Battered Suitcases

In laser lights.Mike and I arrived in Ottawa in the late afternoon. We checked into our haunted prison hostel and went to check out the National Gallery of Canada.

Later that evening we headed to the parliament building to watch the Mosaika laser light show. It was a very comfortable evening relaxing on the lawn, eating dinner, and learning about Canada. Thanks to Riley for suggesting it!

After the light show we walked around the grounds before heading back for the evening. I was a little nervous that a ghost or two might appear in the night, but I think the live music (until 2am) next door kept them at bay.

xo, jill

At the farm.

While in Canada I was finally able to meet Mike’s parents… and their 54 cows! (I think I got the count right.)

Mike and I drove about two hours outside of Toronto to his family’s farm. I had heard so much about it over the years that I was excited to finally check it out. Plus, I did have a phase in my youth when I wanted to be a farmer… and a different phase when I was obsessed with cows… soo…

We spent our time out in the pasture with the cows (and donkeys), exploring the land on a four wheeler, and sitting down to a few delicious meals with his parents. We also attended a production of Queen Marie (about Marie Dressler) by the Fourth Line Theatre.

The next day we were back on the road headed to Ottawa.

xo, jill

The little I saw.

Visiting Toronto didn’t quite go as planned. We spent the morning walking through High Park with two of Mike’s friends and their adorable baby. It was a pleasant walk but the weather was a bit too hot and humid. I was so uncomfortable I was secretly hoping it would hurry up and rain to clear the air.

Well… it did. After saying goodbye to Mike’s friends and taking a bus farther into the city, we noticed that the sky was quickly turning black. A few minutes later the rain was dumping. Luckily, we were only a few meters away from Second Cup so we ducked in to wait it out.

Eventually, we decided to just spend the afternoon at the cinema watching a movie set in Toronto. So at least I was able to see the city via Take This Waltz.

Here are a few other shots I took while in the city.

I think I might need to take another trip to Toronto one day.

xo, jill