Canada !

Week 7 - May 18th to May 24th 1998


*** CONFIDENTIAL REPORT OF ACTIVITIES ***
FAO:  D & G
From: Ed

  As expected, the subject frequents several bars and clubs in Ottawa, the most often
frequented watering hole being the Elephant and Castle adjacent to the Rideau Centre.
  By day, mild mannered manager; by night, half crazed alcho-fiend.
  Fitting in well.

May 18th Linda, Paul and I packed ourselves into the oversized Buick Paul had rented and drove to Ottawa - the nation's capital.
Paul's batchelor pad is situated a stone's throw from the centre of Ottawa; a bijou residence with a pleasant aspect. It is the perfect place to base a short visit to the capital area.
Ottawa is filled with an intreiguing mix of old and new architectural styles, which are far more pleasing to the eye than the uneasy mix in London, or in fact that you'll find in most British cities. Despite straddling two rivers and a canal (if you include Hull as part of the city), it also manages to be more compact than the sprawling metropolis of Toronto.
After unpacking the car, we had an enjoyable lunch in 'Tramps' within the bustling market area (it being Victoria Day, everybody had little else to do but make the most of the weather and time off work).
In the evening, Paul introduced me to the expression 'tie one on', starting the boozing at the Elephant and Castle (a quaint 'English-style' pub where you can get British bitters, albeit served chilled), then moving on to staff night at Firestation.

May 19th I had a calm day today, working off the hangover and getting a feel of the layout of the immediate area. Since leaving England I have become a bit of a lightweight.

May 20th I did some more wandering about today, and took a few snaps including this one of the centre building on Parliament Hill - This photo may well be hiding the answer to that eternal question: whatever happened to the village people ?
After dark entertainment started at the Elephant and Castle, then moved on to On-Tap, a spacious club with a rough-hewn wood decor.

May 21st It was about time I did something, so today I went on the guided tour of the centre building on parliament hill. The building is beautiful, and I recommend the tour to anyone. You finish by going up to the top of the Peace Tower (the sort of baby Big Ben bit in the middle) which affords views of the entire area.
It was back to the Elephant and Castle that night, then on to the Liutenant's Pump - where an Albertan tried her level best to offend me - and rounded the evening off at the Cabin, a club with a not as rough-hewn wood decor as On-Tap, but working on it.

May 22nd I thought that a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint would be interesting, so I went along. The highlight of the trip was learning the word numismatic. What was I thinking of? All this alcohol must be damaging my brain.
For the evenings entertainment, we started at the Elephant and Castle (does this sound familiar ?) then across to Firestation, where I got a free Kokanee T-Shirt (despite choosing Molson Canadian in the taste test due to it being less gassy), then finally we found our way to the Cabin in time for a few more bevvies.

May 23rd We had a barbeque dinner this evening, with plenty of faces making an appearance. Linda first managed to turn the barbi into an inferno, then decided that something wasn't cooking fast enough, so used the oven and managed to set the fire alarm off. I didn't think of grabbing the camera fast enough to get a pic of Paul waving the broom at the smoke detector (high ceilings). Mental note: if she ever comes to visit the UK, keep Linda away from the kitchen.
Following the Bar-B-Q, down to the Elephant & Castle to meet a much hyped fellow - Kenny - to my amazement, he actually exists.
Linda, Kenny and Margaret disappeared at closing time, rather than risk joining Brendan, Paul and myself with an inebriated excursion to the Firestation.
Photos from within the Elephant & Castle (believe me, you don't want to see the ones taken later)..

A (extended) family group shot with (from left to right) Brendan (dunno what he's looking at), Kenny, Chris (behind bar), Margaret, Linda (does that girl ever stop smiling?) and Paul (disappearing, ninja style into the background)
nipple (no explanation given or necessary, although I am wearing my green converse all-stars mentioned earlier).

May 24th Sunday. A traditional day of rest and recovery. Phew.

All views are my own in their entirety
- I am not intending to spark an international incident or get deported -

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May 18th	Linda, Paul and I packed ourselves into the oversized Buick Paul had rented and drove to Ottawa - the nation's capital. Paul's batchelor pad is situated a stone's throw from the centre of Ottawa; a bijou residence with a pleasant aspect. It is the perfect place to base a short visit to the capital area. Ottawa is filled with an intreiguing mix of old and new architectural styles, which are far more pleasing to the eye than the uneasy mix in London, or in fact that you'll find in most British cities. Despite straddling two rivers and a canal (if you include Hull as part of the city), it also manages to be more compact than the sprawling metropolis of Toronto. After unpacking the car, we had an enjoyable lunch in 'Tramps' within the bustling market area (it being Victoria Day, everybody had little else to do but make the most of the weather and time off work). In the evening, Paul introduced me to the expression 'tie one on', starting the boozing at the Elephant and Castle (a quaint 'English-style' pub where you can get British bitters, albeit served chilled), then moving on to staff night at Firestation.
May 19th	I had a calm day today, working off the hangover and getting a feel of the layout of the immediate area. Since leaving England I have become a bit of a lightweight.
May 20th	I did some more wandering about today, and took a few snaps including this one of the centre building on Parliament Hill - This photo may well be hiding the answer to that eternal question: whatever happened to the village people ? After dark entertainment started at the Elephant and Castle, then moved on to On-Tap, a spacious club with a rough-hewn wood decor.
May 21st	It was about time I did something, so today I went on the guided tour of the centre building on parliament hill. The building is beautiful, and I recommend the tour to anyone. You finish by going up to the top of the Peace Tower (the sort of baby Big Ben bit in the middle) which affords views of the entire area. It was back to the Elephant and Castle that night, then on to the Liutenant's Pump - where an Albertan tried her level best to offend me - and rounded the evening off at the Cabin, a club with a not as rough-hewn wood decor as On-Tap, but working on it.
May 22nd	I thought that a tour of the Royal Canadian Mint would be interesting, so I went along. The highlight of the trip was learning the word numismatic. What was I thinking of? All this alcohol must be damaging my brain. For the evenings entertainment, we started at the Elephant and Castle (does this sound familiar ?) then across to Firestation, where I got a free Kokanee T-Shirt (despite choosing Molson Canadian in the taste test due to it being less gassy), then finally we found our way to the Cabin in time for a few more bevvies.
May 23rd	We had a barbeque dinner this evening, with plenty of faces making an appearance. Linda first managed to turn the barbi into an inferno, then decided that something wasn't cooking fast enough, so used the oven and managed to set the fire alarm off. I didn't think of grabbing the camera fast enough to get a pic of Paul waving the broom at the smoke detector (high ceilings). Mental note: if she ever comes to visit the UK, keep Linda away from the kitchen. Following the Bar-B-Q, down to the Elephant & Castle to meet a much hyped fellow - Kenny - to my amazement, he actually exists. Linda, Kenny and Margaret disappeared at closing time, rather than risk joining Brendan, Paul and myself with an inebriated excursion to the Firestation. Photos from within the Elephant & Castle (believe me, you don't want to see the ones taken later).. A (extended) family group shot with (from left to right) Brendan (dunno what he's looking at), Kenny, Chris (behind bar), Margaret, Linda (does that girl ever stop smiling?) and Paul (disappearing, ninja style into the background) nipple (no explanation given or necessary, although I am wearing my green converse all-stars mentioned earlier).
May 24th	Sunday. A traditional day of rest and recovery. Phew.