Chapter 2- Ottawa: Toronto and Ottawa Canada- a trip with friends!

Ottawa- the capitol of Canada!  We have all seen pictures of the Canadian capitol, but to actually go there and learn about the Canadian form of government was fascinating!  Initially, we were a bit worried if there would be enough things to do to keep us occupied- trust me, there are plenty!!!!  

Sadly, the Parliament buildings were being renovated- a 10 year project!!!!  So from the street, there was scaffolding, fences, heavy equipment, and so many workers!  Viewing the Parliament complex was essentially impossible😢.  But the back side, seen from the bridge and across the river, was beautiful!  A couple of the buildings were not covered, so we could visualize what the entire complex looked like.

So our plan was to take the train from Toronto to Ottawa.  Initially, we were going to fly as the train ride is 4 1/2 hours.  But let's face it, flying can be a pain.  Plus, last year we took the train from Montreal to Quebec City and loved the country side.  So our first day in Toronto, we go to the train station to buy tickets- every ticket is sold!! What?!  But we could get 1st class for the mere price of $300CAD!  Yikes!  Back to the drawing board- over coffee of course😼.  There is this coffee chain in Canada- Second Cup- which we liked!  We decided we would rent a car and drive, renting airport to airport, using Uber between hotels.  Seton agreed to drive.  We rented a Nissan Murano- great car, if you are wondering- held all 5 of us and luggage!  The countryside, of course, was beautiful!!!  Fall colors were popping up everywhere!

after renting the car- breakfast!

Once we arrived, dropped off the car, and checked into our hotel, off to explore!  Our hotel was right in downtown, across the street is the historic Byward Market- an outdoor mall of sorts with restaurants, shops and bars.

And an actual phone booth!!!!

Our group in the Byward Market, after eating excellent pizza at Grand Pizza

All over the historic district are these cool tulip statuary

One of the streets is closed to traffic and filled with adirondac chairs and tables for
people to socialize!

 The guide at the Mint (more on the Mint later) said we HAD to have a beavertail!  I visualized a boiled beavertail, all cartilage and chewy (ugh!).  The look on my face prompted the guide to explain it is a pastry🤣🤣🤣 Of course we had one- DELICIOUS!!!

The cookie shop was awesome!!!

These are called "Obama Cookies" because when he visited, he ate these- good sugar cookies!

Parliament!  As I earlier said, the Parliament complex was under renovation, but that didn't stop us from seeing some of the beauty of this complex!!

 View of the Parliament buildings from the Ottawa River.  Once you cross the river, you are in Quebec!

 The flame of the provinces and territories of Canada- each has a plaque

the requisite protester

the locks between the canal and Ottawa river

The canal system was built in the 1820's, by hand, in response to the continued threat of invasion from the US following the War of 1812.  So this was weird- it was a common theme from guides both in Toronto and here in Ottawa- evidently the War of 1812 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/War_of_1812).  Barely a blip in my high school history classes, this war really affected the people of Canada, based on the repeated references from guides- including my Ghost Walk guide!!!  Who knew?!

Pictures of the Locks:

The canal- Rideau Canal- (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal) is LONG!  126 miles, and connects Lake Ontario to the Ottawa river.  In Ottawa, it is a walking and biking trail.  We walked about a mile, but, honestly, found it a bit boring🤣🤣.  During winter it freezes for skating, during summer it is high and used for boating.  In fall, the water level is low, so it just looks muddy🤣

We decided we needed to learn a bit about the government of Canada, so booked a tour of the Senate.  Because the Parliament buildings were being renovated, the Senate was moved to the original Ottawa Train station- beautiful building!!!  You must reserve ahead for a tour of either the Senate or House of Commons tour (https://lop.parl.ca/sites/Visit/default/en_CA/Senate).  It is free, but reservations are required.  You must go through security, and there are limits to the size of bags you can take.  The tour is about 45 minutes.

The Train Station early morning- magnificent old building!

the carpet- the Canadian Maple Leaf pattern

Our group with our guide Anneka- she was so good!

Just outside the Train Station is this monument to the October 18, 1929, proclamation that Women are People😭😭.  Prior to this proclamation, women were not considered people.  That is less than 100 years ago!!!  We should be ashamed!

The women of our group around the proclamation

Speaking of Monuments, there are plenty in this city!  Canadians are a very proud people!!

On the grounds of Parliament- there are lots on the grounds, but behind fencing

 The monument to the fallen soldiers of Canada- well lit at night!  We watched the changing of the guard- complete with bag pipes!  Sadly, it is on video, and video does not upload to the blog. (https://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/national-inventory-canadian-memorials/details/9429)

Monument to Peacekeeping (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peacekeeping_Monument)

this area of the monument shows the rubble from war, and the need for peace keepers to maintain order

The Mint!  After we had toured the Mint in DC a few years ago, we decided to tour the Canadian Mint here in Ottawa ( https://www.mint.ca/store/mint/visit-the-mint/ottawa-location-8900022#.XbSB1ejYrnE ).  The Ottawa Mint makes both collectable and investment coins, as well as the Canadian Olympics medals. Our guide, who had a great sense of humor, explained the forging of both gold and silver, the pressing of each type of coin, and innovations this mint has developed to reduce costs and waste of the precious metals. The tour walks you through the Mint so you can observe each stage of production as the guide explains the processes. At the end, you see mach-up of the million dollar gold coin (it is huge!), The Olympic medals, changes in the image of the Queen, and historic coins. The tour ends in the gift shop, where there are so many collectable coins you can buy. No photos during the tour, but so interesting and fun!!  The cost is about $7.00CAD

 Although no photos are allowed during the tour, there are tons of placards to put your face through🤣🤣

me as Captain Canada

Claire as a quarter

Seton as a quarter

the entry way after security- the Canadian Moose

Really beautiful building!!!

Museums!  We went to two museums- the History of Canadian Civilization and the Portrait Gallery- really great museums, with the coolest buildings!!!

Museum of Canadian Civilization- huge exhibit of the indigenous people, plus a special exhibit of Neanderthal!  The building complex is massive, with very large exhibit space!

The Portrait Gallery is like a massive green house- with this giant spider at the entry way!

Hallway of the portrait museum

Entry space

Prometheus with man before life

 The Notre Dame Basilica!  Really beautiful church!

The Basilica is across the street from the portrait gallery, so I HAD to compose this picture of the giant spider attacking the church🤣🤣

In addition to the above, I took a ghost tour that was so good!!!  And we found the US Embassy!

Irene, our Ghost Tour guide

Ottawa, although not a terminally cute town like Quebec City, was an excellent addition to our travels!  Learning about the government of Canada, walking the historical streets, seeing their monuments, eating their food, and visiting their museums provided us a glimpse of this excellent city!  When determining where to visit in Canada, please consider Ottawa!  You will not be disappointed!