Ottawa, Ontario
The train trip from Toronto to Ottawa is approximately 4
hours and most of this trip was done in the dark, so not many photo's of the
area, but I'm sure you don't mind missing out on some snow covered fields.
They all basically look the same. This trip reminds me of driving
through our south west, a few towns dotted along the way, some that if
you blink you might miss them. 
I got checked into my hotel around 8.15 and for some reason, really tired. I'm supposed to be going to a casino tonight but by time I shower and change it's going to be gone 9.30 and I can see plenty of casinos when I get to Vegas, so I'm foregoing this one for a good night's sleep.
What a good night's sleep I had too, I woke at 8.30, went down to reception to get directions to the Museum of Culture and the Museum of Nature, if it wasn't too far to walk I'm going to enjoy another day in the snow, and it is snowing, quite heavily. The receptionist called to check opening hours of both musuems, only to find that they are both closed on Mondays, oh well, I'll just keep those vouchers as a souvenir and next time make sure I get them for any day but Monday. No worries, I now have some time to go souvenir shopping....again.... and have a wander around town. Ottawa isn't a very large place and it's easy to get around walking. The souvenirs purchased it's back to the hotel to pack yet another parcel to send home. I forgot to take a pic of this one but I can assure you, it is smaller than the previous 2. Either I'm getting better at packing or I'm not buying as much now, although I favour the latter as the weight has fallen from #1 weighing in at just over 16kg, #2 at just over 12kg and this one a featherweight at just over 9kg.
Today I am just wandering around to see what there is that I might like to investigate further, By Ward Market, Parliament, the war memorial and the Rideau Canal are definitely on the agenda for tomorrow.
The park across the road from my hotel was lit for Christmas and unfortunately, my bad luck, the lights were all turned off on Friday, but I'm sure it was as pretty a picture as the hotel staff tell me it was.
Back at the hotel I go down to the restaurant for dinner and back to my room to load the photo's to the laptop and try to get some work done on these pages. I don't know if it's the cold air or what but I have found I'm sleeping like a log in Canada. We'll see if it's the same when I hit the West Coast of America where it will be warmer.
Day 2 and I'm up late again, but feel well rested and ready for plenty of walking. My first stop is the market, across the Rideau Canal, which is still not frozen over so ice skating is off the agenda this year. I was expecting a market similar to what we have back in Perth....a lot of stalls in one complex, By Ward Market is 4 streets of shops plus a complex in the middle with fruit and vegies, fish, bakeries etc. I spend quite a while wandering around here, checking out what's in the shops, lucky for me, nothing that I really want, but I did spend something in a souvenir shop, and why wouldn't I?
Wandering up from the market I take a different street to get back over the canal, and I find myself in another park, this one with a path leading right up to the canal wall, it would have been a great spot to take some photo's except for the fact that I am too bloody short to see over the top, even without the few inches of snow. Oh well, I'll just climb up those steps and get on to the bridge, I'm sure I'll be able to see from there, the wall looks shorter.
This is the longest skating rink in the world, it goes for about 7.8km when it's fully frozen over. Anyway, let's keep walking, it's too cold to stand still in one place for too long. Up the hill and into the grounds of parliament. The main aim is to get up into the clock tower, or Peace Tower as it is known here. Can't wait to see the view from up there. Once inside the main doors of parliament you realize you are really somewhere important, there are guards everywhere you turn and you have to pass through the same security check as at an airport. Everything has to go through the scanner, and my phone and keys had to be checked separately. I got through ok, of course, haven't brought my six shooter with me. Following the ropes I come to some stairs, 2 flights of which I have to climb, what happened to bloody elevators, I've just walked up a huge hill, 2 flights of steps at the canal and another huge hill, that's it, that's my exercise for the year done in one morning. At the top of the stairs is another guard and 2 elevator attendants, you can't ride up on your own. I have to wait a few minutes as there is a ceremony going on in the room ahead and silence is required, apart from the stamp of feet of the military man performing the ceremony.
So you want to know what the ceremony was don't you.....well, being the nosy person I am I had to find out myself, it all seemed a bit odd, this one man marching around in a room, all by himself, stamping his feet to attention and saluting. On our way up to the tower the attendant that took me up informed me it was the Page Turning Ceremony - bet you look like this now = I'm sure I did. The room the guy was in is a memorial room to all Canadian men and women who's lives have been lost in wars. There were 5 glass lidded cabinets, each one containing a large book with the name of every person who lost their life and every day at 11am a page is turned in each book so that each person's name is viewed at least one day a year. Sounds rather nice to me, I just wonder if any one person has ever gone day after day to read all of the names. Still, it was a beautiful room and it's nice to see something other than a large statue to commemorate those that gave their lives for their country.
Up in the Peace Tower the view, as you would expect, was great. No point in being high up if you can't see for miles hey. A by law was passed, can't remember when but will check up on it, that no building in Ottawa was to be higher than the Peace Tower and that by law still stands today, with one adjustment, due to the fact that money talks and big business always win because they have lots to talk with, buildings higher than the Peace Tower can only be built on the outskirts of town, so the tower can still be seen from anywhere within the city limits.
Time to head back to the hotel now to check out, but I still have 2 hours before I have to catch a train, so my next walk is along the Rideau Canal, no, not the whole 7.8km, I'll miss my train, but I did manage to get to the 3rd bridge along it before heading back. Ottawa is another place I'd like to revisit, in winter again and in spring for the tulip festival. I might make it across the water to Gatineau to the casino next time.
I got checked into my hotel around 8.15 and for some reason, really tired. I'm supposed to be going to a casino tonight but by time I shower and change it's going to be gone 9.30 and I can see plenty of casinos when I get to Vegas, so I'm foregoing this one for a good night's sleep.
What a good night's sleep I had too, I woke at 8.30, went down to reception to get directions to the Museum of Culture and the Museum of Nature, if it wasn't too far to walk I'm going to enjoy another day in the snow, and it is snowing, quite heavily. The receptionist called to check opening hours of both musuems, only to find that they are both closed on Mondays, oh well, I'll just keep those vouchers as a souvenir and next time make sure I get them for any day but Monday. No worries, I now have some time to go souvenir shopping....again.... and have a wander around town. Ottawa isn't a very large place and it's easy to get around walking. The souvenirs purchased it's back to the hotel to pack yet another parcel to send home. I forgot to take a pic of this one but I can assure you, it is smaller than the previous 2. Either I'm getting better at packing or I'm not buying as much now, although I favour the latter as the weight has fallen from #1 weighing in at just over 16kg, #2 at just over 12kg and this one a featherweight at just over 9kg.
Today I am just wandering around to see what there is that I might like to investigate further, By Ward Market, Parliament, the war memorial and the Rideau Canal are definitely on the agenda for tomorrow.
The park across the road from my hotel was lit for Christmas and unfortunately, my bad luck, the lights were all turned off on Friday, but I'm sure it was as pretty a picture as the hotel staff tell me it was.
Back at the hotel I go down to the restaurant for dinner and back to my room to load the photo's to the laptop and try to get some work done on these pages. I don't know if it's the cold air or what but I have found I'm sleeping like a log in Canada. We'll see if it's the same when I hit the West Coast of America where it will be warmer.
Day 2 and I'm up late again, but feel well rested and ready for plenty of walking. My first stop is the market, across the Rideau Canal, which is still not frozen over so ice skating is off the agenda this year. I was expecting a market similar to what we have back in Perth....a lot of stalls in one complex, By Ward Market is 4 streets of shops plus a complex in the middle with fruit and vegies, fish, bakeries etc. I spend quite a while wandering around here, checking out what's in the shops, lucky for me, nothing that I really want, but I did spend something in a souvenir shop, and why wouldn't I?
Wandering up from the market I take a different street to get back over the canal, and I find myself in another park, this one with a path leading right up to the canal wall, it would have been a great spot to take some photo's except for the fact that I am too bloody short to see over the top, even without the few inches of snow. Oh well, I'll just climb up those steps and get on to the bridge, I'm sure I'll be able to see from there, the wall looks shorter.
This is the longest skating rink in the world, it goes for about 7.8km when it's fully frozen over. Anyway, let's keep walking, it's too cold to stand still in one place for too long. Up the hill and into the grounds of parliament. The main aim is to get up into the clock tower, or Peace Tower as it is known here. Can't wait to see the view from up there. Once inside the main doors of parliament you realize you are really somewhere important, there are guards everywhere you turn and you have to pass through the same security check as at an airport. Everything has to go through the scanner, and my phone and keys had to be checked separately. I got through ok, of course, haven't brought my six shooter with me. Following the ropes I come to some stairs, 2 flights of which I have to climb, what happened to bloody elevators, I've just walked up a huge hill, 2 flights of steps at the canal and another huge hill, that's it, that's my exercise for the year done in one morning. At the top of the stairs is another guard and 2 elevator attendants, you can't ride up on your own. I have to wait a few minutes as there is a ceremony going on in the room ahead and silence is required, apart from the stamp of feet of the military man performing the ceremony.
So you want to know what the ceremony was don't you.....well, being the nosy person I am I had to find out myself, it all seemed a bit odd, this one man marching around in a room, all by himself, stamping his feet to attention and saluting. On our way up to the tower the attendant that took me up informed me it was the Page Turning Ceremony - bet you look like this now = I'm sure I did. The room the guy was in is a memorial room to all Canadian men and women who's lives have been lost in wars. There were 5 glass lidded cabinets, each one containing a large book with the name of every person who lost their life and every day at 11am a page is turned in each book so that each person's name is viewed at least one day a year. Sounds rather nice to me, I just wonder if any one person has ever gone day after day to read all of the names. Still, it was a beautiful room and it's nice to see something other than a large statue to commemorate those that gave their lives for their country.
Up in the Peace Tower the view, as you would expect, was great. No point in being high up if you can't see for miles hey. A by law was passed, can't remember when but will check up on it, that no building in Ottawa was to be higher than the Peace Tower and that by law still stands today, with one adjustment, due to the fact that money talks and big business always win because they have lots to talk with, buildings higher than the Peace Tower can only be built on the outskirts of town, so the tower can still be seen from anywhere within the city limits.
Time to head back to the hotel now to check out, but I still have 2 hours before I have to catch a train, so my next walk is along the Rideau Canal, no, not the whole 7.8km, I'll miss my train, but I did manage to get to the 3rd bridge along it before heading back. Ottawa is another place I'd like to revisit, in winter again and in spring for the tulip festival. I might make it across the water to Gatineau to the casino next time.