Road Warrior Momma: Day 17

Day 17 – June 14, 2012

Montreal, QB/Ottawa, ON/Kingston, ON

246 miles/4 and ½ hours

One of the many things I love about road trips is the surprises! Both the good and the disappointing (which often sends you on a surprising tangent). A last minute change in our overnight venue, led us to the discovery of a lovely little town, Kingston, ON. But first, how we ended up here.

I was glad to leave Montreal, and I feel bad about it. I was sooo excited to go there, because I’d read a lot of amazing things about the city (and it was beautiful), but I felt a little nervous the whole time I was there. Not sure if it was the language difference (which didn’t bother me when I lived in Puerto Rico, but I was 25 at the time), or the busyness of the city or that I really didn’t know what to do with the kids. Also, we were staying at a full service Marriott that was much nicer than most Marriott’s I’ve been to (kind of like the Philly hotel). And everyone there had their hands out. As I left this morning, the bellman, doorman and valet all had their hands out….literally(!)…and mind you, I did the BULK of the work.

I’d had a Suite Hotel booked in Ottawa, which I’d canceled a few days before, after remembering (experiencing in PhillyJ) that big city hotels often nail you on parking and tipping. Normally (when it’s just me and Rich and we’re at one hotel for a mini-break) I don’t mind, but day after day….hotel after hotel….no thanks. So I rebooked at a Courtyard, away from the city & also a Residence Inn, in a town called Kingston, which looked, from the map, to be halfway, on the way to Toronto, where we pick Rich up tomorrow. ARE you bored yet?

We got to Parliament, in Ottawa, to watch the Changing of the Guard, and it didn’t happened. Seriously. I stopped someone and asked if we were in the right place, because I was on time. He said he didn’t think it started “yet.” What does that mean? He replied, that they don’t do it every day, and he hadn’t seen it in a while (he worked across the street). Great! Thanks. A big screw up on my part & nothing in my Road Trip Notebook, indicates that it is a seasonal thing. Plus, all the Parliament buildings had scaffolds in front of them, lots of refurbishing going on. Oh…and lots of abortion protesters and the pictures…Good Lord….it was a minefield, but mercifully, I did maneuver the kids around that debacle.

The city appeared nice, but I was ready to go…. We drove past the Rideau Canal, which didn’t seem that big a deal, and the National Gallery of Canada (the other venue I’d planned on) didn’t thrill me at that moment. I pulled over at a McDonalds (free wifi) and emailed Rich (remember, I’ve shut my phone off) that I was heading south for Plan B.

Turns out Kingston, Ontario is a military town. If I’d known that, based on my U.S. experiences, I’d a kept on truckin’ to Toronto. But it’s awesome. The town is so clean and very, very pretty! The weather was gorgeous!!!! Not a cloud on the sky. It’s right on Lake Ontario (as is our hotel) and the town is littered with shops and cafes). Our room is HUGE and clean and we had a free dinner (albeit buffet) and I’m looking forward to our free breakfast tomorrow. And the only person I’ll have to tip is the housekeeper!

Little historical note on Kingston. There was a battle in the bay, during the War of 1812, just outside our hotel, between the British (and the Canadians) and the U.S. fleet. The Canadians defended their town…and the U.S Fleet…after damaging the Canadian Ship, the Royal George, retreated, but did blockade the city.

Still having computer issues…I’m so frustrated. Praying that Rich can solve it tomorrow and then I will go back and repost some Canada pictures.