I'm back from Canada, and I feel shattered. An intense work schedule leading to acute sleep deprivation prior to the trip set me up perfectly for the ensuing jet lag, my body guessing (wrongly) each day which time zone I was now on. Just as my circadian rhythms were starting to syncopate, the journey back threw me another curve, not helped by a passenger in my row having a suspected heart attack half way through the flight. At least I could console myself that I was not in her shoes.

The primary purpose of our visit was to surprise my now 80-year old mother-in-law for her birthday in Kitchener, about 1 hour west of Toronto. She survived the shock of our arrival, but the celebrations took their toll and unfortunately left her too ill to accompany us to Ottawa, where lay the secondary purpose of the trip. My wife has cousins in Ottawa who kindly offered to put us up. My wife knows the city well but I had never visited before.

Ottawa is a city of contradictions. It seemed to me to have more of a British feel than Toronto or Vancouver, but I heard as many, if not more, French voices on the streets of the city than British. It is also by far the most peaceful capital I've ever visited. Traffic during the day was virtually non-existent. We drove in from Nepean, on the outskirts of the city, and saw no queuing traffic until we reached Sussex Drive, Canada's equivalent of Downing Street, The Mall and Parliament Square all rolled into one. Parking was easy to find, people friendly and virtually all tourist attractions were free. A trip up the peace tower of the Houses of Parliament revealed not mile upon mile of urban sprawl but controlled urban development interspersed and encircled at not too far a distance by trees, fields and mountains, not to mention the mighty St Lawrence and the Rideax Canal bisecting the city along with its surrounding cycle paths, jogging tracks and attractive parkland.

We have been thinking long and hard about emigrating to Canada. This trip sealed the decision and inspired us for our probable destination. In a few years, Canadian immigration permitting, we will be starting a new life in Ottawa.