a peek inside the fishbowl

Ottawa folks might already know that major parts of Parliament Hill are being renovated and this work is expected to take years.

Part of that renovation meant the Senate had to find a temporary home, so the Government Conference Centre was restored for this purpose.

If you’re not sure which building I’m talking about, it’s this one, right on the Rideau Canal:

Before the Government Conference Centre was the Government Conference Centre (what an original name, eh?), it was a train station. Ottawa’s Union Station was built between 1909 and 1912 and served as such until 1966. There was actually a plan to demolish it, if you can believe it. The building was converted to the Government Conference Centre in 1968, with work completed in 1973. (You can read more about that here.) It was a bold move: Take one gorgeous building in the historic downtown core that was built for a public purpose, and make it inaccessible to the public, ostensibly foreverrrrrr.

I can imagine how Ottawa folks felt about that at the time. I think it’s a feeling that hasn’t really gone away either.

Anyhoo, construction on the former Government Conference Centre began in late 2014 and the Senate started using it in early 2019. Project cost:$219 million.

I’m not sure when they started offering free public tours of the new Senate/old train station, but the moment I heard about it, I knew we had to visit this Ottawa landmark.

Booking tickets was very easy. I will say, READ THE NOT-SO-FINE-PRINT about your arrival time. They recommend you get there early for security screening and if you are late you are out of luck. There were some very disappointed people in line ahead of us.

Security screening is very thorough. They rifled through every item in Mark’s shoulder bag. I haven’t even seen such steadfast attention at airports. That being said, I think I know why they were so vigilant. After scanning our bags, they identified a Potentially Dangerous Item in his bag.

Security guy delivered the bad news.

“Sir, we will be taking your Swiss Card. You can collect it over there after your tour.”

(Insert long pause here, because we had no idea what he was talking about.)

As it turns out, he was referring to THIS multipurpose tool that Mark had totally forgotten about and lost in the depths of his bag. We didn’t even know that’s what it was called. Here is a photo of Mark collecting it after the tour – lol:

But I digress.

After you’re screened you walk down a hall and around a corner and voila, you are transported back in time. You can imagine the hustle and bustle of train transportation at the time. Mothers with children in tow. Soldiers leaving for war.

It’s worth going, just to sit here for a minute.

It truly took my breath away.

The tour itself is about 30 minutes long. It’s mostly about the Senate as part of our parliamentary system but our guide also talked about the building itself. (Honestly, I would have preferred a more historical/architectural-type tour, but that’s just me.)

Here’s the Senate Chamber. A short lesson on the Canadian political system happens here so make sure your kids are paying attention. :)

After it was all over we stopped to pick up Mark’s Swiss Card so we can now continue our goal to vandalize famous historical landmarks. (Just kidding!)

At this point we needed sustenance and hydration so we walked over to the Byward Market and enjoyed margaritas, salt & pepper calamari, and tacos at El Camino. We took the LRT home.

It was a very Ottawa outing and I’m glad we went.

Here is where you book your tickets for the Senate tour: sencanada.ca/en/about/visit-the-senate. Have you been yet? I’d love to hear what you thought of it! :)

I have kayaked. I am definitely not an expert but it’s something I really enjoy. We rent them when we go camping in the summer, and that’s the extent of my experience. I will say that as long as I’ve lived in Ottawa I’ve wanted to rent a kayak at Dow’s Lake and go for a paddle.

Sidebar: once when the girls were small we rented a peddle boat there. I remember it being a bit challenging as it got stuck in the weeds but it’s probably a good option for people who want to be on the water but have never been in a boating situation before.

A kayak is not a peddle boat. First of all, kayaking is a much more serious water sport. (I’m willing to bet you haven’t watched any competitive peddle boating lately!) It’s a workout too. You’re using your arms/shoulders/core. Second, you have much more control and you can go faster, but that comes with a wee risk of tipping. For what it’s worth I’ve only tipped once, and even then it wasn’t a full tip into deep water as I was in the shallows. It was because I was in a very lightweight kayak designed for speed and I was trying to juggle too many things but that is not part of this story.

Dow’s Lake kayaks are not THOSE kayaks.

Anyway, Mark and I got out early before the heat of the day and motored over there. This was the scene when we arrived.

It’s all very well organized and we didn’t wait long to be assigned our vessels. You fill out a waiver, hand over some ID for them to keep so you don’t take off with their watercraft, and they mark down your departure time. You pay when you exit in case you go past your allotted time. (We chose to go with the one hour rental and it was sufficient.)

We brought our own life jackets because I hate the idea of wearing a grimy old life jacket that has absorbed the sweaty bodies of a thousand people, but from what I saw, their life jackets seemed to be in good shape. We were given paddles, helped into our kayaks (which is only mildly awkward as you clamour down into the water), and pushed off into the deep.

Gosh, it’s hot out there on a summer’s day. It goes without saying that you should sunscreen up and consider your hydration needs beforehand.

It was a very enjoyable activity. And isn’t it cool we can kayak, on a lake, in the city?

We went in a big circle, starting on the Arboretum side, exploring the water’s edge almost all the way to Carleton. We spotted lots of ducks, a turtle sunning itself, and I rescued a frisbee… which I threw AT someone on the shore whereas I was only meaning to throw merely IN THEIR DIRECTION as an offering. (ie. “Hey I found a frisbee! Here ya go!”)

It is very tranquil… the sound of the water, the sound of the city. We made our way across to what I refer to as “the tulip side” and enjoyed some people watching. It was nice to just sit there and watch the world go by from this vantage point.

Before we knew it we were back where we started. Climbing out is a bit easier than climbing in (just a bit) and it didn’t take long to settle up.

At this point I was thinking ahead to lunch so we hopped back in the car and made our way to the Glebe. We grabbed burritos at Mad Radish and brought them over to the canal for an impromptu picnic by the water. They were absolutely delicious and we congratulated ourselves on a well-executed plan.

Bucket list item: ACCOMPLISHED.

FYI, here’s the link for info about boat rentals on Dow’s Lake: www.dowslake.com/summer_rentals.php.

Back in April we were loaned a Ford Escape PHEV for a week and we were keen to put it to the test here, there, and everywhere. I have more to say about this vehicle and have been mulling over a post but for now I will say: WE BOUGHT IT. (!) But that, my friends, is a story for another day… maybe 7-8 months from now when we get the car? Sigh.

One of the places we went to during our Test Drive Week was Holly’s Hot Chicken. It’s not far from our place so really we went there with the excuse of learning how the vehicle handles in bad weather driving in an urban environment. Of course, we had to take it for a spin somewhere further out. Enter: RIDEAU ANTIQUES. They’re located between Lombardy and Rideau Ferry, 10 km south of Perth, and 10 km southwest of Smiths Falls, in the heart of Rideau Lakes. Their website says: “Please feel free to stop in and browse our large collection of treasures.”

That one statement does not accurately describe what awaits you at Rideau Antiques.

Sidebar: my parents dragged me on Sunday drives when I was a kid, which were incredibly long and boring and always ended up in a dusty old antique shop. I hated it at the time, so I am now quite surprised to find that I enjoy this kind of activity.

I knew we were in store for adventure the moment we pulled up to the place. I think there is parking in the back, but we parked on the road near the front entrance. This is what it looked like:

(By the way you can click on the photos in this post to see larger versions of them.)

Here’s a tip, leave your bags in the car, because there is little room to move here. Look how narrow this aisle is! (!!)

Here’s a video I took of myself while we were there:

The mere act of browsing was a risk. By the way I was given a flashlight to use when I walked in, so I could peek into the darker corners. pic.twitter.com/JKlczuQVhM

— andrea tomkins (@missfish) April 16, 2022

How can I describe Rideau Antiques? It’s a cross between grandma’s house and 50 years of yard sales piled on top of one another. You will undoubtedly feel like a visitor from another planet, another time, exploring what it means to be human. It also reminded me of an archeological dig.

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I lost Mark more than a few times…

It was unlike anything I’d ever seen before.

Mark and I walked around in amazement. Strangers we met in the aisle looked similarly bewildered and we shared knowing looks and OMG CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS PLACE type statements. For some, this would be a paradise, for others a nightmare. (As Google reviews suggest.) My take on this is that you have to see it to believe it. And if you think the inside is full of stuff, you should see the outside.

How does one find anything… Underneath these piles? I think that was my main question as I walked around, but apparently the people who work there have a keen memory of their inventory. So if you go in there looking for a vintage drawer pull or doorknob to match the others in your possession, or special commemorative spoon or whatever, they’re able to find it because somehow, THEY KNOW WHERE IT IS.

I know you’re thinking: ANDREA, DID YOU BUY ANYTHING?

The answer is yes. I bought something. I paid too much for an ashtray with a dog on it. And no, I don’t smoke. But this is what happens in places like this. You will inevitably find something that charms and delights you.

I saw it in a pile of china figurines. **An actual pile.** I’m not even exaggerating. It was the world’s scariest game of Jenga. I saw the dog’s face peeking out amid china birds and cherubs and wanted to take a look but there was no way I was going to disturb this very fragile and jumbled pyramid. I beckoned to the fellow behind the cash and asked him to extract it on my behalf. He looked at what I was pointing at and said: THIS IS MY LEAST FAVOURITE CORNER OF THE ENTIRE PLACE.

It was a very careful operation but he was successful at (a) removing my new ashtray and (b) not breaking anything in the process. It was a honest to god miracle.

It cleaned up nicely and now it lives with my other knick knacks.

Was it worth the drive? I say yes, for me it was. We combined it with lunch in Smiths Falls at a place called Harvest Social which we followed up with a visit to ANOTHER antique shop in Franktown, which was more curated and tidy. It was a nice little weekend getaway.