Montreal bagels are so good. With cream cheese, with jam, or even naked, they're simply yummy. And my friends in Ottawa who used to live Montreal were most pleased when I brought half a dozen with me. Yes, that's right, I went to Ottawa, small mostly uninteresting capital of Canada!

I went to visit Patricia (one of my friends from when I was working in Chile), her Quebecois husband Patrice and their two boys Sebastien and Antoine. They live in Hull, which is the town in Quebec directly opposite Ottawa across the river. Sadly, Patrice had to go to New York for a conference on Monday morning, but we spent Sunday evening together, eating bagels (when they heard I was bringing some they rushed out and bought some salmon to put on them!) and swimming in the pool in their garden. Sebastien took to me quickly and we played various games, and little Antoine (he's only three months old, and so cute!) was generally being gorgeous.

On Monday - which is Labor Day holiday here so the place was deserted - we took Patrice to the airport, and then drove into Hull town centre to visit the National Civilisation Museum. It's so well done! I was a bit worried that I might be bored by yet another museum about the European colonisation of Canada, but in fact it was the best presentation I've seen on the subject. Lots of interactive displays; fascinating mock-ups of settlements, towns & stuff; and plenty to keep kids interested too. On top of that, there was lots of information about Canada's First Nations (read native tribes) and some fabulous carvings & totems. There's even a separate Kids' Museum, which Sebastien was really loving, with indoor exhibits and outdoor activities.

In the afternoon we popped home to eat and have a snooze. Then we drove into Ottawa town centre to have a look around. Okay, it was actually to have an eat around. Jenny & Neil had recommended that I try Beaver Tails while I was in Ottawa. So I did. And they're great! They're like roti breads with either savoury (garlic, butter & cheese) or sweet (maple syrup; nutella; other stuff) toppings. Naturally I had one of each, and both were great.

Ottawa itself isn't much to look at - and neither is Hull for that matter. Both towns have some imposing big buildings and many Government office blocks, but there's little to inspire the lover of architecture here. However, the bell tower of the parliament building affords some attractive views over the two towns, as I discovered the following day: Patricia & I dropped Son One off at his kindergarten and then after a large American style breakfast headed to the parliament building with Son Two to do the tour. Interestingly, I was the first British person our French-language tour guide had ever had on one of his tours. But then again, given that every other tour runs in English, it's not surprising that most Brits might wait the extra ten minutes. We were in a bit of a hurry, however, owing to parking limits in town.

After the tour, we just had time to browse a Canadian art gift shop before the heavens opened and I saw what rain can be. Thankfully, it eased off a bit as we headed to the car. After a quick chat with an ex colleague of Patricia's who is about to visit Southeast Asia and was keen to hear first-hand how it had been for me, Patricia dropped me off at the bus station and I made my way back to Montreal.

It was pissing down in Montreal too, so I walked as fast as my rolly bag would allow, back to the large library near Jenny & Neil's flat. The library has a charming stained-glass ceiling depicting the coats of arms of the first families to settle here. (You know, I made that last bit up. I've no idea what the coats of arms were from, but that seems plausible, don't you think?)

My last evening in Canada was a quiet one. I got packed up and generally sorted my head out for travelling to the Southern Hemisphere. I had to get up at five in the morning to catch a taxi to the airport. At least this allowed me to enjoy the sunrise as I cruised along the highway in a taxi driven by a Haitian speed freak.