Ottawa

Sunday, July 10, 2022

We are up early because today we continue our journey to the capital of Canada, we travel to Ottawa. First, we have to get out of the metropolis of Montreal, there is significant traffic on Sunday morning. We leave the highway and continue on country roads to the small town of Carillon. Here on the Ottawa River is a huge hydroelectric power plant and a lock for shipping. The lock is 55 m long and 12 m wide and overcomes a height difference of 20 m. This makes it the highest of its kind in Canada. During each lock operation, 17 million liters of water are moved in 20 minutes. Inside the lock is a floating dock where the boats moor. Very impressive to be standing here. After a thorough visit, we continue our journey. The next stop is the small village of Montebello, where we take a break and have a delicious lunch. Then we hike to the mansion Papineau, which was built by an important politician of the 19th century. In the late afternoon, we arrive in Ottawa at our hotel. A suite on the 10th floor is reserved for us. The view is excellent. In the evening, we explore the area and stop by Elgins Beer Project for a beer. We can choose from 150 types of canned beer and 8 types of draft beer, we decide on a draft beer called 'Whitewater Dawn Patrol Tangerine Blond Ale', the engraving on the glass says: Brewed by friends for friends. Very tasty.

Monday, July 11, 2022

After a good breakfast, we head to the city. We visit the Rideau Canal with its 8 locks, all of which are operated by hand. Then we continue to Parliament Hill, the Parliament of Canada consisting of three buildings. The main building is a construction site, everything is cordoned off and we can only walk around the building in a large circle. However, the view from up here is fantastic. For lunch, we visit a bakery in the By Ward Market district. The selection of cakes is simply gigantic, you don't know what to choose. After coffee and cake, we head to the shopping mall. Then back to the hotel along the Rideau Canal. Our hotel is very centrally located, so we can easily walk to the city center.

Tuesday, July 12, 2022

This morning it's raining and we have a ticket to visit the House of Commons in the West Wing on Parliament Hill. So we have to make sure we are there between two rain showers at our scheduled time. After a security check, like at the airport, we have a 45-minute tour of the building. We visit the House of Commons chamber, which has 338 seats for its democratically elected members. The walls of the room are designed in such a way that you have the impression of sitting outside a building on a large square. Everything is green, reminiscent of Great Britain. We are also allowed to enter the room where committee meetings take place. Finally, we enter a small room where many glass showcases contain handwritten books. Here, all Canadians who died in the wars are mentioned by name. The rain drives us into the department store. When the weather clears up again, we walk 1.8 km to Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General and Commander-in-Chief of Canada. This position is currently held by a woman named Mary May Simon. She is the representative of the British Crown in Canada and is currently on vacation, so it is open house day and we can visit some of the interior rooms. Then it's time to walk 3.6 km back to the hotel. We pass by the 'Royal Mint' with the golden goose where the money is printed, the National Gallery of Canada with the 'Maman' spider sculpture, the 'Three Watchers Statue' and the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica. As it has become very warm and humid, we are glad when we reach our hotel. Tomorrow it's time to say goodbye again, our journey continues...