Reminiscing about past travels and other (un)related things!

I worked all of 3 years in my entire life. I could talk about several things from my work days; however since I am travelling this weekend, I am reminded of my work travels.

During that period in my life, I went on 3 business trips - a conference in Halifax, management training in Vancouver and technical training in Ottawa. All 3 cities became my favourite cities - they are so distinct from each other and offer such varied experiences. Out of the 3 cities though, Ottawa is the most visited as I had/have family and friends there. However, when I visited Ottawa for work, I took the train for the first time. It was Business Class in VIA RAIL. I was immediately hooked.

So, I booked myself a round trip ticket in Business Class with VIA RAIL for my trip to Ottawa. ASid was like do you really need to be this extravagant?! And I was like this is none of your business kid! I always have to get punny with this kid. He was mostly supportive though. In fact, he told me to "be careful out there"! It is a phrase my mom uses all the time and it was delightful for me to hear it from my child. They say there comes a time when your children become your parents. Obviously, there is plenty of time for that! But it is good to know he has a bit of my mom in him.

I guess I have a bit of my mom in me too! She was always super conservative at home; however, when we travelled, she would do a 180 on us. She would become this person who would go all out and make sure we had the best time. I still have fond memories of travelling as a child in the “mother country"! We almost always travelled by trains. We always stayed with family, friends or at "holiday homes" my dad's work provided. The "holiday homes" were the best as they came with chauffeur driven cars and personal chefs. We never stayed at hotels.

In Ottawa though, I am staying at a hotel. While I was looking for a hotel, my mom's part of me kicked in. I couldn't decide between Fairmont and The Westin. I chose the latter based on rating. My friend Y was like do you really need a hotel for one night?! I am like absolutely! I got myself a nice room with a king size bed and I am going to sleep like a queen. 

Long live my mom who taught me to travel in comfort and style.

I believe it is going to be an awesome 27 hours.

That was typed up on my way to Ottawa yesterday and I am home now! Here are some shout-outs to some other deserving people:

Frederique – She was the girl at The Westin Ottawa reception. Yup! I am actually mentioning a real name! She was so kind and thoughtful especially when she found out I had been up since 2:24 am. Thank you Frederique!

Craigley - The hubby has a great past in Ottawa and Montreal staying at high end hotels and he is still considered a preferred guest. So, I got amazing upgrades on top of my already awesome room.

KPF - I don't know why I even mentioned him forgetting my birthday?! Really, who cares?! I asked him to pick his favourite restaurant for dinner and he picks a vegetarian restaurant for me. One of the best meals ever and the company was exceptional.