propellers, meaning a less stressful journey. I had booked a window seat for this trip so I could take photos out of the window, and I was not disappointed. Taking off from Toronto afforded fantastic views of Lake Ontario, Toronto itself, and it's magnificent structures like the CN Tower and SkyDome.
As we passed over the top of the Lake, we began to hit a little turbulence. A little said the captain. Hmm. A mere 10 minutes later I was clinging on for dear life trying not to throw up. It was worse than any roller-coaster I have ever been persuaded to go on, and add to that I had just drunk some apple juice, I was just not in the mood for it. Despite my best efforts I couldn't keep any of it down and I was not alone in being made sick on that flight. About half the plane looked the worse for wear and I have never seen so many sick bags being used. How lovely!!!!
By the time we landed I felt drained, sick, faint and in need of a good sleep. I'd also missed out on taking photos of the landing, which I was most disappointed about. I got off the plane and went to sit down and wait for my luggage. It came unusually quickly and I hurried to get the bus to my hotel. I had the pleasure of a bright yellow YOW! transporter taking me there, and the road trip was almost as bad as the flight. God knows how the roads were allowed to get in this state - they are worse than NZ!!!
Anyway, I arrived at my hotel which was really nice. I checked out the pool before deciding to force myself outside for some fresh air. I headed on round to the University, which was lovely, before deciding to look for the Fairmont Chateau Laurier where my conference is being held . After a particularly long-winded way I finally found it and it was gorgeous - damn not being able to get a room there!!! I wandered around the Byward Market and found the food district. No shops in Ottawa, just pubs and restaurants. Hmmm.
Ottawa appears to be in the grip of a tulip festival too, which was a bit surreal. All very pretty though and made for some nice photos!! The sun was bright and made it pleasantly warm for walking around, but the wind was very bitter when I found myself exposed (not in that way, for those of you with less than pure minds). I had a good walk around Parliament Hill - the architecture was outstanding, some real gothic designs looking amazing. I even found a mini cat sanctuary behind parliament. Some local pensioner looks after the stray cats - they have their own little houses and get fed, although they keep the area free of rats, which might explain why they are all so fat!
Anyway, all the sightseeing was hungry work so I found the Hard Rock Cafe (oh yes!). I had dinner and got myself another shot glass - the place was full of ice hockey fans who were watching the game, so I didn't get to enjoy the music so much, but it was good nonetheless. I then headed back o the hotel where I now plan on getting a very good night's sleep!
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