Ottawa, One Month Later: A Vacation Re-Examination
In hindsight, the Ottawa trip wasn't entirely bad.
"Everyday, it's a gettin' closer, goin' faster than a roller coaster." - Buddy Holly
In my previous post, I lamented how a five-day family getaway to Ottawa back in early November was an unsalvageable trainwreck that completely derailed our plans for over a month and counting, thanks to a series of mishaps in the Canadian Capital that resulted in the loss of my clip-on sunglasses, debilitating lower-back injuries, and the wrath of Coldthulu, the worst "souvenir" ever. Well, I'm sorry to report that we're still unwilling passengers aboard the Coldthulu Coaster, and like any other roller coaster out there, the severity of our symptoms rise and drop everyday. According to our family doctor, Coldthulu could potentially stick around for two months, which would mean feeling shitty into the first week of 2025. Damn, that would really suck! Thankfully, my lower-back injuries have healed up, so at least I'm no longer fighting a war on two fronts. This reprieve from my muscle pains have allowed me to help my parents with the setting up of our Christmas tree and nativity, the full extent of our Christmas décor for 2024. At least we achieved something Christmassy this year, right?
Anyway, self-quarantining at home for over a month has given me plenty of time to regulate my negative emotions over our series of misfortunes, as well as ruminate on everything that happened in the Capital with a fresh outlook. While I still regret going on the Ottawa trip and still have a sour taste in my mouth regarding travel risks, in hindsight, I can now recognize that our family vacation wasn't all doom and gloom, and that I do have some pleasant memories of it. As such, I thought it might be therapeutic to share some of these positive experiences with you all. Starting from the beginning, while it was extremely stressful and nerve-wracking getting lost on route to the hotel and driving around in circles along Ottawa's labyrinthian streets, I thankfully wasn't the poor unfortunate soul driving (thank you for your service, Dad), so I was at least able to take in the Capital's beautiful 19th century gothic revival architecture and big city energy, which are things I've come to miss after moving from Toronto to a small town. I also spotted a historic house that resembled a smaller version of the Addams Family mansion, which was super cool! I'd love to learn more about that intriguing house...
My intense indigestion from overindulging in too much good food and fine wine at the fancy restaurant wasn't a fun experience, but it was nevertheless good food and fine wine that I thoroughly enjoyed up until the point that I felt like my belly would burst. Next time, I'll remember to eat with my stomach rather than my eyes. Sure, the miserable wet weather kept us cooped up indoors more than we would've liked, but at least our hotel was comfy and cozy with both a nice gym and an awesome heated indoor swimming pool, which even had a private changing room (yay)! Our hotel was also conveniently situated in the heart of downtown Ottawa, within walking distance of the Parliament Buildings, Rideau Canal, University of Ottawa, ByWard Market, and Rideau Centre shopping mall. Speaking of which, even though we had to make a hasty exit from the Rideau Centre due to the wooziness we experienced there from the overwhelming scent of clothing store perfume, we nevertheless enjoyed our brief tour of that impressive mall, especially the Lego Store. Large indoor shopping malls are another aspect of big city life I now miss, so it felt great to visit one again, even briefly.
Thankfully, we were blessed with sunny gorgeous weather on our final full day in Ottawa, allowing us to visit and snap plenty of photos around Parliament Hill and along the Rideau Canal. Best of all, Mom spotted a Tucker's Marketplace restaurant while we were strolling through the ByWard Market, which was one of my favourite buffet chains as a teenager until it seemingly went out of business around the same time Blockbuster Video did. Enjoying a yummy meal with my parents at a restaurant I never expected to see again sure was a magical experience, so thanks, Mom, for pointing it out to me. In closing, I now see that our Ottawa vacation wasn't as disastrous or Griswoldian as it initially felt to me. Having said that, I definitely stand by my original assessment that no vacation is worth a long recovery period from the unwanted "souvenirs" of injuries and/or illnesses. Oh, well. At least my parents and I learned to start masking again, right? Beware of Coldthulu and stay safe out there, everybody! Do you have any thoughts on this post? If so, feel free to reach out by leaving a comment, dropping me a line, or signing my guestbook to share your opinions on this or any other topic. Also, feel free to press the "like" button if you enjoyed this post, as "likes" help me gauge audience interest in the content I post. After all, I don't want to bore anyone, ha-ha. Until next time, love, peace, and chicken grease!
Posted in "Autistic Perspectives" on Saturday, December 14, 2024.