Ottawa is the capital of Canada, but despite that it is a far smaller city than the sprawling metropolis of Toronto. I stayed with Annabel and Alex (not tour-guide Alex from Toronto, in case anyone wondered) in Gatineau, which lies on the other side of the Ottawa river in Quebec Province. Ottawa was just a short walk across the bridge from there. Whereas Toronto is very much Anglophone the French influences are a lot more pronounced here and you see a lot of bi-lingual signs. This is especially true for Gatineau, but in Ottawa as well.
Usually the city is pretty quiet, as I would find out for myself on my last days there, but when I arrived it was for Canada Day weekend and the city was absolutely packed! On Canada Day the Canadians celebrate the birth of their nation. Interestingly this celebration is bigger in Ontario than in Quebec Province where Canada Day is the day most housing leases run out and new leases begin and is thus utilized as Moving Day.
We went out in the morning to join the crowds in Ottawa and through the masses we got to see the prime minister drive by. And by that I mean we saw a bunch of black cars and black vans with tinted windows. Due to the minister driving by on the way to parliament most of the roads were blocked, but the flow of incoming people did not abate, so it was pretty stifling in that crowd. Instead we found our way back through the flow and went in another direction to see what was going on elsewhere – which was plenty.
We met up with some friends of Annabel and Alex who were also in town for Canada Day and joined a party of a local brewery, which also had some games going on like maple syrup tasting. The good weather we’d been having that morning didn’t really last into the afternoon as there were several small showers leading up to a big downpour. By that time we were close to the National Gallery of Canada so we (and just about everyone else) took shelter there. The permanent collections were free on Canada Day so we saw some of the works here. Lots of abstract stuff, which is not something I usually go for, but maybe it was the rain outside, maybe it was the company, but I had a good time there regardless.
After a while the rain stopped and we left the museum to head back to Gatineau. By this time a lot of the crowds had dissipated, most likely because of the rain. Now if you stay on the terrain of the National Gallery but move in the direction of the bridge to Gatineau you come to a lookout where you can take some fantastic pictures of the locks of the Rideau canal, parliament and the Ottawa river. This is the site that inspired a previous blog post on solo travel photography.
Back in Gatineau we split up in two groups, but after dinner we were all going to meet up again at a nearby hotel to watch the fireworks. It was a good plan, ruined slightly by the onset of a pretty strong rainstorm. Suffice it to say we got wet, but fortunately the fireworks weren’t cancelled due to the weather.
In all, despite the rain, this was a great first of July and a great Canada Day!
So, other than Canada Day and the National Art Gallery what else is there to do in Ottawa? Well, I think there’s plenty to do, but I’ve heard the city described as quite boring as well. I guess it depends on what you’re looking for. Other than the National Gallery there are more museums in the city, but I can’t vouch for their veracity since I skipped them. I’ve seen a lot of museums on my previous travels and I’ve come to the point where given the choice between going to a museum or just walking around a city I choose to walk around the city. Museums are my rainy day options, unless there’s something that really draws me to a particular museum. But yes, museums, are an option in Ottawa.
Parliament offers free guided tours, but you’ll want to get a ticket early because they go fast. I had to wait until after the Canada Day weekend was over because when I came by either the tours were full or there was a line halfway around the block and who’s got time for that right? I did get in to both center block and east block and there are some nice historic rooms to see inside. Worth going, but in all honesty if you’ve seen historic parliament buildings before you’ve probably seen this as well.
One thing I can definitely recommend is to go cycling around the area. We did this the day after Canada Day and for me the start of it was a bit of a mixed bag. I like cycling but in this case three things made it difficult (at least to start with): one, gears on my bike, two, hand breaks, and three (tying in with one) hills and slopes and inclines and any other synonym that applies to the uphill struggles I went through. I can’t help it guys, I’m Dutch, I need my paths to be flat when I cycle. Now after a while I did start getting the hang of the gears, but the beginning especially was tough, I’m not too proud to admit that. It’s worth doing though, the areas around Gatineau and Ottawa are very beautiful. Stay on the Gatineau side for hills and a national park, stay on the Ottawa side for a smoother, flatter ride, along the Rideau canal, the Arboretum (experimental farm), lakes and dragon boats.
Additionally, though you can combine this with cycling, the downtown area next to the river is really nice for walking and taking pictures. The locks and parliament are all really close by and you can make a nice loop by going past the waterside in one direction and doubling back through the city (or vice versa) to see the locks and parliament from all directions. There are some great photo opportunities in this area, especially at sunset. Twilight over the canal for instance is an exceptional sight.
After the hectic nature of Toronto it was nice to relax a bit in Ottawa.