Ottawa

Thursday, September 08, 2016
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Update on my phone - it turned back on after the bag of rice trick, and was working fine on Sunday. However, after the battery ran out it wouldn't take a charge. Some diagnostic help from a phone repair guy, and $100 later, I'm back in business with a new battery and new charging port. Also, my vertigo has subsided and I'm feeling better.
 
We took a route from Cambridge to Ottawa that gave us a wide berth around the Toronto area . Don't need that stress, even if it is shorter thru TO. We went thru Orangeville, Newmarket, Peterborough - charming rural countryside and quiet roads.Took a lot of convincing to get Jack (our GPS) to NOT go thru TO.

Our accommodation in Ottawa was a B&B called the Rideau Inn, an Edwardian home built in 1916 and located in the residential neighborhood known as the "Golden Triangle" (it's bordered on one side by a bend in the Rideau Canal, and on the other by Elgin St, a lively restaurant/ bar strip. it's run by a sweet Chinese woman named Lucie, who goes above and beyond to be kind and helpful. It's about a 20 min walk to Parliament Hill, so is perfectly located. The inn seems to attract a European clientele - we met a nice young couple from Germany one morning, and a retired couple from the Netherlands another morning whose son now lives in Ottawa, working as a landscape engineer.

It's been a while since I studied Canadian history ... ummm, 40 years (omg), to be exact. So I did a little reading. The Ottawa area was initially a rendezvous point for fur traders, explorers and lumbermen. It sits where the Ottawa and Rideau rivers meet so, in 1613, Champlain set up a base camp here for expeditions from Quebec to Lake Huron and other points. In 1796, a New England Puritan named Philemon Wright settled in what is now Gatineau and, in the 1800s, Nicholas Sparks cleared land to farm in what is now downtown Ottawa (clearly not the same dude who wrote The Notebook :/).

The Rideau Canal was carved out by the British to provide a passageway between Ottawa and Kingston. It was originally conceived as a safe military passageway for the British during the battles with the U.S., but was not completed until 1826. It laid the groundwork for the start of a prosperous lumbering village, named Ottawa after the Outaouac Indians. In 1857, Queen Victoria chose it as the capital of Canada, much to the dismay of Toronto, Kingston and Montreal .

We arrived in Ottawa on Sunday around 5, and walked a few doors down to have beer and pizza outside on a restaurant patio. Then we walked to Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica (about 1/2 hour) and attended their 7:30 English mass. Following the mass, we headed to the Parliament Buildings for the 9 pm "Northern Lights" show, a 30 min show where a narrative and colourful images are projected on the face of the Parliament Buildings describing the "evolution" of Canada. It was really well done. There were a couple thousand people sitting on the large grassy area in front of the Parliament Buildings. As the show was concluding, the national anthem quietly came on the P.A. system. The entire crowd rose, removed their caps, and stood respectfully for the anthem. It was quite inspiring, and emotional. I looked at Roger and we both had tears running down our faces. Proud of our country!

On Monday, we got an early start and lined up with a few hundred other people at 9 am to get tickets for the free tour of the Parliament Buildings . The inside of the Parliament Buildings reminded us a lot of the Legislative Building in Regina, as both are made of the same Manitoba Tyndall stone. We saw the House of Commons, the Senate, the Library (the only part not to burn down in the fire of 1916), and some parliamentary committee meeting rooms. We also went up to the top of the Peace Tower, the 92-meter center tower with its 53-bell carillon. We had hoped to hear a carillon concert, but it was "on holidays" this week.

We also wandered the grounds of Parliament Hill, with its various statues and the Centennial Flame; walking along Sussex Dr to see the Supreme Court building; having lunch at Darcy McGee's Irish Pub, a local favorite across from Parliament Hill; and going to the Byward Market (an outdoor produce, maple syrup and trinkets market) where we shared a Beaver Tail on Lois' recommendation (like Elephant Ears or bannock with powdered sugar). Mmmmm. 

On Tuesday, we got back in the car and headed for the RCMP Musical Ride stables . We had a free tour and got to see some of the beautiful black horses that are bred not far from here specifically for the Musical Ride. We also drove to Government House (Rideau Hall) at 1 Sussex Dr., the official home and workplace of the Governor General since 1867. It sits on 79 acres, and was built in 1838 by Thomas MacKay, a Scottish stonemason who worked on the Rideau Canal. Unfortunately, it was closed for construction. :( And we drove by 24 Sussex, normally the home of the Prime Minister. It's one of the gated properties along Sussex Dr, across from the Rideau Hall grounds. Can't see much of the house from the street due to the trees. We also walked to the Rideau Falls, a small set of falls where the Rideau River joins the Ottawa River.

On Tues night, we drove across the bridge to Gatineau, Quebec to visit with Joanne, a good friend from high school. There were three of us - Joanne, Abby and me - who were best friends from grade 7-12, and into university. I've only seen Joanne once since then, so it was a great visit down memory lane, and filling each other in on our lives. I'm so happy Joanne reached out to invite us over, and that we had time to squeeze in the visit with her, her fiance Graham, and her daughter Sandrine.

We had enjoyed walking along the Rideau Canal, and watching boats go thru the original manual lock system. On Wednesday, we took a 90 minute boat ride down the Rideau Canal to Dow Lake and back. The weather here was very hot and sunny all week (30 degrees every day), so it was a nice reprieve to be out on the water. Strangely enough, our guide was a young man from Saskatoon who went to Holy Cross High School (same as me). Small world.

We are on the move again. We are heading to Montreal, which is only 2.5 hours from here.

Comments

Lois
2016-09-08

I loved Ottawa with its rich history and beautiful sights. The great weather also improves ones opinion of a place. You did a great job capturing many of the highlights.

Lorraine
2016-09-08

Enjoyed your blog, as always! I have been to Ottawa a few times & really enjoyed it! Glad you did too!

Eva & Doug
2016-09-08

I was looking forward to this blog! I am travelling vicariously through your story :-) glad you are having good weather and enjoying the tour. How awesome you were able to connect with Joanne!

2025-02-12

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