Ottawa - finally back to Bodypump, Gruyère, and 'real' bread 😀

After another battle with the luggage - the suitcase can't be too heavy on the train, so all heavy items in the carry-on bag (hello 10 kg handbag😜 long live Longchamp!) - I arrived at Toronto train station all sweaty after about a 50-minute walk. I didn't want to take a taxi since I had plenty of time after the checkout. Normally, the journey takes about 35 minutes, but with the rolling Roland (for all Dürrenmatt fans: not the 'Rasende Roland' #germanliteratureteacherdeformation) over tram tracks and uneven surfaces, you move like a turtle 😜 Anyway, this walk was a good upper-body workout 😋
At the train station, I wanted to clarify if I could take an earlier train for the next train ride from Ottawa to Montréal because it's always a bit inconvenient when you have to check out at 11 am and either have to carry the luggage the whole day or leave it at the hotel, especially if the hotel is far from the train station. After finding out that I could change the booking for $22, I decided to hop on an earlier train in Toronto as well. The ride would take over 4 hours, and instead of waiting another hour at the train station, I preferred to continue.

My first success at the gate was: the nice lady with the baggage scale congratulated me that my suitcase had the perfect weight. Yes! She doesn't even want to know how heavy my backpack was 😋 The same procedure again when I travel to Montréal, and then I have to prepare the luggage for the flight to Boston 😊 But I'm sure that will also go well. (EVERYTHING always goes well, that's what life has shown me in the last year 👍🏻)
However, I'm already looking forward to my car in the States, then I can throw everything into the trunk for 7 days and buy a second suitcase right away. 😋

On the platform, it was announced that since I had bought a ticket shortly before, I was allowed to sit in the business class, the fifth and last economy car was not put into operation. Nice! On the way, I booked the three missing hotels/motels for October 1st-3rd and spent 2 out of 4 hours talking to my dear friend using FaceTime - or I entertained her (sorry, I talked so much 🙈🙈) It's great when the Wi-Fi works on the train. That's how it should be.
I checked into my hostel in Ottawa at around 6:30 pm. Since there was no own reception there, I had to go next door to the 'Swiss Hotel' and saw a cowbell there - hello homeland 😋 That was the start of my 'Swiss Days', as you will read below.
The hostel was very tiny, had only 4 rooms, and was for women only. It was a bit special: at the entrance, you had to take off your shoes (that's probably why it's called 'Barefoot Hostel' - it makes sense!) and the room doors were unlocked! However, it had a nice living room and a pretty bathroom. And it was so quiet compared to the 'party hostels' I've been to lately. My roommates spoke a very 'normal-sounding' French, I thought they were French, but they were from Montréal. A real listening experience, considering that the French in the train from Vancouver and in Toronto with the English accent sometimes sounded funny 😂 I almost never speak French myself, but it's definitely an advantage to understand a lot - the listener is all ears 😊
Since I wasn't tired yet, I walked to the nearby sights for a short while. They also have a different charm in the evening. I also wanted to have a bite to eat and sat down in a fancy restaurant where I ordered a delicious salad (Tami: finally avocados and tortilla strips 😜) and a non-alcoholic (yes!) drink. The 'Miami Ice' was so delicious and tasted exactly like a Hugo (haha, I initially typed 'Jugo'😂😂) It's great that these virgin cocktails exist because you don't always want to order water or cola.
Near the restaurant, at the government buildings, I heard the sound of a church bell for the first time in two months, the familiar Big Ben or school bell chime. It's weird when you suddenly notice such a sound! 😊 #mindfulness
I was thrilled that there was a Goodlife Fitness center of the chain 'Goodlife Fitness' in a shopping center near the hotel, which I had already seen in Toronto. Since the first Intrepid tour, I had never been to a fitness center anymore and I really miss it! Especially the LesMills Group Fitness classes. One of the advantages of these programs (besides the fun factor) is that they are international, so you know what to expect. However, these programs are not available in all fitness studios - but they are at Goodlife - so it was clear to me: I have to go there! I had plenty of time anyway and noticed that they issued a free pass for 3 visits. Very practical! And it was so great in the Bodypump class, especially the fact that I could keep up well after a two-month break. But after almost ten years of Bodypump (yep, the good old Fitness-Emotion days in Spreitenbach with Vladi, Laura, and Daaaaniel) you know the movements. Nevertheless, of course, I had muscle soreness after 3 visits in three days and jogging on top of that 😋 But it was great! #lovetheburn
On Wednesday and Thursday, I went jogging again and visited some sights: Rideau Falls, several government buildings... At Byward Market, I found tempting, cave-aged Kaltbach cheese 😃 In the afternoon, I relaxed a bit and went to the nearby 'Domino's Pizza' to cross something off the to-do list again: Parmesan Bread Bites and Cinnastix 😍 (lasted for 2 days 😂) 

On Thursday, I did almost the same thing, jogged 5 km to 'Wendy's' Diner (only three weeks left to finish the food sightseeing 😂) and had a delicious 'Bacon Deluxe' burger there. On the way back, in the middle of the city, I discovered a groundhog!

In the afternoon, I relaxed, made phone calls, and then attended a class with a yoga-tai chi-pilates mix called Bodyflow. (Housewife lifestyle 😂) And I was happy to get something delicious at the great supermarket 'Metro' afterwards: Gruyère! I've missed my favorite cheese so much. This supermarket even had real bread, so on Friday morning after another Bodypump class at 7 am (so great!), I got my breakfast there. Unfortunately, they didn't have small butter portions, but 'La vache qui rit' (The Laughing Cow) is great too. Hopefully, I can leave the items somewhere in Montréal! (P.S.: I miss Floralp butter!!)

I spent the evenings at the hostel with Netflix, internet, and Spotify. Now you might think: 'You can do that at home too!' But since I arrived in the east, somehow I'm tired (minor jetlag of 3 hours 😜 or is it the heat? Yesterday we had 35 degrees...) and I don't feel the need to go out and party anymore. And that was one of the goals of this trip, to feel yourself and do whatever you feel like doing. There will be other days when you want to go out in the evening - who knows, maybe there's a 90s party somewhere 😂 (and otherwise at the latest in Switzerland 😜) Speaking of party/bar: when the Bodypump instructor called 'Grab your bar!', I thought to myself: from one meaning of 'bar' to the other 😀 Life is so diverse, you should savor all facets when you can and want to 😃