Correr Es Mi Destino

Waddington, Massena and the Great Bug Attack

Zhu — Wed, 23 May 2012 12:05:23 +0000

We weren’t particularly inspired on Victoria Day, so we decided to simply take a drive to the U.S. And instead of heading to Alexandria Bay as usual, we went east towards Massena.

The weather was gorgeous, and so was the light. We crossed the international bridge easily, stopped at the usual supermarket in Ogdensburg to stock up on whatever is cheaper in the U.S. (some cosmetics, food, etc.) and took the NY-37E.

We immediately commented on how smooth the road was—our roads in Canada can be bumpy, especially after a cold winter.

And that’s when we witnessed the Great Bug Attack.

We felt a bug hitting the car, then two, three, four, five… within minutes, dead bugs were dotting the windshield. They were bigger than mosquitoes but smaller and thinner than flies—no idea what they were, and I had never seen that many.

Twenty miles later, we stopped in Waddington, or rather a small campground right before the town.

The bugs followed us. We could see the swarms clearly now that we were driving slowly. They were just about everywhere: hovering above the grass, the water, resting on cars… It felt like being in a bad horror movie—and you guessed it, Feng and I were probably cast as the two dummies on a short road trip who stumble upon a new deadly species of mutant bugs engineered by the NASA and the CIA.

“I want to take a picture!” I begged.

Yeah, well, like I said I was trying to act like the dumb actress who dies first in horror flicks.

We carefully stepped out of the car and stood on the shore, facing the St Lawrence and Canada.

“Look, it’s not so bad,” I said. “The bugs don’t actually bug us—okay, yes they do, shit they do!”

We ran back to the car and paused for a minute to make sure the bugs didn’t follow us.

We drove away.

Once in Waddington, we figured it was safe to park and we decided to inspect the car. The front, including the license plate, was covered with dead bugs. They were even inside the hood, close to the engine!

Unbelievable. I don’t know where all these bugs came from, but we had never seen that, including in the Tropics!

Waddington was lovely though—a small sleepy town with many churches and friendly people. We drove all the way to Massena, a much bigger place than Waddington but with a small town feel as well.

And you’ll be happy to know that we didn’t bring any mutant bugs back to Canada, except for the dead ones on the license plate.

You can see the complete set of pictures taken in the U.S.A on Flickr.

See the swarm of bugs?

Dirty Windshield

The Front of the Car

Bugs Everywhere…

American Flag

Town Clock in Massena

Waddington

Going to Massena

Massena

Spring on the Hill

Zhu — Mon, 21 May 2012 12:00:11 +0000

The weather is still lovely in Ottawa and most of us try to spend as much time outside as we can—it’s about time we get a tan!

Last weekend, Feng and I took a long walk on Parliament Hill and along the Ottawa River. The Parliament grounds were crowded—the nice weather and the Tulips Festival brought a lot of tourists, mostly from China, India, the U.S. and other Canadian cities.

Funny enough, when we reached the gates of the Parliament, Feng and I realized that we had never taken a “traditional” shot of us in front of the Centre Block. Pretty ironic considering how many times we’ve been there! So we asked one of the tourists to take us, a good ten years after settling in Ottawa.

From the Parliament, we took the stairs down to the Ottawa River and walked towards Victoria Island, close to Portage Bridge. The view on Gatineau and on all the interprovincial bridges was lovely and the path was mercifully quiet—not too many tourists realize there is a path all along the river.

You can see the complete Ottawa Spring set on Flickr.

Red Tulips in Front of the Parliament

The Parliament

Tulips and Peace Tower

The Centre Block

Feng and I realized we didn’t have any picture of us in front of the Parliament, for all the times we’ve been there!

The Centre Block

Red Tulips and the Peace Tower

Red Tulips and the Urban Jungle

Parliament Hill

Gatineau and the Ottawa River

The Library and the Centre Block

Bridges Between Quebec and Ontario

Alexandra Bridge

Gatineau, Quebec

Walk by the River

Reflection of the Parliament

In Bloom on the Hill

North American Desserts: The Carrot Cake

Zhu — Sat, 19 May 2012 12:00:00 +0000

Carrot Cake, Fresh Out of the Oven, Ottawa, May 2012

I grew up eating croissants and pains au chocolat and I really missed my buttery pastries when I first moved to Canada. Besides, at first, the most popular desserts here seemed strange to me, starting with the ubiquitous carrot cake.

When I first heard of something called a carrot cake, my first reaction was “why on earth would you spoil a cake with carrots?”

Turned out that carrot cakes don’t really taste of carrots, and I quickly got addicted.

I’m not your typical cordon bleu French cook, but I tend to stay away from supermarket bakeries because the lists of ingredients they use scare me. So once in a while, I bake. Nothing fancy, nothing complicated: I usually follow recipes loosely (seriously, who has all the ingredients on hand?) and hope for the best.

Today, I was craving carrot cake, so I made my own. Or rather, a “light” version of it—I’m not a huge fan of the sugary frosting, the most popular topping.

Ingredients:

2 cups grated carrots
2 cups flour
¼ cup melted butter
2/3 cup of sugar
2 eggs
2 tablespoons baking soda
A drip of honey (didn’t have any fancy spices on hand)
One cup diced dry apricots
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Little bit of low-fat milk

Combined all the wet ingredients, then add the dry ingredients. Mix well (if the mix if too thick, add some milk or water—I added milk). Bake for 40 minutes at 350°.

Et voilà! Turned out to be pretty good.

The only issue now is that the house smells like a bakery…

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Picture of the Week: War

Zhu — Fri, 18 May 2012 12:15:50 +0000

War, This Way, Ottawa, May 2012

Canada is a peaceful nation, which is probably why next to the “war – this way” sign, there is a “wong way” sign.

Or at least, that’s my twisted interpretation of this picture I snapped between Parliament Hill and Sparks Street.

This sign shows the way to the nearby Canada War Museum, a museum with which I have a love-and-hate relationship. Canada’s national museum of military history covers the country’s military past, from several hundred years ago to the most recent involvement in conflicts. And that’s the last part that bothers me: I find it strange to have wars that are currently being fought or were fought recently (for instance, in Kosovo or in Afghanistan) exhibited in a museum. I do not think we have the necessary insights yet for that.

I’m all for honouring and remembering veterans, but I wouldn’t want history to be mixed with political agendas.

Maybe it’s my European upbringing—in the old world, history is only “history” if it happened a few centuries ago!

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Ottawa Tulips Festival – 2012 Edition

Zhu — Wed, 16 May 2012 12:00:44 +0000

Hard to believe that just a few weeks ago, we got a surprise snow fall. The weather recently got warmer and it always feels humid. With all the rain we had lately, the trees, grass and plants are chlorophyll green and I think this time I can say it’s spring. Finally. In May.

The opening weekend of the 2012 Tulips Festival was very warm, and most of the flowers had just bloomed. Dow’s Lake was packed and people were fighting to have their picture taken by the flower beds. Eh, this is Canada, we don’t get to see flowers other than at the grocery store for six months at the time!

Lovely sea of colours, isn’t it?

You can see the complete set of the Ottawa Tulips Festival on Flickr.

Ottawa Tulips Festival

Canadian Small Towns - Gananoque

Zhu — Mon, 14 May 2012 12:00:32 +0000

Even though I’m very much a city person and can’t imagine living in a place with a population of less than 500,000, I’m in love with Canadian small towns.

Over the year, we visit quite a lot of small towns, mostly in Ontario but also in the U.S. Some were just a stop on the road to or from somewhere, some were a getaway, but most of them were simply lovely.

It’s a cliché but the pace of life is different and people are friendlier than in the big cities. It’s also refreshing to see fewer franchises, more “mom and pop” stores, and fresher products. It also helps that Ontario is a lovely province, and that a lot of these towns are in a beautiful natural setting. Most small towns here really try hard to be welcoming, unique and original and they each have their own little quirks or attractions.

Last week, on our way back from Toronto, we decided to break the five-hour long drive in Gananoque instead of Kingston (home of the Tragically Hip!), our usual stop. We had been to Gananoque once before, in 2008, when exploring the Thousand Islands.

Our stop there was quick but very relaxing. As soon as we stepped out of the car, we noticed how quiet it was compared to Toronto and to the highway. We walked around Joel Stone Park and the marina, and enjoyed what probably is the calm before the storm for this touristic site.

You can see more small towns in the Ontario Travels set.

Gananoque and the St Lawrence

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Foodie Review: Vittoria Trattoria

Zhu — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:00:08 +0000

Apple Crumble and Cinnamon Ice Cream

I usually avoid eating in the Byward Market because some of Ottawa’s worse restaurants operate there, and because food can be pricey and mediocre. I always feel for tourists who end up there and pay big bucks for bad food.

But sometimes, there are nice surprises.

One of my foodie friends and I hesitated forever before heading to the Byward Market. She had been to Vittoria Trattoria before and had liked it. I was in the mood for pizza, but not the Pizza Pizza kind with five-inch thick dough, and I hoped this Italian restaurant wouldn’t disappoint.

It didn’t.

We headed there around 7:30 p.m. on a rainy Tuesday night, and we joked that we would probably be the only customers in the restaurant. Ottawa can be very quiet during the week, and people here typically eat much earlier. Oh, we were wrong!

We showed up and immediately noticed the restaurant was busier than we had though. The first contact with the hostess was brutal. No “hello”, just “got a reservation?” I admitted we didn’t and she shrugged. “It’s gonna be like… I don’t know, fifteen minutes?” “Fifteen minutes, roughly?” I repeated for the benefit of my friend who was standing behind, and for my own. “Well, I don’t know. I can’t guess. Wait or not, it’s up to you,” she replied, walking away.

I was really put off by her attitude and actually stepped out of the restaurant, but the menu looked good and we figured we would give it a chance.

Twenty minutes later, we were lead to one of the dining rooms upstairs and greeted by a much friendlier waiter, who apologized for the wait and immediately brought us some fresh bread (delicious!).

We ordered an appetizer—the spinach and artichoke dip—because the place was packed, and we figured it would be a while before we’d get the main, two pizzas.

The appetizer turned out to be one of the best I had in a restaurant. Usually, when you order a “dip”, you get the same kind of dips you buy at the supermarket, along with some bread. This one was a work of art. It was fresh out of the oven and creamy, and was served with enough pita bread and toasts for two. We actually didn’t even finish for fear of not being able to eat the pizzas!

I had the salmon, leeks and tomatoes pizza, and my friend got the special of the night, pancetta and tomatoes. The dough was perfect: thin enough, with plenty of ingredients on top. They weren’t cheap on the salmon! I couldn’t finish and brought the last slice home.

Finally, we shared the apple crumble with cinnamon ice cream. I usually skip dessert in restaurants unless they are homemade (what’s the point of paying $7 for some frozen pie or cake?) but this one turned out to be pretty good, although a tad too sweet for my taste.

Except for the grumpy hostess downstairs, the service was excellent and fairly fast considering how busy it was. We said from the beginning we weren’t in a rush (we stayed over two hours!) and the waiters mostly left us eat at our own pace, but our glasses of water were always refilled promptly.

The bill came to $30 each (splitting the appetizer and the dessert)—pretty good for a three-course meal in the Byward Market.

Highly recommended!

The Good

Great pizza
Good bread (although I would have loved some butter rather than oil)
Friendly service

The Bad

Grumpy hostess welcoming customers
Long wait on busy nights
The dining rooms can be very noisy

At a glance

35 William Street
Ottawa ON K1N 6Z9
(613) 789‑8959
info.market@vittoriatrattoria.com
http://www.vittoriatrattoria.com

Sunday 10:00 AM — 2:00 PM, 2:00 PM — 10:00 PM
Mon — Fri 11:00 AM — 3:00 PM, 3:00 PM — 10:00 PM
Saturday 10:00 AM — 2:00 PM, 2:00 PM — 10:00 PM

Spinach and Artichoke Dip With Bread

Salmon and Leeks Pizza

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Picture of the Week: Little Italy

Zhu — Fri, 11 May 2012 12:00:25 +0000

Electrical Locker in Little Italy, Ottawa, May 2012

In Ottawa, the heart of Little Italy lies along Preston Street, in the area known as “Corso Italia”. Like in Chinatown, the entrance on Carling is marked by a metal arch in the colours of the Italian flag. Even the electrical lockers are painted in the colours of the flag!

There are tons of Italian restaurants for all budgets on Preston, as well as a few coffee shops, a bodega and a soccer club. Every year, the neighborhood hosts the Settimana Italiana di Ottawa and other events such as a Farmer Market.

Yet, as pleasant as strolling down Preston is, I can’t help thinking the area isn’t as lively as it should be, and most restaurants are rather cliché. Perhaps it is because there hasn’t been a wave of immigrant from Italy in a long time (the first one was around 1900, and the second after WWII), and because most people of Italian descent don’t celebrate their roots as much.

Even though I have one of these hard-to-spell Italian last name, I’d rather party in Chinatown, a few blocks away. Sign of times?

A Quick Trip To Toronto

Zhu — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:00:35 +0000

Toronto is one of my favourite cities in Canada, and we’ve gotten to know it pretty well through multiple visits. It’s an easy getaway destination, a mere five-hour drive from Ottawa, and there are a lot of cheap hotels if you don’t mind staying in the suburbs, like most of Toronto residents.

This time, we were there for the Bryan Adams concert and only stayed for a day, but we still enjoyed a nice walk in the city and a stop at two of our favourite restaurants: The Old Spaghetti Factory on the Esplanade, and a small Chinese dumpling place in Chinatown.

The drive into Toronto never ceases to amaze me, as the highway plunges between the condos, always taller and always closer. I never truly understood real estate and why people think investing in a $300,000 condo by the freeway is a good idea. I can understand the lucky—and rich—few who live in condos right in the downtown core, but why bother living in the suburbs in a condo? I guess it’s like real estate in Paris: you buy whatever you can and hope for the market to keep booming.

We often end up in Chinatown during our trips to Toronto. I like the atmosphere, and the fact that it’s always crowded. The number of small businesses is amazing, and there aren’t too many franchises in the neighborhood, which makes for an interesting walk.

This time, after eating our dumplings, we ended up in a small side street of Kensington Market we had never explored before. It was full of “alternative” clothing stores, and the smell of incense was overwhelming. Kensington Market boasts an amazing number of murals, most very well done and they liven up the area.

On the way back to Chinatown, we bumped into Olivia Chow, the wife of late NDP leader Jack Layton, giving interviews in Cantonese—no idea what she talked about!

You can see more pictures of Toronto in the Flickr set.

Always More Condos To Build…

: The Hockey Hall of Fame

: Chinatown

Bikes For Rent

On Bay Street

Incense Burning

Shoes For Sale

Alley

Self Portrait

Murals

May Day Celebrations

Toronto Skyline From Dundas Street

Olivia Chow Giving Interview in Chinatown

Late Night in TO

Foggy Highway

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Bryan Adams Concert in Toronto

Zhu — Mon, 07 May 2012 12:00:51 +0000

Yes, I like Bryan Adams. I don’t care how corny some of his songs can be, he is classic.

When I was in China in 2000, I picked up the 98 album “On a Day Like Today” and my friends and I loved it—probably because the lyrics were so easy to understand for us, non-English speakers. Plus, we were in a “Bridget Jones” phase where all the guys were asshole anyway, so most of the songs on the album confirmed what we highly suspected about the opposite sex.

I saw him play in Nantes once—must have been in 1998 or 1999—and I had good memories of the concert. He is one of these artists worth seeing live, I think.

That said, the decision to make the trip to the concert in Toronto was a last minute one. We both weren’t too busy at work, and the weather was suddenly warmer. Plus, we wanted to check out the Air Canada Centre.

The drive was quicker than expected (less traffic in the middle of the week I guess) and we made it downtown Toronto just in time to grab dinner before the show.

Security at the Air Canada Centre was a bit more lax than at Scotiabank Place, and I was able to take my DSLR with me (or at least, no one stopped me). We had good seats too, on the floor, so I’m glad I took the chance.

The show was awesome. There was no opening band but Bryan Adams sang non-stop from 8 p.m. to close to 11 p.m., and he played all his classics, plus many other good tunes. I wasn’t disappointed—he is a great live musician.

The crowd was great too. Lots of women, and some were really young—I wonder how they discovered Bryan Adams, who is an artist from 1990s!

You can see the complete set of pictures taken during the concert here, on Flickr.

The Air Canada Centre

Bryan Adams in Toronto