.SOMETIMES RAW.

Hello and Happy Monday!

Today my son and I explored all day long again! We dropped my husband off and drove to Byward Market in Ottawa. I read a lot about the history of this great market which was established in 1826 and is one of Canada’s largest and oldest markets. These days it is a great tourist attraction – my son was pushing his stroller around walking a lot and it was difficult sometimes not to hit other people. With all its art and entertainment, this area reminded me a lot of The Village in New York.

Byward Market has a lot of restaurants of diverse cuisine. For authentic Mexican food I would recommend Burrito Borracho. Yum, and the portions are quite big. If you are more in the mood for a burgers, fries and such, I suggest Zak’s Diner. My son and I loved it! Have you ever tried Poutine? Your heart might skip a beat or two but it is worth to eat at least once. 😉

Of course I needed to find a bookstore, right? Chapters is the Barnes and Noble of Canada I would say and there is so much to see. Books upon books on two rather large floors, a café and a huge gifts, magazines, entertainment and home style section make this place complete. Chapters is owned by Indigo Books and Music and founded in 1994. If you love books, this place should be on your list of to-do things at Byward Market. Chapters does have a section with French literature as well.  If you are interested in a French literature only bookstore, visit Librairie Du Soleil. Unfortunately, I am not able to read books in French yet but this independent bookstore is very charming and oh so French. <3

After a cup of coffee, reading and playing, we walked to the breathtaking Parliament of Canada. On our way back to the car we strolled through Major’s Hill Park and chased some squirrels. My son was such a trooper, walking all day long. Tired but happy, he fell in his car seat and slept for a bit. He usually does not nap anymore during the day but I guess all these impressions were a bit much for him. If you plan on traveling to Ottawa, let me know. I can give you some great tips. Have a great start of the week.

Thank you for reading my blog.

Hello!

My family and I are in Canada, eh! We made it safe and sound, being in the car listing to the horrible news on what happened in Paris/France. What is happening with this world? I am just feeling very hopeless for humanity at this point. It frightens and eludes me at the same time.  I am not getting into this now because it just upsets me too much. Most importantly, my husband’s family and friends are okay in France.

So, my “FRENCH” husband has his course all weekend and my son and I are exploring the area alone which is okay. We have been here all together several times and drive around and do whatever feels good with our car. We dropped my husband off in the morning and had breakfast at Tim Hortons. YUM! They have free wifi access which worked out well to do some more research on the area. Ottawa has it all, you guys! I am so in love with this city. After breakfast, our first stop was Carleton University  to see and explore the campus. It is very nicely laid out and we found our way around easily. I saw huge banners on most of the buildings on campus of Carleton graduates and their achievements. Singers, famous writers, you name it. I thought this was pretty neat and encouraging.

There was a Starbucks that we used to warm up in for a while. It is cold here! I don’t really like winter or cold weather too much but for some reason in Canada, it is different. It feels okay – crispy cold but good. The key is to have the proper clothing. It does not matter how you look in your Canada Goose Winter Coat. The only thing that matters is that you stay warm. Especially in Canada. Being from Germany, I do know cold winters too. There were some really tough ones and as kids we all used to have full snowsuits and hats that covered your entire head, just the face peeked out. My son has one too! 🙂 He also has rain pants, rain boots and waterproof jackets; so do I. As my father always says “There is no bad weather – just bad clothes”.

My son is pretty energetic. He needs to be outside every day at least for a while. There is no way to keep him indoors without loosing your mind. So by having all the right equipment it is easy for us to go outside no matter what. My siblings and I used to be outside all the time. Literally! There was no computer, Playstation, cell phones etc. and we did not have too many toys either. But what we did have however was imagination. We played for hours in the park close to my parent’s house. We built dams, tree houses and caves in the bushes. Then we came back home when it started getting dark; all dirty but happy. We had a great childhood and I believe my brother and sister agree. Thank you mom and dad!

Being inside all the time is just boring. I want to give my son the same opportunities I enjoyed as a kid. I read a great book about raising kids even before I had my son. Sort of to be prepared and then it all comes differently anyway haha!  It is by Harvey Karp and called “The Happiest Toddler on the Block”.  The book is really great. Do read it if you have kids/toddlers (it mostly addresses 1-4 years old kids)

We went to the playground a bit until his little nose turned red due to the cold and I could not feel my fingers anymore. But guess what? He was so much calmer and happier afterwards, so it was all worth it. We went to a Thrift Store which was paradise for both of us.  All the clothes and books made me so happy. And the toy section … well let’s say it was not the easiest thing to get him out of there. 🙂 Then it was almost time to pick up my husband but before, we stopped at Kardish! What an awesome store with a plethora of healthy food, supplements, drinks, creams, lotions and potions. I have to say it again: Canadians are the friendliest people. I have not met ONE rude person at any point while we were here. At Kardish they loved my son. They gave him a balloon that he has not taken off his wrist since.

We waited a bit for my husband and I saw this car:

How in this world can someone be that messy? Of course I waited for the person to return to the car. How could you not!? It was a normal looking woman! Make-up, hair done, the whole thing!  I was just about to get out of the car and ask her a couple of questions but my husband came out of the building. We had dinner at HAO Sushi. I wrote a review about it here. Then we drove home. What a great day!

One more side effect of being outdoors when it is crispy and cold: You get tired! 🙂 My husband is sleeping after his long day in the classroom. I put my son to bed and he was gone within five minutes. Sleep well my loves – my son’s  balloon attached to his wrist. <3

Thank you for reading my blog. 

Hello!

Today I would love to share quotes that made me think, feel good, feel sad, changed my life and sometimes changed my attitude. Enjoy!

“ ‘Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?’
‘Supposing it didn’t,’ said Pooh after careful thought.
Piglet was comforted by this.”
— A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

“Maybe… you’ll fall in love with me all over again.” “Hell,” I said, “I love you enough now. What do you want to do? Ruin me?”
“Yes. I want to ruin you.”
“Good,” I said. “That’s what I want too.”
— Ernest Hemingway, A Farewell to Arms

Skylar: Maybe we could go out for coffee sometime?
Will: Great, or maybe we could get together and just eat a bunch of caramels.
Skylar: What?
Will: When you think about it, it’s just as arbitrary as drinking coffee.
Skylar:  Okay, sounds good. — Good Will Hunting, Movie

 Alvy Singer: After that it got pretty late, and we both had to go, but it was great seeing Annie again. I… I realized what a terrific person she was, and… and how much fun it was just knowing her; and I… I, I thought of that old joke, y’know, the, this… this guy goes to a psychiatrist and says, “Doc, uh, my brother’s crazy; he thinks he’s a chicken.” And, uh, the doctor says, “Well, why don’t you turn him in?” The guy says, “I would, but I need the eggs.” Well, I guess that’s pretty much now how I feel about relationships; y’know, they’re totally irrational, and crazy, and absurd, and… but, uh, I guess we keep goin’ through it because, uh, most of us… need the eggs. — Annie Hall, Woody Allen, Movie

“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,
who poverty and tatters and hollow-eyed and high sat
up smoking in the supernatural darkness of
cold-water flats floating across the tops of cities
contemplating jazz,
who bared their brains to Heaven under the El and
saw Mohammedan angels staggering on tenement roofs illuminated,
who passed through universities with radiant cool eyes
hallucinating Arkansas and Blake-light tragedy
among the scholars of war, ”
― Allen Ginsberg, Howl

 Emily: “Good-by, Good-by, world. Good-by, Grover’s Corners… Mama and Papa. Good-by to clocks ticking… and Mama’s sunflowers. And food and coffee. And new-ironed dresses and hot baths…and sleeping and waking up. Oh, earth, you’re too wonderful for anybody to realize you. Does anyone ever realize life while they live it…every, every minute?”STAGE MANAGER: “No. Saints and poets maybe…they do some.”
― Thornton Wilder, Our Town

“His heart beat faster and faster as Daisy’s white face came up to his own. He knew that when he kissed this girl, and forever wed his unutterable visions to her perishable breath, his mind would never romp again like the mind of God. So he waited, listening for a moment longer to the tuning fork that had been struck upon a star. Then he kissed her. At his lips’ touch she blossomed like a flower and the incarnation was complete.”
― F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

 “Everyone seems to have a clear idea of how other people should lead their lives, but none about his or her own.Remember that wherever your heart is, there you will find your treasure.This is what we call love. When you are loved, you can do anything in creation. When you are loved, there’s no need at all to understand what’s happening, because everything happens within you.”
― Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

There are just many more, but I don’t want to go too crazy here! What are your favorite quotes? Have a great day!

Thank you for reading my blog.