Oh right, we do. Because why not.
And yes our reasons for going to Ottawa really were pretty simple. It was on the map and didn't look that far from Toronto (which it isn't) so why not pay it a visit. So we did.
Now I'll be the first to say that Ottawa isn't the kind of place that you'll rave about to your friends. It's kind of quiet and laid back for a capital city and not that big. Having said that though it's still a quite a nice place to spend a couple of days or so.
Once again we walked heaps. Though this time I had a brand new pair of cheap-but-comfy bright pink sneakers which made the whole walking for miles thing so much easier.
Especially when walking a large portion of the Rideau Canal walkaway.
The canal goes all the way through Ottawa and walking along it's path ways is a great way to enjoy the city. It's pretty and surprisingly quiet and peaceful and you get to see all the sights away from the noise and pollution of the city traffic.
Walking along it's banks in the early hours of the morning under clear blue skies really is a perfect way to start the day.
And if you're like me and never seen locks opening and closing before you'll also find the whole thing quite fascinating.
The canal leads into Ottawa river which divides the town into two but luckily the pathway continues all the way along it and over and back again.
Once you're on the other side of the river you get amazing views of the city.
After all that walking we decided to visit the Canadian Museum of Civilisation which if you're expecting to learn a lot about Canadian history with some cool displays (like we hoped) you'll instead be confronted with mostly huge empty rooms containing some totems and the odd mural.
Very disappointing and so not worth the effort.
Something that is far more interesting are the free guided tours of the Parliament Building, the Supreme Court of Canada and Library and Archives Canada.
You have to book for these and security is pretty tight. It's like going through airport security so be prepared. But aside from that the tours are definitely worth going on, even if you're only mildly interested in politics and law and are a great way to wile away a morning or afternoon.
You have to book for these and security is pretty tight. It's like going through airport security so be prepared. But aside from that the tours are definitely worth going on, even if you're only mildly interested in politics and law and are a great way to wile away a morning or afternoon.
And if after all that you're still feeling energetic you can always do another loop of the canal/river walkway.
I'd find the locks pretty interesting too!
ReplyDelete