Mel took the day off work, so we planned an itinerary that turned out to be a day of firsts.

It started with a trip downtown by bus and train. This was my first trip into the city on OC Transpo since the LRT launched in 2019. I was like the kid who repeatedly asks "Are we there yet?" except that my queries to Mel sounded more like "Where is the bus going now?" The route was so foreign and circuitous—given all the construction for phase two of the LRT—that I felt lost in transit. What would have taken about 30 minutes in the past took about 50 minutes today. Still, I was in good company, and Mel very patiently answered all my questions and guided me seamlessly through the transition from bus to train.

We emerged at Lyon Station and headed north to Library and Archives Canada (LAC) on Wellington Street. It's been so long since I used LAC's in-person services that it felt like my first time. Once at the building, I remembered having done research there in the '80s when writing a paper for a women's history class in my fourth year of university.

Today, we were greeted by a very pleasant commissionaire (M. Labonté, if memory serves) who methodically walked me through the check-in process: signing in, learning the do's and don'ts of using the organization's services, and storing my backpack in a locker. These steps completed, Mel and I climbed the wide marble staircase to the second floor to pick up a hard copy of my LAC card from Marie at the Registration Desk. I was excited to now be an official member of the LAC family.

We proceeded to the third floor to the Consultation Room. Mel went off to peruse a stack of magazines that she had previously requested. With the help of a man named Patrick, I found a reel of microfilm that was available in the self-service cabinets, which my research had told me would contain records pertaining to one of my husband's ancestors. Inside the microfilm room, I made my way to one of the work stations and struck up a conversation with a very pleasant woman at the desk beside me. She told me that she was doing research related to residential schools, and she helped me with the microfilm until Brandon, the man in charge, was free to assist me. I didn't have a lot of time to consult the microfilm, as Mel and I had an 11:00 AM reservation for high tea at the Chateau Laurier. Nevertheless, I was grateful to have had the opportunity to use the microfilm collection.

Mel and I emerged from LAC in time to be picked up by Chris and Shane, who were on their own adventure. We wouldn't normally have needed a ride from LAC to the Chateau Laurier just up the street, but I had inexcusably forgotten at home the gift card for high tea that Shane had gifted Mel and me at Christmas. Chris to the rescue: delivery man and chauffeur. Mel and I alighted across from the Chateau Laurier, excited for the next first in our day.

Though I had been to the Chateau Laurier before—back in my days with Natural Resources Canada—I had never partaken in high tea at the iconic hotel. Mel and I took the stairs to Zoe's on the second floor, and the first thing I noticed was the flappers-era jazz playing in the background. We were escorted to a table in an alcove overlooking the lobby. It felt like we had stepped back in time. I imagined what it would have been like, a hundred years ago, to take the train to Ottawa's Union Station and cross the street to the Chateau Laurier.

For the next 90 minutes, Mel and I were courteously served by Josée and Garrick. Josée's first words to us were "I'm so glad you're here," and it felt very sincere. I was glad that we were there too. Mel and I chose our teas—decaf English breakfast for me and an herbal blend called Waterfront for her—and requested one substitution on the savory menu. Our orders dispensed with, we sat back and soaked in the atmosphere, chatting until Garrick returned with our pots of tea and, later, with two three-tiered trays containing scones, savoury morsels, and sweets. We started with a blueberry scone, which we slathered with mascarpone cream and strawberry jam. We then moved on to the savoury bits: a goat cheese tart in phyllo pastry, a cucumber sandwich with minted pea cream cheese, a coronation chicken croissant, a pimento cheese pinwheel, a gougère (cheese puff) with roasted mushrooms and sundried tomato pesto, and a ham and cheese croissant. Next was the dessert plate: a coconut, lemon and apricot tart, chocolate sable cookies, a strawberry rhubarb cake, and a chamomile and vanilla cake. Finally, we returned to the scone plate, happily consuming the plain scone.

Mel and I treated the experience as one grand taste test, trying the same item at the same time and sharing our opinion of each. Our favourite treats were the scones, which tasted the most fresh and flavourful of the lot. We sampled the remaining items on our plates. (Honestly, we could not have consumed all the items in their entirety as it would have been too much food.) I was thankful that my son had generously covered the entire bill, save for the tip. We didn't have to worry about value for money. Mel and I could simply enjoy the atmosphere, the luxury and each other's company.

Having cut short our morning visit to LAC to make it to our 11:00 AM reservation at the Chateau Laurier, Mel and I walked back down the street to return to LAC. Walking past the Parliament Buildings and the Supreme Court of Canada, we expressed appreciation for the many resources and destinations accessible in our own city.

Once back at LAC, Mel returned to the Consultation Room. I made my way to the Genealogy Room, where I met Marie-Ève. She was phenomenal, introducing me to the resources available in the room and helping me resolve an issue with obtaining a password for Aurora, the system that allows users to request LAC's library resources of published materials. With Marie-Ève's help, I selected a stack of books from the shelves, such as two books on francophone Yukoners who had lived and worked in the Territory from 1825 to 1950 and various family history books related to my husband's family and my mother's ancestors. Marie-Ève also helped me find a readable copy of my great-great-grandmother's birth registration.

Chris picked Mel and me up at LAC's front door and whisked us out to the suburbs, capping off a wonderful day of firsts but not lasts.