This October, we got to visit Canada! My work was very accommodating and let me work remotely, and Jeff joined me when he could, and we had the best weather ever.
I met Jeff in Toronto and we spent a few days walking around different neighbourhoods to get a feel for where might be nice to live, if we ever decided to move there. Of all the places we saw, my favourite was the morning walk outside our airbnb condo building, past a little row of houses where the laneway was covered in autumn leaves, down to the San Remo Bakery. This is in Mimico, a place I had never been to, and this suburb has a really cozy, quiet feel to it. Every morning we'd get massive deli-style sandwiches, the world's freshest donuts (and the best apple fritter I've ever had), and ,Jeff would grab us "two double creams" at Jimmys Coffee next door, which is how he thought we call a coffee with two creams.
Toronto seemed massive, and the skyscraper clusters gave me anxiety at times. Still, the people were so, so lovely, so funny and nice, and very welcoming. It's also catastrophically expensive, and everything has a really strong 'pop culture' vibe, whereas I'm more used to small-town cheesy stuff. For example, there wasn't one tacky fall fair in sight, but there was a 'fall pop up' at a bar late at night, with a line up of about 300 people outside. With that being said, one morning, we went to an autumn market in the Distillery area, and ate the most silky, creamy pumpkin pie. I'm still thinking about it.
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| Any jet lag?? |
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| a Dwight Schrute pint glass at Jack Astors (where our chicken strips came to eighty five million dollars lol) |
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| You KNOW we went for Ethiopian food ;) AND JEFF ATE THE LENTILS |
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| A perfect Guinness at the ever-so-grim Galway Arms Pub in Mimico lol |
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| An intricate display at the weed store |
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| Union Station - a very romantic spot to meet |
Jeff's one and only goal was to eat a Slayer Burger, partly because he loves Slayer, and partly because it's a burger made with foie gras and wagyu steak meat, in a charcoal bun, with some kind of fancy cheese in it too. No need to talk about how expensive it was - the point is Jeff loved it. While he waited for his burger, I dipped out to good old A&W and got myself a Mama Burger meal and quite frankly, I was in heaven.
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| The Slayer burger lol |
One of the best parts of my little weekend trip was getting ready for it in Ottawa. I printed my boarding pass:
And went to the airport where country music posters hung, and a bartender chatted to me about how great Heart and Crown is in the market, although his Heart and Crown location is still pretty lively, all things considered..
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I love Ottawa, and if I were to describe it in one photo, it would be this:
Sometimes I get mad at it for being so boring, for never keeping up with Dublin, for not being impressive enough to fancy people like Jeff lol...but one thing I respect about Ottawa is that, unlike Toronto, it isn't trying to be cool. It just is. Quiet, cozy, cheerful, simple, with the best views...
A very quick drive to the best spa we've ever been to, Le Nordik...
Seriously, where else would you have a forest spa of outdoor hot tubs, saunas, infinity pools, hammocks, fire pits, beers, and tacos?
Ottawa is a real life Hallmark movie, especially in the fall, where you can even go to a wholesome pumpkin patch...
...shoot people with them....
...and do a kettlebell set.
Also, pumpkins are very versatile...
One thing that finally seemed to impress Jeff was the poutine truck at the pumpkin patch...
It was an award-winning poutine, in fairness!
And now, for the photo of my life:
We also went to see my sister in Montreal for one weekend, and saw a big beaver at the Biodome, Jeff freaked out over a smoked meat sandwich, and we drank a bunch of craft beers. It was great!
Back in Ottawa, one of my goals for the month was to try a new tradition. I can't believe I'm admitting this but I've never carved a pumpkin before, because it always looks like such hard work. Well, it isn't, and look at these masterpieces:
One night, Jeff took me on a date to Fraser Cafe. I had never gone there but heard it has amazing food, and our meals were outstanding. I still can't believe he researched it himself and found a place I somehow haven't been to yet. I really treasure the little moments we have there, together, because it almost feels like my life again..
Ottawa is a personal love of mine, and one I can't justify objectively. It's the bacon and egg breakfasts on little porcelain plates, the sunrises, the scented candles, and the homemade pumpkin spice sauce my amazing friend Sam brought just for me. Home isn't something anyone can justify, I guess. And that's okay.
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