After the exhaustion of Parc Omega, we decided to give the kids a morning
off. What this really means is they still got up at 9:00 am and swam in the
pool until we left at 3:00. It was a great time for Jen and Gail to relax on the porch and catch up with
Delphine and Corinne. I myself decided to go on a run. Knowing little about the
area I set out on a leisurely loop around the neighborhood. 6 ½ miles later and
a desperate emergency stop at the marina (like an oasis in the desert) I
returned and took Jen to lunch at The Royal Oak in Ottawa. 
Around 3:00 we all loaded up and
headed into Ottawa proper to go to the Canadian Museum of Nature. Once again we
were not disappointed. Every museum we have visited on this trip has been an
intense and educational experience for both the adults and the kids. The
highlight of the Museum of Nature had to be an unexpected touring collection-
Animals Inside Out. For those of you who have seen the Body Worlds tour, you
will know where this is going, all else, stick with me it is a little graphic.
After a brief discussion we
decided it was a good learning experience for the kids and bought everyone a
ticket to Animals Inside Out. This is an exhibit where animals, all donated
after death, have been dissected in various states and displayed. What makes
this possible is a process called plasticizing, where they fill all the cells
with silicone. Some displays where just the skeleton, some just muscles, some
just nerves and some the entire animal. Although not a science geek, I have to
say this was one of the coolest museum exhibits I have ever seen. You really
had to think in order to process that you were looking at what was once a
living thing. The children were amazed and enjoyed the interactive skeletal
displays and answering the study guide questions they gave us at the entrance.
It truly covered from sharks, to mice, cats, horses, giraffes, camels and many
others. My favorite two, although gross, involved a horse head split in three
and a full camel whose neck and head were in three slices at three different
angles. As I type this, I am aware how horrifying it sounds, but it was truly
mesmerizing to view.
After we had our fill of animal
carcasses, we continued through the rest of the museum looking at the dioramic
displays of insects, birds, mammals, geology and dinosaurs. This museum rivaled anything we have been to
in New York, D.C., or otherwise in the interactive educations components for
the children. We had four hours in the museum and were running through at the
end in order to see everything. In hindsight, it was probably a full day trip,
but you can’t do everything. Jen mentioned several times that one trip to each
floor would cover one of her curriculum standards entirely.
With the museum taking until 20:00
(look I am European now) we were going to be hard pressed to get dinner and
make our final stop at the Parliament by 10:00. However, one must eat when the
Europeans want to try Burgers and Fries.
In lieu of a true experience and stopping at McDonald’s we went to a highly
recommended burger bar called “The Works.” The problem with “The Works” was
they offered 50 different burgers, 100 different ways and did not have a menu
in French nor did we have a waitress who was fluent. I would equate the
experience of our friends to that of going to The Cheesecake Factory and being
given a menu in Mandarin. It took quite a while to get through the ordering
process and although the food was delicious(especially my poutine- fires,
cheese curds and gravy), we had to be in front of Parliament for the light show
by 10:00. As Corinne and I were the assigned drivers, we ran the five blocks
back to the museum to get the cars. This is when my night got exciting.
To explain more, we were trying to
get to the Canadian Parliament to see the laser light show performed on the
building façade. Corinne is extremely proud of Canada and the life she has
there, despite being born in France- come hell or high water we were making
that show. As we left the parking deck
Corinne took off with me in tow. We zipped down the road, did an illegal U-turn
in a gas station, and picked our compatriots up in front of the restaurant at
9:53. With a ten minute ride through downtown ahead of us we weren’t going to
make it- or so I thought. Mind you I have no idea where I am our how to get
where we are going so my only hope is to latch on and follow Corinne at all
cost. After weaving through traffic, Corrine hit several “orange” lights that
were more red when I went through. When I commented later, she said she didn’t
expect me to follow so well. We agreed later that we could become a spy team in
a movie with that kind of skill. At 10:02 we unloaded our crew in front of
Parliament and went to find parking spaces. Corinne pointed me to a space and I
parked, jumped out, and she drove me back around to the show.
The show itself was amazingly well
done and covered the entire surface of the Parliament building. It covered the
history of Canada as a nation and it’s involvement both at home and
internationally. I fortunately made the last ten minutes of the show and was
blown away by the technical effects and the massive crowd gathered to watch. As
the final scenes passed and everyone sang “Oh Canada” I felt the
overwhelming
urge to find a hockey stick, some maple syrup and a Tim Hortons. Unfortunately,
Corrine found a parking space and joined us after the show was over.
The only down side of the night,
although it fits with Perry road trip tradition was the $100 parking ticket
that was waiting on my car when we returned.
Fortunately, we all said “Oh, well” and split the ticket amongst us in
true Canadian hospitality.
Back to the hood ol’ US of A tomorrow.
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