A fun-packed last day in Ottawa on my surprise birthday trip.
Coffee at Ottawa Bagel Shop, then brekfast at Fil’s Diner with mates.
A quick skate on a nearly-empty Rideau Canal on a sunny day.
Shopping.
Great lunch at Play, a new restaurant in the Byward Market.
A beaver tail.
A drive to Merrickville, a pretty little artisan’s town.
A quick spin down the river parkway, pretty with the lights at night.
A shared club sandwich at old haunt Mello’s Diner.
We’re at the airport as I write this, waiting for our flight to London to board. We’re a bit early, actually: it’s dead here.
I lived in Ottawa from December 1995 to February 2001. I have good memories and incredible friends that still live here. To be brought here for 4.5 days as a birthday surprise, to see them and their kids, to have my brother and wife come up from Toronto, to be here during the icy festival of Winterlude, was all just incredible. I’m glad I retain enough stamina, resistance to cold, and good humour that I was able to enjoy it immensely.
Timinator 
Glad you guys had a great time – isn’t she a clever girl to come up with such a fabulous birthday treat!