M had booked us in at a restaurant called One Elgin in the National Arts Centre. I had had possibly my best ever burger made from beef short rib and M really enjoyed her seafood spaghetti. We had had to cross the canal to get there and walked down to the Ottawa River at sunset afterwards.

Had a nightcap in the hotel bar. 

The next day we went to the Little Victories coffee roasters for breakfast.

We then walked along the canal for a bit. At weekends they close some roads for exclusive cycling access.

We had booked a tour of the house of commons which due to a mix up was in French. As a result I wasn't sure if I could take photos but did take one. It's actually built in an old courtyard.

After that we headed for the Notre Dame Cathedral. It was quite busy at first as it looked like a multiple baptism had just finished.
Next stop was the art gallery across the road  Some amazing stuff in there including a few audio visual installations. My photos don't really capture it very well but here's a few examples.They give you a sticker when you go in and lots had been stuck to thus notice board outside and elsewhere.We took a scenic walk back to the hotel.On the way we heard a cheer and figured it must be world cup related. I checked my phone and Canada had just scored in the 92nd minute against South Africa so we went into a bar to see the last few minutes of them qualifying for the last 16.  

In the evening we shared a pinza on the hotel terasse then headed off in search of some decent beer and ended up in the Lowertown Brewery. There was quite a lit of music going on in the downtown area. In the afternoon we'd passed a place called the Rainbow where there was a blues jam going on. In the evening we passed The Dominion where a very loud band was playing. On the way back we passed Ottawa's oldest pub which had a band playing. There was also a jazz festival just finishing and the Escapade Festival.

I'd booked extra roomy seats.They had no seats in front so I started to think maybe that was a mistake as no table or screen...but they fold out from your seat.They asked us to put the blinds down for most of the flight so people could sleep. This was our first view of Canada. Just coming up for sunset.We landed a bit early but had to wait ages for our bags. It was probably about 9:45 local time and dark when we finally got out and were met by Warren and Mary Ellen. They had a world cup photo machine at the airport.It was incredibly busy on the drive back to their place down the 8 lane (on each side) 401. 

Woke to a lovely morning.

Then we headed down to the CN Tower for lunch.

Great views, that's the football stadium on the right. Great food too, had mussels and puckered which is pike. Found the fan zone in Nathan Phillips Square and saw Messi score.Sat out in the garden for cheese and biscuits when we got back and saw a possum and  family of raccoons. This was the last of the young ones.At some point we also went to the local LCBO for supplies.

On Tuesday we headed into town by ourselves. Spent ages in the museum. They had great early nations and dinosaur sections.Had lunch there that featured an impressive corned beef sandwich.

Then found a pub called the Duke of York to watch a dull England draw with Ghana. 0 0. Large sections were reserved so we assumed that was for the came but nobody seemed interested so it all made for a bit of a flat atmosphere.We then headed for The Horseshoe Tavern to see some music. Once we found the venue we looked around for somewhere to eat and found an Iraqi place. When we came out we heard music playing from a bar opposite so went in there instead. It was free, cash only and we only caught the last couple of numbers but it still counts as a gig.On Wednesday we set off at 5 45 am to beat the rush hour and drive to Kat and Ross's who live near Niagara. They live in great detached house backing onto woodland.Although there's a fence their extends much further back. Emma and Poppy were pleased to see us.

There are lots of vineyards in the area and we drive out to one called Gallery 13 for a bit of a tasting. There was also some interesting art work there and a bakery selling butter tarts. After that we drove to a brewery called Bench for lunch. Warren and Mary Ellen then drove us Niagara On The Lake for look round then on to our hotel in Niagara. We paid for an upgrade and got a room with a balcony over looking the falls and the Rainbow Bridge over to the USA.We went in search of an LCBO and found ourselves on tge incredibly tacky Clifton Hill but picture doesn't capture it.As we had a great view we decided to chill for the evening and watched Scotland lose 3 0 to Brazil. There were lights.....

....and fireworks at 10.

Warren and Mary Ellen then picked us up from the hotel to drive us back. I'm the evening we went to the Little Sisters Indonesian restaurant in Midtown which was my birthday present from James and Amy. Great food. On Friday me, M and Warren went to see Senegal v Iraq. Great atmosphere. Unsegregated crowd all getting on. The Iraqis were very noisy. Unfortunately they conceded quire early on and then had a man sent off so list 5 0. Things to note, they watered the pitch during the hydration break and there's a countdown for whe. It ends. As it was the last group game the other game was being played at the same time so they gave the score and showed the goals. The stand we were in was temporary and had a great view. The music was very loud. It was very well organised. As it was 5 0 we left on 90 mins to beat the crowd. On the way back we met Mary Ellen for chicken wings at Duffs, one of Amy's favourites.