Watering Holes

You might be wondering about local watering holes favored by culinary students. Well, I have only been to a few with my friends, and they are all within walking distance of Wilbrod House.





The Urban Well is a pub that LCB Ottawa students often hang out in. It is on Laurier Avenue East, just a few blocks from the LCB Ottawa campus. The food here is quite affordable. A large plate of fries/chips costs about $4, and goes well with the beer (so I have heard). I like the ambience in this pub. The chairs/seats are comfortable, and the entertainment is not bad -- I have seen a live stand-up comedy show here.

Another watering hole favored by LCB Ottawa students is the Royal Oak (again, on Laurier Avenue East). Personally, I prefer the food (especially the fries/chips) served at the Royal Oak, though it is much pricier. (Aside: I am not much of a drinker, so when I go to a pub with friends, I am there for the company and ambience, and sometimes the food. I don't mind if it is more expensive, as long as the food is good.)





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Foundation is a more upmarket watering hole. It is a nightclub with really nice decor and pretty good service. Students often go to this nightclub for special occasions, e.g. for celebratory drinks after the graduation ceremony. They make a mean lychee martini here, I can tell you that. :)

A Cute Cat on Wilbrod Street

This afternoon, when I was walking to Loblaws with a housemate to do some grocery shopping, we came across this very friendly cat a few doors down from Wilbrod House. I'd never seen this cat before, but it came running up to us, as if it was really glad to see us. :)

Of course, I whipped out the camera and took a few photos of it. It didn't enjoy that sort of attention and soon began to ignore me. See photos below.





I couldn't help thinking this cat reminds me of the cartoon character Garfield. Looks cute, doesn't it? It is obviously someone's pet, because it sure looked well-fed and it had a pretty collar around its neck.

Anyway, I took these photos to show some of my relatives, who are cat lovers, an example of cats around my neighbourhood. I personally prefer dogs any day.

Snowing Again

Just when I thought spring was finally here (because almost all the snow outside had melted), it snowed again today. See photos below.


Wilbrod Street, looking towards Charlotte Street


Wilbrod House. All the snow had melted yesterday, and now there is a layer of snow on the ground again.


Reluctant subjects -- resident squirrels on Wilbrod Street. They were up the tree outside Wilbrod House when I came home today, and since I always have my camera with me, they had to put up with me taking their photos (just like my housemates and classmates at School). :D

The resident raccoon has thus far eluded me. Never mind. One of these days ...

Where I go to do my shopping

With the bus strike still on, people like me have simply been forced to walk to the shops. I don't mind it, because it is good exercise... To work off all the extra kilos from all the good food during Christmas! :)

Below are some photos of the places I go to do my shopping. All are on Rideau Street, a major thoroughfare here in the Sandy Hill area of Ottawa.


This is Loblaws, where I buy most of my groceries. It is the Canadian version of Woolies, I guess. (Aussies would know what I am referring to.)


And here's LCBO, where my housemates and I buy our alcohol... for cooking and baking, of course ;-)


This is Loeb, which is open 24 hours a day, but I seldom go there. It is further away from Wilbrod House than Loblaws, and it has somewhat more limited choices for the grocery items I normally buy. Some of my housemates like shopping here, because (they tell me) groceries are slightly cheaper here.


This is what you see as you walk along Rideau Street, heading towards Rideau Centre (the local shopping mall).


This is Rideau Centre. Lots of shops and boutique stores here. There's even a small cinema here. The feel of this place really reminds me of Westfield Bondi Junction, Sydney.


Sears is one of the major retailers in the Rideau Centre. It reminds me of Myer or David Jones in Australia.


And this is where my housemates and I go for DVD rentals -- Blockbuster Video on Rideau Street, a couple of blocks before we get to Rideau Centre.

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Update on 27 May 2009: Loeb is now renamed Metro. I noticed for the first time yesterday.

Random Reflections VI: What I Took For Granted in Australia

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I went to the local supermarket Loblaws (10 to 12 minutes' walk from Wilbrod House) today to do some last-minute grocery shopping.

Here are two photos of the winter landscape, as I trudge through the snow on my way to the supermarket:

I am on Wilbrod Street, looking east towards Charlotte Street (not visible in this photo)


Looking west towards the University of Ottawa, as I stand outside Australia House

As you can see, it is simply easier to walk in the middle of the road, where the snow has been cleared. Just as well Wilbrod Street is a one-way street.

I realised how much we take for granted in Australia. The footpaths are generally well-maintained, and we don't have to worry about snow (except if you live in a very cold place in Australia). Not that I'm complaining about the snow here in Ottawa (it's still a novelty to me).

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At Wilbrod House, we are doing a cooking challenge for Christmas Eve: Everyone has to make a dish that is not from their country/region of origin and that they have not ever made before. I decided to make a mushroom strudel (with filo/phyllo pastry) for the cooking challenge. That's why I went shopping for groceries today.

When I was walking home, it suddenly occurred to me that the herbs and vegetables that I had bought might be frostbitten by the time I get back to Wilbrod House... It is so different from Australia, where I used to take an esky to the supermarket, to make sure meat and dairy products I buy are kept cold.

Anyway, the herbs and vegetables were fine, because they were outside in the icy (-17 degrees Celsius) conditions for only a short time.

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Speaking of dairy products, I am still shocked by how expensive dairy products are here in Ottawa, compared to what I can get in major cities in Australia. The two blocks of unsalted butter (454g each, or 1 lb. each) you see in the photo below cost me about CAD$10. It's the same with milk and cream. I reckon they are about twice as expensive as in Australia. It's another thing I took granted when I was in Australia -- cheap dairy products. /sigh/



As a pastry student here at Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, I use a lot of butter, milk and cream in baking, and that means I have to spend quite a bit of money on ingredients when I am practising my baking at home (in Wilbrod House)... That's something to think about if you are coming to Ottawa to study at Le Cordon Bleu.

And one other thing: It could be because I am used to the dairy products in Australia, but I think the butter, milk and cream in Australia taste better (or rather, they have a stronger flavour) too.

Oh, I miss Australia!!!

Slippery and Dangerous

I slipped and fell on the Wilbrod House driveway yesterday. I was walking to the bus stop located right next to the driveway early in the morning (to catch a bus to my French language class in the city), and that's when it happened. I just felt my feet give way under me. I fell heavily on my left side, and now I have a few bruises on my left hip to show for it. Fortunately, I'm no worse for wear. I just have to learn to be more careful next time.

Because the weather has been fine, the snow from the other day melted and turned into a layer of very smooth ice at the end of the driveway leading onto Charlotte Street. It's literally like walking on wet glass (or what I imagine walking on wet glass would be like).

The locals seem to know what to do in this sort of condition - they seem to avoid the areas where the snow has turned into ice. Being a foreigner, I didn't even know what to look out for until yesterday morning. Oh well, another learning experience for me.

On a brighter note, I saw a squirrel out and about, foraging in the snow not far from Wilbrod House. It cheered me up considerably. I wondered where this squirrel was hiding when it snowed the other day ...

I'm still waiting to see the resident raccoon that my housemates tell me lives around here. My landlady hates the creature because it comes around the night before garbage collection day and rummages in the garbage, sometimes scattering garbage all over the street.

(Aside: They don't have wheelie bins here. I guess this is another thing I miss about Australia -- the ubiquitous wheelie bin.)

Getting Around Ottawa by Bus

Since I do not drive, the only way I have been able to go to my French language classes (yes, I am attending an Alliance Francaise class every Saturday morning) is by bus.



The bus ticketing system in Ottawa (in the downtown area and surrounding suburbs) works like this:

If you pay cash, then it is $3 per trip. Exact change required. The bus driver does not handle the money - you have to put the money into a box at the front of the bus, and the driver issues you a paper ticket, which has some information printed on it.

If you purchase the green-and-orange paper tokens ($1 per token), then you only need two of them to get a paper ticket on the bus. Basically, you save a dollar per trip (compared with paying by cash). You can get these paper tokens from places like the Seven Eleven.

The paper ticket you are issued on the bus will have the expiry time printed on it. Passengers, after paying their fare, get 90 minutes to use the ticket on any of the buses in the downtown area and nearby suburbs. If they are organised and can complete their errands in 90 minutes, they can actually use that ticket for a round trip.

I have been using the paper tokens to catch a bus to the shopping mall, do my shopping quickly (within 90 minutes), and then hop on a bus to get back home. All for just $2.

If you want to make many trips on the same day, and you need more than 90 minutes, then the Day Pass is the best bet. You can get a red Day Pass Voucher from the Seven Eleven as well. It costs $6.50. With the voucher, you get on a bus and exchange for a paper ticket that allows you an unlimited number of trips for the day.

The traffic in Ottawa is not bad. I have not seen any traffic jams, even though the roads can get quite busy at rush hour. It sort of reminds me of Canberra. Everything moves along at a sedate pace.

Squirrels -- look but don't touch

One of the things I have had to get used to in Ottawa is the ubiquitous squirrel. You see these creatures everywhere. I think nearly every house has a resident squirrel living in a tree somewhere.

This photo was taken at Strathcona Park (not far from Wilbrod House, and across the road from LCB), and shows the two different types of squirrels that I often see here. You see them digging in the garden, rummaging in the trash cans, scurrying up trees, crossing the roads in their characteristic "little bounces" (that's my first impression of them anyway)...

It is September now, and I guess that is when they are quite active. They must eat while the nuts and acorns are plentiful (i.e. now) and before winter comes along.

Most of these squirrels are not really afraid of people. When you walk past, they simply sit up and watch you, making sure you are on your way before resuming their activities. The locals tend to simply ignore them, but I find them amusing (sometimes, entertaining), so I would often stop to look at them (and even take pictures of them) on my way to the shopping mall.

I would never attempt to get any closer than about two metres -- I have been told not to try to touch these creatures because some of them could carry rabies.