Two Worlds only Hours Apart

This year for our annual summer family vacation Margot, Glosette Girl and I packed into a plane and hopped across the pond for a France/Swiss double combo! Bonjour! Wie geht es dir! While the original focus of out trip was Switzerland, whenever we go to Europe we look for an excuse to visit one of Jen's besties, B, and her family in Béziers, France. So with the help of the magical Interweb we figured out the logistics and started our Swiss adventure with a side trip over to Southwest France.

Margot with B's lovely kids, M, O, and N

It's amazing how different France is to Switzerland! Some observations about the area of France we saw:

• Food and wine is really well priced.
• Standard food: bread, cheese (of all kinds), charcuterie, regional fresh fruits (melons, nectarines, plums).
• Night rules! Everyone eats dinner late, and even kids stay up to 11 pm or midnight on a regular basis. This was especially important during our visit as Europe was in the midst of a heatwave, which made walking around during the day a challenge.
• Politics is much more a part of everyday life. We noticed announcements of local political activity were prominently mentioned in local weekly magazines.
• People aren't that tall. At 5'11" I felt like the right height!
• Stylish yet at the same time a bit rough around the edges.
• Overall, the country has a feminine feel.

Minerve: one of the prettiest villages in France

In comparison, here's what I thought about Switzerland:

• Food and wine expensive! $20 hamburger? Yes, please!
• Standard food: bread, cheese (with focus on Gruyere, elemental of course), and much less fresh fruits and veggies.
• Day rules! Everyone in the mountains people grab their hiking gear and get out during the sunlight because night is for sleeping.
• In the mountains it feels like it was 90% tourists.
• Lots of tall people! ...I felt short :(
• Germanic language is like "almost-English". You think you can read it...until you realize you can't.
• Masculine feel.

Lovely, rainy Bern - the federal capital (but not capital city!) of Switzerland

I think what blows my mind the most is just how different where we were (France) is to where we are (Switzerland) considering the two locations are only three hours apart. In Canada, you would still be in the same old boring province after driving in any direction for three hours. I'm sure it must be challenging to live with this much diversity in such a small geographic space sometimes but wow those Europeans are lucky to have this much at their fingertips!

Places like this really do exist outside Disney movies!

The Right Summer Camp

Every year we go through the ritual of picking the right summer day camp for Margot. It's a very 21st century thing to do because day camps were a lot rarer amongst my circle of friends when I was growing up.

It's probably a byproduct of there being more two-income families now. Originally, we focused on something that exposed her to different things. Now we're a little more discerning and try to get Margot involved in selecting her camps (we usually aim for four one week camps per summer) Anyways, here's a list of the summer camps Margot has gone to over the last few years:

• Dance Camp (3 different schools): the School of Dance (twice), Making Moves, Greta Leeming Studio)
• Multi-sport camp - Carleton University: Margot's favourite part was the cafeteria.
• Fashion Design Academy (a.k.a. sewing camp)
• Agriculture Museum (one cooking camp and one farm camp)
• Tennis camp (2 different camps)
• Art camp (One with National Art Gallery and the other with the Ottawa School of Art)
• Yoga camp (3 times)
• Girl Guides camp - Camp Woolsey: her least favourite camp and faaaaar away.
• Gymnastics camp (1/2 day)

The Artist Showing off her Wares

Coming up: Pioneer camp and one of the tennis camps.

According to Margot her top three camps are: her most recent dance camp (Greta Leeming Studio), yoga camp and her most recent art camp. Hmmm, a little biased towards what she's just completed. I think these may be the ones she remembers most right now!

The World Outside Ottawa

The point of this blog is to focus on the hyper-local. To give a glimpse into my family's life in one little corner of the word, Ottawa, and in particular one neighbourhood, Hintonburg.

It's a pretty good life here, but I'm not ignorant of world events, and I've mentioned some of the more profound ones, such as the Arab Spring (in my original blow) or Donald Trump's presidency (when I started this one).

It's not that I don't have a point of view, it's just that I like to let my actions speak for themselves. But sometimes I can't help but marvel at the way history unfolds, or even repeats itself.  It matters to me here, even in lil' old Ottawa because it influences how I think about the place I live.

For example, a big issue I've read a lot about is Brexit (I care about this issue because I'm half British and also I have friends who are affected by it in Europe). But when I read about how this issue is being approached I am amazed that no one sees the obvious parallels with Canada's experience.  Much ink has been spilled about:

• The use of prorogation to break the UK political impasse
• How the UK's main progressive party might team up with a Scottish nationalist party following a general election.
• The need for another Brexit referendum to finally "solve" the issue. 

Canada, with our Parliamentary system, has experience with all of these:

• Prorogation was used by an arguably divisive Canadian Prime Minister to avoid Canada's progressive and nationalist parties teaming up to govern the country. Spoiler alert: prorogation was granted.
• Canada has expedience with two Quebec referendums. We are now at the point where it's not a burning issue but an undercurrent is still there.

Amazingly, despite a few scandals, Canada has somehow managed to find our way forward. I chalk it down to a combination of a wishful desire to carve out a place for ourselves in a world that barely notices we exist, appreciation for what we have, and willingness to come up with unsexy compromises.

I see no effort to come to such a compromise in the UK's situation - by either side. While I consider myself a progressive person and admire some aspects of the European Union, I find other aspects profoundly undemocratic and understand why some would want to leave. Similarly, while I love my country, I understand why Quebec nationalists would want to create something new.

I have no idea how Brexit will eventually be resolved. My hope is that eventually, enought people will think less about winning (whether it's a "hard" Brexit or somehow making all of this go away via another referendum) and more about an unsexy compromise. But maybe that's just wishful Canadian-Ottawa-Hintonburg thinking.

The Secret Park: Reid Park

Just past the underpass that separates my neighbourhood, Hintonburg, from Civic Hospital, is Reid Park. Of the four parks nearest to my house: Parkdale Park, Hintonburg Park, Fairmont Park and Reid Park, this is the one we visit the least.

The park is named after a Scottish settler from the 19th century

It was under construction last year, but the real reason we haven't visited often is its location. It's tucked away in this unloved, awkward corner literally right next to the Queensway, the highway that runs right smack through the middle of Ottawa. The noise from the highway is also quite noticeable there because the sound of cars zooming by rises above the nearby sound barriers.

So we always forget about it.

It's a bit of a shame really because whoever re-built the park did a pretty decent job.There's a nice playground, wading pool and a basketball court. It's also next to a lawn bowling court, which is one of those living artifacts that always bring a bemused smile to my face.

Maybe now that a friend lives in the area I'll visit it more often. In any case, keep on truckin' lil mystery park!

Goodwood Creek

Little random adventures sometimes creep up on me when I least expect them. This past week, while visiting my family in Newmarket, Ontario, I made a short detour to the nearby village of Goodwood.

Why you ask? Because Goodwood is the location where the TV show Schitt's Creek is filmed! Notwithstanding its annoying name, Schitt's Creek is a hidden gem of a TV show that does a great job of showcasing how people can be both progressive and thoughtful despite their  narcissism and foolishness. But beyond all that it's just plain funny.

So it was really fun to learn last week that the town of Goodwood is only 25 minutes from my parents' house! Not really knowing what we would find, Glosette Girl, Margot and I did a drive-by tourist visit and were delighted (well, Margot was probably indifferent but 2 out of 3 ain't bad) to see many of the buildings shown on the show. We snapped three of them, including:

Cafe Tropical!

Rose's Apothecary

And....

The Town Hall! See we really were there!

Woohoo! Location scouting, Canadian style!