The Local coffee shops and one year ago I visited Corel Head office in Ottawa, Canada

A year ago I prepared for a trip on invitation from Corel Corporation, to come visiting them in Ottawa, Canada. To meet up with them at their head office. I prepared myself by buying a my new winter jacket at Intersport in Stockholm a few weeks earlier. Canada and Sweden are countries who endure snowy winters, so you gotta be prepared. I was prepared for all types of weather. Mostly tons of snow.

But when I arrived it was mostly ice, but not much snow. In Sweden I had, the evening before leaving the house, endured a car drive in a horrible wind and storm on the highway with rain coming from all directions. Only to experience standing on the Subway train plattform in the wee hours just before morning, in a very calm weather. So silent. Heading out to the airport.

Day after arriving in Canada I had my first breakfast at the hotel in downtown Ottawa.

Now a year later I am preparing myself for the upcoming webinar for Corel i am going to hold. Online and Live. It will be about Brushes in Corel PHOTO-PAINT X6, part of CorelDRAW graphics Suite X6.

As times fly by fast, memories are still too close to have been forgotten. And the memories from a year ago are still around and somewhat alive. It was a great trip and experience.

We, people from Corel and myself, one day whent for lunch at a great grill restaurant. A place i could imagine many go with a sketchbook and make drafts for a job, while eating lunch by themselves. I remember Gérard M. trying to have me testing a Canadian speciality with fry´s. I passed that one. Some cultural oddities just have to be passed. Like I would assume visitors to Sweden would – or should! – pass if they’re ever asked to try out Surströmming. The Canadian speciality I  aint even close to Surströmming. Not much is 😉

Close to the grill there was a corner I took a photo of. And half a year later back home was inspired when browsing various photos for a book cover deaign job I was working on. I couldn’t use the photo for the actual book cover design assignment, so instead, I made one just for the joy of doing it.

Copyright Stefan Lindblad, photo & graphic Design.

A few days before I headed over to Canada, my friend Benny W. grabbed my Nokia Lumia phone and took a few photos of me working at a cafe. Reference images for a video that was made during my trip by Corel. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxChT8bDNJ8

Photo from one of my favorite regular  Coffee shops I go to when I like to work a few hours in the comfy of a nice café. This one is called Waynes Coffee. A Swedish equivalent to Starbucks  and Caffee Nero in London.

Everywhere I go traveling, be it domestic or international, I look for a café to call my living room and workplace. And the one I found in Downtown Ottawa in Canada was Second Cup. Close to the hotel. It is always fun to watch the regulars, the locals who hang around. And who come more days than one. Some even everyday. It becomes their living room away from home.  I enjoyed going there every night after a long day with tons of activities. When the great people at Corel headed home to meet their friends and family – or just grab a pizza or coffee at their local cafe or TV set at home, This is where I hanged around a few hours before I whent back to the hotel. I liked this place. I guess just when the staff got to know my face, I whent back to old Sweden.

Second Cup coffee in the corner of Dalhousie Street and Rideau Street, Ottawa. I remember this photo. I took the photo just before I called home to Stockholm via Skype to talk with my loved one Mia back home.

One of the things I do at a cafe is to draw. On paper with a pen or digitally with my Wacom and Corel software. Here a drawing I made in my skethcbook, when I visited London, Englad UK together with my Mia. I drew the barista woman in the coffee bar and the place itself from the window I sat in. While waitng for Mia to come back to the coffee Shop Nero in the Bayswater/Notting Hill. Back in 2007.

And for fun, here some ”meta” showing where I sit right now when writing this blog post.

Now I have to do some work. Hope you enjoyed this little memorie lane story. I  did. Have a coffee at your local coffee shop and enjoy.

Cheers

Stefan Lindblad