Description
Contemporary (1983 built) townhouse on quiet, tree-lined street of older homes in downtown Ottawa. Middle unit of three (quiet, single neighbours), 1800 sq. feet (170 sq. metres) on 3 floors. Enclosed, landscaped garden in back.
Ground floor: garage (used for storage) in front; laundry room; den / TV room with patio door access to garden in back.
Second (main) floor: dining room with bay window and kitchen in front; powder room; then living room, with deck overlooking garden in back.
Third floor: large (16' x 16') guest room with double bed & computer desk in bay window; full bath; master bedroom with queen-sized bed, fireplace & bay window overlooking garden in back.
Hardwood floors throughout main floor.
3 fireplaces (in den, living room and master bedroom), sauna & shower off den.
Computer in guest room. TV / VCR / DVD in den downstairs; stereo / CD player in living room.
Driveway parking available at front of house, if you rent a car. 2 bikes also available for tooling around town.
Lovely private landscaped garden, with flowering shrubs & perennials and small pond / fountain. Small BBQ on patio at back.
Kitchen has all modcons: fridge, electric stove, microwave, dishwasher.
Central (electrical) heating & air conditioning.
Ample closet space for you in guest bedroom.
This place is probably ideal for one or two adults, with maximum one or two older children. It has quite a few stairs, being on 3 floors, so not suited to people who have difficulty with stairs, nor probably to very young children.
Neighborhood
My place offers peace, quiet and space in the middle of a fairly large & vibrant urban centre.
It is a modern, easy-care place, though located amidst older homes.
Bus transportation to anywhere in the city is 1 block away; guests can use my 2 bikes on Ottawa's many scenic bike paths; Parliament is a 15- or 20-min walk, as are the Ottawa River, the Rideau Canal, downtown shopping. Supermarket, pharmacy, cafés, all the shops that one could need are an 8-minute walk, on Bank Street.
A wide variety of restaurants, many Asian (Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, Japanese, Korean) and also good Italian and French and Caribbean fusion food, are all within 10 to 15 minutes walk, as are a range of ethnic food stores (Indian, Chinese, Caribbean).
The neighbourhood is diverse, vibrant, safe.
Park with playground at 5 mins on foot (just across from the beer store!!)
Modern swimming pool / gym complex 10 mins by foot.
Univ of Ottawa 10 mins by bike, 20 mins on foot.
Ottawa offers all the charms of a large city, with bilingual (and multilingual) cultural events: theatre, cinema, dance, music, national museums.
It offers easy access to nature and open-air activities: in summer, there is swimming, picnicking and hiking in the Gatineau Hills (Meech Lake is a 20- to 25-minute drive from my house); in fall, the colours of the maple trees are breathtaking--again, excellent hiking through to late October; in spring (May) the city is awash with tulips (a Tulip Festival takes place in early May, showcasing the thousands of tulips given to Ottawa by the Dutch royal family, as a token of appreciation for the years of exile spent here by Queen Juliana during WWII.) In winter, though it can get very cold, there is no experience like skating on the Rideau Canal -- an 8-km waterway that winds through the centre of the city and is open for skating from Jan through March. Or cross-country skiing in the Gatineau Hills, again just 25 minutes from downtown Ottawa.
About Us
I am an active, 56-year-old single gay man, retired in April 2006 from a career as a public servant with the Canadian government. I worked in the immigration and refugee areas, beginning my career with postings overseas, in Spain, Morocco and Portugal, spending 2 years in each of those countries. I also have had the opportunity to spend shorter periods working in cities like Paris, Brussels, Santiago (Chile), Mexico City, Singapore, Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Ankara, Nairobi, Vienna and, most recently, Beirut. I speak and write fluent French, Spanish and Portuguese; I can manage basic German & Italian, as well, but they're pretty rough!
You may have guessed some of my interests: I enjoy reading, gardening, biking, skating, swimming, x-country skiing, spending time with friends & family -- and, of course, TRAVEL :-)
I share an adorable little shih'tzu, "Muggins", with my ex-partner (we have "joint custody", each keeping him 2 weeks at a time!)
Destination
I'm retired, so I'm quite flexible in terms of times and durations of stay. Would consider a short (few days) non-simultaneous exchange with like-minded single adult or couple.
Anybody coming to my place should be comfortable with diversity: the area is a nice blend of cultures and orientations, and I myself am gay; I'm of course very happy to welcome all races and religions.
It would be preferable if we could organize a short overlap for any exchange, so that we could get acquainted with each other's places, meet neighbours, etc. (Obviously, however, only one of us is going to have the opportunity to arrive "first" on any given exchange...
If you are visiting in winter, I'd appreciate your wielding the snow shovel to keep the front walk and driveway clear. If you're coming in summer, the garden would need a bit of water every few days, and the small lawn might need a trim with the electric mower every week or so. Aside from that, a dozen houseplants to water weekly and mail to collect daily. And, naturally, the expectation that you will leave the place as you find it, clean and tidy.
