Became a member in: 2017
Renewal Date: 30/Apr/2018
My wife was a scientist and I had a translation agency but we are retired now. We have 2 adult children, who are on their own now.
Additional languages spoken
French, German, Spanish
Affinities
Plants & Gardens,
Watersports,
Skiing,
Cycling / Mountain Biking,
Hiking,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
MoreLessAffiliations
University Professors,
Retirees,
Seniors,
Medical & Healthcare Professionals,
Civil Service Professionals,
Science / Research
MoreLessProfession
scientist and owner of translation agency (Retired)
Our pets
a cat
Simultaneous Home Exchange
Pet Care Needed
Smoking Not Allowed
Children Welcome
Use of Personal Car is preferred
Open to all dates | Munich, Germany |
Open to all dates | Open to all destinations |
Description of the home we are offering for exchange
Our house is very close to the Rideau Canal and Dow's Lake and about 2 km from the Canadian Parliament, Supreme Court and city centre. These can be easily reached by bus or by walking or cycling along the canal past gardens most of the way. Our house has 3 bedrooms upstairs and one in the finished basement. There are two bathrooms upstairs and one in the finished basement. The master bedroom has a modern ensuite bathroom. There is a modern kitchen with granite countertops and all the appliances, along with a second freezer-fridge in the basement as well as a second refrigerator. The family room has a sound system and a broad variety of classical music CDs. The TV provides a huge selection of Canadian English- and French-language programming (including European soccer and rugby games), all the major US channels, one German-language channel (DW, although more could be added) and one channel with international French-language programming (TV5). We have a cat who will need some tending but is pretty independent as well as some plants inside and outside that will need water. The cat can be left alone with food for a couple of days, and for longer trips, we hire the girl next door to take care of her.
Type
House - 2 or more floors/ Main Residence
Amenities
Entertainment
Extras
Setting
Description of our neighbourhood and surrounding area
Our neighbourhood is a rather handsome area with lots of trees and friendly, helpful neighbours. It is easy to walk and cycle along the residential streets and the pedestrian/cycling path along the canal is only a few metres away . It stretches from the city centre and the Parliament buildings in one direction to Carleton University and the Hogsback Waterfall in the other. A major shopping area is located along Bank St., about 500 m away. There is a pleasant park with thousands of flowers along Dow's Lake. A little further along are the Arboretum and the Experimental Farm with its animals and fields of various crops you can cycle through.
Outdoor Activities
Leisure
Cultural Activities
Transport Nearby
Neighbourhood Services
Our home exchange - places to go and things to do while staying in our home
As the national capital, Ottawa is unusually well endowed with theatres, restaurants, concert venues, art galleries and museums including the National Gallery of Canada, the National Arts Centre, the Canadian Museum of Nature, the Canada Aviation and Space Museum, the Canada Science and Technology Museum, the Canadian Museum of History, the Canadian War Museum and the Canada Agriculture Museum. Canada celebrates the 150th anniversary of its founding in 2017 and so there will be even more concerts and events of various kinds than usual. Ottawa has two major rivers and one canal with lengthy walking/cycling pathways along them. You can also take boat trips on the Rideau and Ottawa rivers. Nearby Bank St. is a major shopping area with interesting local stores. Professional American football and soccer are played 500 m away at Lansdowne Park, which also hosts a variety of concerts and major chain stores. Some games of the last women's World Cup of soccer were held there. Our favourite nearby restaurant is Gezellig. Slightly further afield are the French restaurants of Le Tartuffe across the river in Gatineau, les Fougeres in Chelsea and l'Oree du Bois in Gatineau park. The Byward Market in downtown Ottawa is also very attractive with various restaurants, shops and grocery and baked goods outlets. You can swim in the Rideau and Ottawa rivers but the best place is Gatineau Park, a 20 minute drive to the north in French-speaking Quebec, with its pristine lakes, beaches and hiking trails. Canoes, kayaks and paddle boats can be rented on nearby Dow's Lake and in Gatineau Park. Montreal is a 2 hour drive away with Quebec City another 2 hours. To the west, Toronto is about 5 hours away and Niagara Falls another 1 1/2 hours. The USA is about 1 hour away. Also interesting are the city of Kingston and Old Fort Henry, about a 2-hour drive, and Upper Canada Village, which is a reconstructed 19th century pioneer village. You can also visit Parc Omega in Quebec. It is an expansive, fenced-in area that you drive through in your car while large concentrations of typical animals for the area such as bears, wolves, deer, moose, and beavers roam free. You can feed some of the animals.
Our favourite restaurants
Special places to shop
Leisure and cultural activities
Walks or jogging paths
Health or fitness clubs
Interesting day trips
Our home exchange - here are our Preferences and House Rules
We have done about a dozen exchanges in all. We always leave our counterparts' house neat and tidy and expect the same in our house. Our exchanges with Homelink and another agency were mostly in the 1980s and 90s and we don't have records any more.
Conditions
Use of Personal Car
Home Exchange Type
Became a member in: 2017
Renewal Date: 30/Apr/2018
My wife was a scientist and I had a translation agency but we are retired now. We have 2 adult children, who are on their own now.
Additional languages spoken
French, German, Spanish
Affinities
Plants & Gardens,
Watersports,
Skiing,
Cycling / Mountain Biking,
Hiking,
The Arts,
Music Lovers
MoreLessAffiliations
University Professors,
Retirees,
Seniors,
Medical & Healthcare Professionals,
Civil Service Professionals,
Science / Research
MoreLessProfession
scientist and owner of translation agency (Retired)
Our pets
a cat
Over 70 years of home exchange experience
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