All vacations are good, some are better than others. This was one of the better ones, probably because it was short! Longer and I would have gotten bored.
I left Wednesday and as I was pulling up to my hotel -- Arc, The Hotel, -- I realized that I'd forgotten my iPad charger so, first order of the evening, get to a store before they close. I checked in quickly, and zoomed to the nearest mall where I found a quiet (!!!!) Apple store.
Next stop was a light dinner. I'd had chips on the train, that doesn't really do it for me. But being alone, with no iPad, meant that first, I had to find a bookstore -- and there was one right across the street, just waiting for me. I picked up David Eggers new book, solely on the strength of the book cover. Mind you, I meant to read it, but on my ereader. But this book cover is so awesome, I just had to get the book itself.
Now I had to find a place to eat. Turns out I was minutes away from Byward Market, land of the tourist trap but with some great finds tucked here and there. I found a lovely courtyard with outdoor seating, found a seat with enough light to read by, and I was set for a nice light meal of beet salad with fresh ricotta and glass of chilled rosé. I would have had a dessert but service was slow and by the time they remembered me, I was nodding off. Off to bed!
Thursday morning, I had tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada. It's a tighly curated exhibit that focusses on the 4 years Van Gogh lived in France. I didn't realize until now that he'd only painted for 10 years. The exhibit and audio guide are well put together, and there are side exhibits on japanese woodblocks and outdoor photography of the period that influenced him, which ties in nicely with the main event.
I had a nice lunch at the gallery -- including an amazing mint/sorrel/parsley cheesecake! -- and decided to take in more of the gallery while I was there. A friend had recommended the Rideau Chappel within the gallery, and it was a lovely discovery. They were showing/playing (?) Janet Cardiff's 40-part motet, which I'd seen before but hearing it in the chappel was much nicer than hearing it in a plain art gallery.
The rest of the day was spent shopping (yeah!) and I got myself a lovely summer dress at Kaliyana, one of my two favourite clothes stores. By the time I was done, I was thoroughly parched, so I headed up to Luxe for a Gin Collins, as per my inner-doctor's orders! This brutal summer has made me rediscove how quenching gin is on a scorching day.
I had a nice nap before dinner, but rested or not, dinner was a bust! I had great recommendations from friends,but instead chose a restaurant that had made the top 10 from a credible source. A regular that was sitting close to me wondered aloud if they'd changed chefs, because she too was greatly disappointed. So maybe it was a new chef, but it was a really, really, really bad choice. The wine was good, if that counts for something.
Friday I went to the war museum. I mostly wanted to see its architecture, but I checked out most of the museum while I was there and it was well worth it. They currently have an exhibit on the War of 1812, the war that many believe led to the creation of Canada. But its the permanent exhibits that really shine. I spent a bit more than 4 hours there, and I think I probably really saw about 1/2 of it properly. I zoomed through the rest just to get a sense of it, and I definitely want to go back.
That left me just enough time to go back to my hotel and have a drink (a modified Whisky Sour, yes, I'm on a cocktail kick!) and I was off for my train ride back home.
All in all, a very satisfactory break. Note to self: must do this more often!
I left Wednesday and as I was pulling up to my hotel -- Arc, The Hotel, -- I realized that I'd forgotten my iPad charger so, first order of the evening, get to a store before they close. I checked in quickly, and zoomed to the nearest mall where I found a quiet (!!!!) Apple store.
Next stop was a light dinner. I'd had chips on the train, that doesn't really do it for me. But being alone, with no iPad, meant that first, I had to find a bookstore -- and there was one right across the street, just waiting for me. I picked up David Eggers new book, solely on the strength of the book cover. Mind you, I meant to read it, but on my ereader. But this book cover is so awesome, I just had to get the book itself.
Now I had to find a place to eat. Turns out I was minutes away from Byward Market, land of the tourist trap but with some great finds tucked here and there. I found a lovely courtyard with outdoor seating, found a seat with enough light to read by, and I was set for a nice light meal of beet salad with fresh ricotta and glass of chilled rosé. I would have had a dessert but service was slow and by the time they remembered me, I was nodding off. Off to bed!
Thursday morning, I had tickets to the Van Gogh exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada. It's a tighly curated exhibit that focusses on the 4 years Van Gogh lived in France. I didn't realize until now that he'd only painted for 10 years. The exhibit and audio guide are well put together, and there are side exhibits on japanese woodblocks and outdoor photography of the period that influenced him, which ties in nicely with the main event.
I had a nice lunch at the gallery -- including an amazing mint/sorrel/parsley cheesecake! -- and decided to take in more of the gallery while I was there. A friend had recommended the Rideau Chappel within the gallery, and it was a lovely discovery. They were showing/playing (?) Janet Cardiff's 40-part motet, which I'd seen before but hearing it in the chappel was much nicer than hearing it in a plain art gallery.
The rest of the day was spent shopping (yeah!) and I got myself a lovely summer dress at Kaliyana, one of my two favourite clothes stores. By the time I was done, I was thoroughly parched, so I headed up to Luxe for a Gin Collins, as per my inner-doctor's orders! This brutal summer has made me rediscove how quenching gin is on a scorching day.
I had a nice nap before dinner, but rested or not, dinner was a bust! I had great recommendations from friends,but instead chose a restaurant that had made the top 10 from a credible source. A regular that was sitting close to me wondered aloud if they'd changed chefs, because she too was greatly disappointed. So maybe it was a new chef, but it was a really, really, really bad choice. The wine was good, if that counts for something.
Friday I went to the war museum. I mostly wanted to see its architecture, but I checked out most of the museum while I was there and it was well worth it. They currently have an exhibit on the War of 1812, the war that many believe led to the creation of Canada. But its the permanent exhibits that really shine. I spent a bit more than 4 hours there, and I think I probably really saw about 1/2 of it properly. I zoomed through the rest just to get a sense of it, and I definitely want to go back.
That left me just enough time to go back to my hotel and have a drink (a modified Whisky Sour, yes, I'm on a cocktail kick!) and I was off for my train ride back home.
All in all, a very satisfactory break. Note to self: must do this more often!
