Ottawa was a really friendly town and very pretty, unlike the urban sprawl and bustling metropolis that is Toronto. Ottawa had a lot of charm about it and although as I mentioned on Christmas Day everyone shut up shop the weather was sunny and only slightly chilly so I managed to get some pretty good snaps!
Unfortunately the trip to Ottawa did not provide such great weather. I had the joy of driving in rain, snow and fog.
Once arriving in Ottawa I was arrested and sent to jail, I did not pass go or collect $200! Ha, I was actually staying at a hostel that was once the city jail. Thankfully I was aloud to come and go as I liked but I did in fact sleep in a cell!
The door to my room!!
Thankfully the hall way was a little more pleasing than it would have been to prisoners back in the 1800s!
The locks at the end of the world heritage listed Rideau Canal. 
The Fairmount Chateau. A hotel that dominates the sky line in Ottawa. Also gives the city a certain European charm.
On the way to Parliament Hill.
The Locks Museum on Parliament Hill.
A statue of what appears to be my Nanna and Great Auntie Mary raising their tea cups to...
.....these fabulous ladies who are reveling that..... 
That's right fellas Women are persons! :) Bit of a worry though that they didn't declare this until October 18 1929
The Library at Parliament House.
The Frozen Ottawa River!
Parliament House!
The only half frozen Rideau Canal.
I was disappointed to learn that the canal was only half frozen as when it's rock solid you can ice skate down the canal. That's almost worth coming back for!After a day of wandering the city on Christmas Day I decided to spend Boxing Day exploring one of the many Museums in Ottawa. I would have like to go to many more but it appears the Canadian Museum of Nature was the only one open. It has been some time since I ventured into a Dinosaur exhibition but was pleasantly surprised by the display. Canada actually has quite a history when it come to prehistoric bones they also had a good collection of taxidermy animals that I am sure I won't come this close to again.
The Jurassic Park of Canada!
Since I have always been fond of the old Sea Turtle I was amazed to see the real bones of the once largest sea turtle. This fella was around in the late cretaceous period, for those Palaeontologists amongst us.
Kerrie? What are you doing in the Museum? hahaha
As close as I think I am ever going to get to a Moose!
Ditto with the Skunk... I hope!
Although in the Spring I would like to go really North to go Polar Bear spotting I can't see my self getting my head any closer to a bear and living!
Hahaha, do I look Canadian yet? Oh hang on that should be, I look Canadian eh?
A cold wintry day in Ottawa
A popular delicacy in Ottawa is Beaver tails! No silly not real beaver tails but its a pastry type sweet that you are apparently suppose to eat while skating on the Canal. Of course since I couldn't skate on the canal with out plummeting into freezing water I decided to have one on the street.
I even got my beaver teeth out for the occasion! Was pretty yummy actually, another reason to head back to Ottawa!
After driving back to Toronto in once again atrocious weather conditions, the next event planned over the festive season was to attend the Buffalo Bills Vs New England Patriots NFL game in Buffalo. I ventured down to the States with Rob and Kristen for the much anticipated game. Unfortunately the Bills had had a suckful season and were not going to make the play offs so this game was the last one for the season for them. One thing to be said for Buffalo though is that all though the team sucks the fans are a crazy die hard lot and thousands turned out for a game that wasn't going to mean any thing in cyclonic freezing winds!
Rob and Kristen, tailgating (drinking loads of beer and barbecuing in the car park before the game) was not as fun as it should of been simply because it was soooooo cold. I am not kidding folks the wind was so cold I lost feeling in my legs and feet even before I finished my first beer!
The cheery Bills fans building fires in the parking lot!
Players warming up before the game.
Thankfully we had corporate tickets in the nice warm box so we did not have to face the crazy winds that almost blew the goal posts over!
The Jurassic Park of Canada!
Since I have always been fond of the old Sea Turtle I was amazed to see the real bones of the once largest sea turtle. This fella was around in the late cretaceous period, for those Palaeontologists amongst us.
Kerrie? What are you doing in the Museum? hahaha
As close as I think I am ever going to get to a Moose!
Ditto with the Skunk... I hope!
Although in the Spring I would like to go really North to go Polar Bear spotting I can't see my self getting my head any closer to a bear and living!
Hahaha, do I look Canadian yet? Oh hang on that should be, I look Canadian eh?
A cold wintry day in Ottawa
A popular delicacy in Ottawa is Beaver tails! No silly not real beaver tails but its a pastry type sweet that you are apparently suppose to eat while skating on the Canal. Of course since I couldn't skate on the canal with out plummeting into freezing water I decided to have one on the street.
I even got my beaver teeth out for the occasion! Was pretty yummy actually, another reason to head back to Ottawa!After driving back to Toronto in once again atrocious weather conditions, the next event planned over the festive season was to attend the Buffalo Bills Vs New England Patriots NFL game in Buffalo. I ventured down to the States with Rob and Kristen for the much anticipated game. Unfortunately the Bills had had a suckful season and were not going to make the play offs so this game was the last one for the season for them. One thing to be said for Buffalo though is that all though the team sucks the fans are a crazy die hard lot and thousands turned out for a game that wasn't going to mean any thing in cyclonic freezing winds!
Rob and Kristen, tailgating (drinking loads of beer and barbecuing in the car park before the game) was not as fun as it should of been simply because it was soooooo cold. I am not kidding folks the wind was so cold I lost feeling in my legs and feet even before I finished my first beer! 
The cheery Bills fans building fires in the parking lot!
Players warming up before the game.
Thankfully we had corporate tickets in the nice warm box so we did not have to face the crazy winds that almost blew the goal posts over! The game was actually a fitting end to the Bills season as they didn't even score a field goal let alone a touch down during the game. They blamed it on the weather but really we all know they actually suck ha-ha. Was a really good day, but to be honest give me a beer a pie and a Aussie Rules match any day!
