Ottawa, Ontario
July 28, 2024
France was fun, but it was time to move on to Ontario where we were guaranteed to understand at least half of the posted signage.
Our campground was conveniently located near the nation's capital of Ottawa. Our site was in a patch of damp, dense woods and came with lots of thirsty mosquitos. We didn't bother to get the deck chairs out for this stay.
Black was the squirrel color of choice in these parts
The main advantage of this overpriced campground with flaky 15-amp electric service requiring regular supplementation from our battery bank was that it was very close to a bike trail that connected with the Ottawa bike trail system. And we have to say that the Ottawa bike trail system is probably the best we have ever ridden on. There were bike trails or lanes pretty much everywhere we wanted to go. Even though many of them had construction closures, there was always an easy detour to take with bike and pedestrian specific detours. (And we thought Chicago construction was bad--without a doubt, Chicago can't compete with Montreal and Ottawa!)
The section along side our campground had the added bonus of both thimbleberries and blackberries.
Ottawa bike trails are really nice
Much of the trail hugged the Ottawa River
A rock-balancing artist creates these balanced rock displays every year
We took a quick jaunt across the river to Gatineau, Quebec, where we got a good view of Parliament (under construction, of course)
Interesting choice of sculpture prominently displayed at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa
Entitled "Maman" (Mom), this spider comes complete with marble eggs. While a giant spider sculpture is kind of cool, we found it a tad creepy.
Across the street from "Maman" was the Cathedral-Basilica of Notre Dame:
Notre Dame Cathedral-Basilica The striking silver spires are covered in tin
Quite the opposite of minimalism in here!
Baptismal font
Continuing our ride near Parliament Hill
We stopped for a while to watch boats passing through the manually-operated locks
The bike trails along the city roads were nicely separated from car and pedestrian traffic
Cute bicycle-shaped traffic signals just for the bike lanes. We wish every city had bike infrastructure this nice!
Riding past Parliament Hill (the ornate building on the right is West Block)
The Supreme Court
We relaxed at one of the riverside beaches on the ride back
The next day, we drove back into Ottawa for a tour of the House of Commons. (We had also previously booked a tour of the Senate as well, but it had been cancelled due to "parliamentary activity".) Both branches of government are normally housed in the Center Block of Parliament, but that building is undergoing a multi-year, multi-billion-dollar renovation project which isn't expected to be completed until at least 2030. So, the House of Commons has a temporary home set up in the West Block building in a converted courtyard, and that's what we got to see. We arrived a little early to witness the "Changing of the Guard" ceremony and listen to the band concert.
Center Block (under construction until at least 2030)
West Block with the Centennial Flame in the foreground
East Block
Changing of the Guard ceremony
We enjoyed a traditional band concert
The temporary home of the House of Commons built into a courtyard of West Block
They moved the original furniture over from Center Block
After the tour, we walked to St. Patrick Basilica--another stunning church.
Many of the bike racks we passed had all sorts of locks attached to them. Is this all that is left of your bike after it gets stolen??
After several days on-the-go, we took a down day to rest up a bit before heading to our next destination--Algonquin Provincial Park.
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