winter | Y O U T O P I A

Jail?! What jail? Check out my jailcation in Ottawa to find out! 😉

The Capital of a country is usually not the most exciting place (read: Washington D.C. vs. New York City, Beijing vs. Shanghai, and now Ottawa vs. Toronto). However, they still don’t lose their charm. You’d see pretty parliament buildings, many countries’ flags hanging in front of their embassies (and from the building, you could figure out a bit of their culture and political standing in the country, if you know what I mean) and things that reflect the country’s history. In Ottawa, here’s the top 5 places I’d recommend you to go:

1. BYWARD MARKET

It’s one of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets, consisting of museums, cafés, specialty food shops, boutiques, restaurants, pubs, and etc in the government and business district. We had breakfast in one of the diners and it was pretty good. Except the waitress scolded us for raising our hands to signal we wanted to order. She said it’s considered rude in Canada but… I did the same in Toronto and no one thought wrong of it. Hmmm, cultural difference between cities within the same province? Seems a bit strange. You judge!

We went in Winter (January) and so it was pretty quiet sans the outdoor market. But I managed to get myself a cup of boba (bubble tea in North America’s lingo) that I’ve missed since I was there. Also, there were makeshift stalls selling random stuffs, and I managed to get the cheapest deals for my maple syrup everything (read: maple syrups per se in cute maple leaf bottles, maple syrup cookies, maple syrup & ice wine cookies, maple syrup sweets) there. They sell it way cheaper than the shops and those tourist places.

2. SKATE AT RIDEAU CANAL DURING WINTER
also known as the world’s largest skating rink

image credit

During Winter, the entire canal freezes and hence turned into a skating rink every year. So you could guess how cold Canada is during Winter. Just that this year happened to be exceptionally cold. The canal is really long, so you could enter from anywhere if you have your own skates.

a selfie during skating. oh yes my jail provides me with free helmet rental too. 😉
(the chocolate stain was precisely the reason for the selfie)

And after you’re done skating, enjoy some Beaver tails! It’s a pastry that’s made in a shape of a beaver tail and yes, it’s very yummy. 🙂

3. PARLIAMENT HILL

Go for the free guided tour in the Parliament House. It’s one of the most beautiful parliament house I’ve ever seen.

And I especially love the library and the view from the Peace Tower. *_*

No Canadian can stand and look at this cluster of buildings (…) without feeling that somewhere on this Hill, perhaps by a happy accident, architects, masons and stone carvers have managed to grasp and materialize the beauty of Canada, the vastness of its land, its loneliness, its youth and its hope.

-Bruce Hutchison, The Unknown Country, 1944

4. CANADA MINT MUSEUM / ROYAL CANADIAN MINT

No photos allowed in this one except for…

The 24K gold bar that weighs 28 pounds. Freaking heaving for that small thing, and yes, it’s real gold!!! Also because it was the nearing the lunar new year, they gave us coins stamped with horses we ‘made’ ourselves to mark the Year of the Horse!

Fun fact #1: There are many Canada’s quarter coins that are collectibles in circulation. You’d be lucky if some of them land on your hands!

Fun fact #2: Canada’s one dollar coin is called a loonie and the two dollar coin is called a toonie. No kidding.

5. NOTRE DAME CATHEDRAL BASILICA, OTTAWA

There are a few Notre Dame(s) in Canada: I paid for the one in Montreal because they do an audio ‘show’, couldn’t get into the one in Quebec City and got into this particular one in Ottawa for free. 🙂 I’m not an expert at this so I thought they look pretty similar.

Bonus places:

6. NATIONAL GALLERY OF CANADA / MAMAN THE HUGEASS SPIDER

Right opposite the Notre Dame, there’s the National Gallery of Canada, and the familiar hugeass spider. It’s actually called Maman, designed by Franco-American artist Louise Bourgeois as a tribute to her mother. It’s supposed to represent contemporary culture. This sculpture also appears in Bilbao (Spain), Tokyo, Seoul, St. Petersburg (Russia) and Havana (Cuba).

Well, basically a photo moment if you don’t actually want to go to the gallery. 😉

7. CANADIAN MUSEUM OF CIVILIZATION

This museum is actually outside of Ottawa and outside of Ontario, and in a city called Gatineau, Quebec. But it’s walking distance from Ottawa and lotsa photo opportunities along the way!

And this museum particularly talks about the First Peoples, or the Natives. Very interesting and informative if you want to learn more about the culture. And from there, the nearest food place that is cheap is McDonald’s – and you get to read the French menu! 😉

Oh have I mentioned that Canada’s McDonald’s is one special McDonald’s with the maple leaf on it?

keep travelling,
J

My 4 months stay in Canada has been nothing short of amazing. This country is underrated. And underrated is an understatement. Canada is so beautiful; the place and the people. I’ve read many travel blogs before I finally started one myself, and I realised many people who have been travelling around the world, haven’t been to Canada. This, in my opinion, is such a pity. Travellers love Europe’s historical architecture, crave for the exotic and tropical experience in South East Asia, and like going USA… because it’s USA. I’m not sure how to start introducing Canada, but I thought Niagara Falls would be appropriate since it’s at the Canada/USA border. I’ll slowly work my way in. 🙂

Located in Southern Ontario, the Niagara River, which separates Canada from USA, consists of three waterfalls – Horseshoe Falls (right at the edge), American Falls (in the middle) and Bridal Veil Falls (the smallest one). You must visit this place if you go to Ontario (Canada) / New York (USA).

American Falls, 5 January 2014 pop of colour to the otherwise gloomy winter
there were no one else around

Horseshoe Falls (Maid of the Mist)

I went on two separate occasions, the first on 5 January before the commencement of my exchange programme at UWO, London, ON, and the second on 14 & 15 March. The photos above are from my first visit when I was with my parents; it was really cold and gloomy, but it was good because we had the whole place to ourselves. Peaceful and beautiful.

American Falls, 15 March 2014 The Horseshoe Falls’ mist will get you really wet (you may want to prepare a raincoat/umbrella)

The second time I went was during my friend’s Spring break, but due to the polar vortex, it was still Winter! This year’s winter was exceptionally long and cold – so much so that the Falls became ice. C’est magnifique. I’m so fortunate to have witnessed that but unfortunate to have experienced that. I’m not sure about you, but I thought the half frozen Falls was more beautiful than normal. 🙂 More amazing photos here.

We also witnessed the night view of the Niagara Falls but they weren’t as beautiful as I expected. The night photos from the link above were definitely edited, because the colours weren’t as vivid and they look like dull blocks of colours shining on the Falls. Nevertheless, if you happen to stay there for a night, you could go check it out and you be your own judge. 🙂

On a side note, I saw this old lady alone and taking photos of the Falls from afar. She reminds me a little of my grandma. She couldn’t understand me when I asked her if I could take a photo of her in English. But she smiled, so I guess it’s a yes. She’s so adorable.
Could you sense our excitement? It was my first time crossing a border by foot!

It costs only 50 cents (2 quarters) to walk from Canada to USA, or vice versa, via the Rainbow Bridge. You may drive in as well, but it costs $1.50 + your petrol money. Why not try walking? The customs are at the USA side. It’ll be more worth it if you use Canadian quarters since CAD is smaller than USD (#cheapthrills)! We spent quite awhile crossing the bridge thereafter because we were too excited. Yes, taking selfies took up the bulk of the time. 😉

Me being the Canada representative and my friend being the USA’s (‘cos we were doing exchange in these countries respectively)
And finally, at Niagara Falls, NY!

The view from the USA side wasn’t as magnificent as the view from Canada’s side, but you’d be able to see the “source” of the Falls and it’s quite cool as well.

The immigration at the Rainbow Bridge was quick and hassle-free, so it was good for us. Just remember to bring your documents if you’re going elsewhere to stay in the USA, and of course your visa/N-95. We were heading to Buffalo thereafter, which was accessible via a local public bus. More on that next time. Till then!

keep travelling,
J