My brother got us to the GO station in Burlington in plenty of time. Time enough in fact for a Timmy's breakfast. We rode in the upper level of the train, not realizing that it is a QUIET zone for commuters wanting to catch a few zzz’s before getting to Toronto. No problem. We weren’t totally awake ourselves.
Got to Toronto, got a little lost, got our tickets and were on our way to Ottawa by ViaRail by about 9:00 a
.m. Enjoyed the scenery, booked a hotel while on the train, caught the bus after arriving at the Ottawa station which dropped us off opposite our hotel.
Headed out immediately, hoping to get passes for the Parliamentary Tour the next day. Got turned around but finally realized it and headed the proper direction and got to the ticket centre just before they closed. They only give out same day passes!
So, we walked across the street anyway, up the long walkway past the Centennial Flame and then around the east side of the buildings to have a look at the statues and monuments there, the Ottawa River and other landmarks in the area. Found our way to the War Memorial and then managed to get down to the Rideau Canal. It’s not free of ice, but the ice is very rotten. Certainly not safe to walk on.
From there we made our way back to our hotel and then out again up to Sparks Street where we found an Irish Pub and had supper and a cider. Very nice.
Our hotel wasn’t fancy but ideally located and we even had a little kitchenette so we could make a cup of tea if we felt like it.
Onward to Ottawa
Monday, March 20, 2017
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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2025-02-10