Day 5

Travel to Ottawa.

Skipping breakfast at the hotel it was a case of checking out and making our way to the train station to have breakfast there. Tini a Cinnabon (not surprising) and me a smoothie (surprising). Sweet pastries and all fine and good, but I’m kinda missing my fresh vegetables at the moment. Even though most evening meals have been served with a crisp starting salad and breakfast in the morning has always had a small side of mixed fresh fruit.

Not sure what I was expecting, but waiting for the train is done on the concourse before being led up to the platform where the train was waiting. In our case the VIA Canada 42 to Ottawa was only a single deck, but we passed a number of double deck carriages. Our train comprised of 2 trains ours and one to Montreal, which later in the journey uncoupled and took a different track. The journey should have taken about 4.5 hours, I guess we were unlucky as it became 5.5 hours for various reasons, namely congestion on the line and then waiting for the 45 Ottawa to Toronto train to pass as the track was single line for a distance. Good job we were not trying to catch a flight! Maple syrup biscuits helped to alleviate the journey as well as catching up with this blog.

It was a very snowy scenic journey by train and Ottawa is no exception with 20 or so inches lying around and piled to the side of the road.

There’s something incongruous about travelling to the upmarket Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel (http://profiles.hospitalityonline.com/207409/) from the station by bus, but we did. Mind you, it’s not the sort of place we would normally stay at, but its been organised by the organisers of conference that Tini has been invited to speak at here in Ottawa. Lets just say the place is ‘grand’ and very swish. From outside it looks very much like a larger version of the Disney castle and this only hints at the grandeur inside. Promises to be an interesting stay.

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