sight-seeing (2)

We finally realize what downtown Ottawa reminds us of: New York. From the street performers to the parking meters placed everywhere possible, to the general mood of the town: people are sensitive to one another, but in a sort of 'distant' way. Back home, it's 'walang pakialaman' - you generally mind your own business, but if somebody trips, or needs directions, or drops her purse and sends coins scattering all over the sidewalk, you (along with everyone else) stop to help. And then, when the situation is taken care of, you go back to your own life, no more questions asked.

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Highlights of Day 2:

- At the corner of Byward Market: a street performer with a fiddle, with a poster saying that all donations to his cause would go to paying for tuition.
- A view of one of the uOttawa buildings, and one of dozens of outdoor cafes, from the Rideau canal:

- Ottawa is a pedestrian's city, especially in the summer. Almost everything downtown is within walking distance, if you are just willing to try.

- We paid a visit to the Museum of Science and Technology in the afternoon as well.

- On the way back, we made a wrong turn somewhere and, just like that, ended up in Quebec. We had the GPS send us back into Ottawa, but for a moment there - seeing all the French-only signs, the horizontal traffic lights, and unfamiliar sights - we panicked. It turns out, Quebec literally is 'just a bridge away.'
- Beavertail is delicious!