Ottawa and Montebello

We woke up to a beautiful morning and were on the road by 9. Our first stop was is Petawawa to top up our propane tank. It only took $5 worth so I guess this may have been a bit premature. Traffic picked up and the highway widened as we neared Ottawa. We were surprised that there wasn't the same type of urban sprawl you see around Toronto. Ottawa is a big city but we didn’t find the driving as stressful as Toronto. The first couple of parking lots we checked out weren't that great but we found one on Kent St that worked for the van. For $6 we could park till 11:59 pm. The lower cost was because it was Saturday. We quickly decided we did not want to spend the night in the city so after a few hours of exploring we continued to head east. Ottawa is such a beautiful city and we really enjoyed walking around our government buildings. Lots of work being done to keep these important buildings in the best of shape. There were lots of visitors but it didn't seem overcrowded and everyone was enjoying themselves. The Byward Market Area was colourful and loud. I was glad we had a chance to check it out. We crossed the river into Quebec and continued our eastward drive. We stopped for the night in Montebello, a pretty village that welcomes travelers with overnight parking, many restaurants and pubs and lots of historical information in both French and English. I used the phrase "desole je ne parle pas francias" quite frequently but everyone either spoke English or tried to communicate. I actually felt bad my French is almost nonexistent. Montebello is one of many Villages Relais in Quebec. A Village Relais is an official designation for a small municipality that provides a welcoming environment with services designed for travellers. For people like us in vans it means there will be a place to park for the night. Here in Montebello it is behind the library and a beautiful church. We picked up a brochure at the information center that lists all these communities. We had an unpleasant surprise when we returned from exploring the town. It appears we have another mouse in the van. There was no evidence this morning when I made breakfast but this evening I found shredded tissue, some opened packaging and a few droppings. We cleaned out the drawer and set a trap but so far no luck. We think he must have come out of hiding while we left the van to explore Ottawa. Hopefully we catch him soon.Leer más