Ottawa Valley Region, Ontario, Canada.
Hi Richard,
I'm hoping you aren't going to say,... "Ottawa... where is that?"
We travel in the Northeastern U.S. occasionally and when we do, people always ask us what "Ottawa" is... "We've heard of it, but where and what is it?"
I usually comment:
"Well, Ottawa is Canada's best kept secret. You see, it's our version of Washington, D.C. However, (and keep this under your hat now), it is part of our defensive strategy to make sure that no one in the world knows that it is our national capital city. That way, if we are ever invaded by enemy forces, their armies will spend at least 6 to 8 weeks marching around in circles trying to figure out where to focus their attack..."
If this sounds a little jaded, I guess it's just that I'm always a little shocked and amazed that people living 200 miles south of us don't seem to know that we exist... cross the 49th parallel and what have you got... Trees, trees, and more trees,... right???
Most people seem to know of Toronto and Vancouver, and some know about Montreal, or maybe even Quebec City... but nobody seems to know about our Washington, D.C. of the Proud North...
Well, here are some facts and info about Ottawa for any tourists who happen to make a wrong turn on their way to Toronto and end up in Ottawa by accident.
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OTTAWA -- also sometimes referred to as OTTAWA/HULL or the NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION (N.C.C.).
Population: about 1 million.
Industries: For years, the region has been called "Silicon Valley North" because of its very heavy involvement in the hi-tech industry... Some typical companies which are based here are: Corel, Cognos, Digital, Northern Telecom, Bell Northern, Fulcrum, A.I.T. and Gandalf (screech!!!! maybe not for much longer!). There are dozens, and maybe even hundreds of others. In this town, you either work for the government or the hi-tech industry... or you sell something to one or the other...
Landscape: The city is situated on the edge of low mountain ranges (part of the Canadian Shield which extends into Northern Ontario and Quebec). The Ottawa River flows between Ottawa and Hull... a smaller city located in Quebec. The Rideau River comes up to Ottawa from the St. Lawrence River and ends its journey passing through Ottawa as a large canal with locks, etc... This is a very popular destination for vacationing boaters who come up from the U.S. or Toronto. The Ottawa Valley region is quite varied... lots of rivers, forests, parks, conservation areas... white water rafting, canoeing and kayaking northwest of Ottawa, skiing in the mountains just north of the city, and a lot of cycling on a system of bike routes along the canal and throughout the city, etc... In case you hadn't guessed, outdoor sports are a major part of the lifestyle for many in the region.
The "sites":
* Parliament buildings: Victorian Gothic-style "Parliament Buildings" with a massive clock tower... very British-looking... the seat of power for Canada.
* Changing of the guard ceremonies: Governor Generals footguards perform "changing of the guard" ceremonies throughout the summer... you know, red coats, big tall black bearskin hats, lots of brass, etc... neat thing to see in this day and age.
* National Gallery of Canada... architecture by Safdie... Pretty good collection compared to many... Most major exhibitions make it here.
* Museum of Civilization in Hull by First Nation's architect, Douglas Cardinal. The Great Hall with its many full-height West Coast totems usually blows people away the first time they see it.
* The canal (in spring): There is the "Tulip Festival", which features mass plantings of tulips... people come from around the world to see them.
* The canal (in summer and fall): Bike and jogging paths... lots of activity.
* The canal (in winter): I think it still holds the record for being the longest skating rink in the world... amazing when you get thousands of people on the ice zooming along together on a nice winter day. "Winterlude" carnival in winter.
* Central Experimental Farm and Arboretum... really good and worth seeing...especially during any of the following: iris, peonia, lilac seasons.
* Two major universities... Ottawa U. and Carleton U. (good collection of Inuit art at Carleton's art gallery).
* Byward Market in the older downtown area of the city... in summer, it is a bustling sort of place with vegetable stands, artisans, etc... lots of interesting little shops in the streets that make up the area around the central market square.
* Cultural events: Many each year... International Jazz Festival,.. Bluesfest,..a very "out there" annual modern dance festival,... now a Fringe Festival (also a good annual one in nearby Manotick), and all kinds of other "Festivals" too numerous to mention... In fact, there is sort of a local joke about how many festivals Ottawa has... about one for every week of the year.
Anyhow, it's probably worth the trip... Oh, and Ottawa is working on finishing a "4-Lane Highway" to connect itself to the rest of the world...(which will probably put an END of its secret existence).
Regards,
Bev |
