Weekend in Ottawa
Kim and I took the train to Ottawa to visit her friend, Eddie. Rawan, a friend from work, just moved there as well...but she was in Toronto that weekend (stupid planning, but it's another reason to go back).
It's a five hour trip, but its very cool to see the Ontario countryside. Very different from BC, its relatively flat with lots of farms so you can see the dome of the sky much better. Much better in the summer with all the greenery too.
We spent some time playing mini-golf, always a fun little game except for the bit of rain. I don't think I'll ever be able to golf but I can have fun trying to get through the silly obstacles.
We ran into a groundhog who had made one of the holes home. I stalked him a bit to get a good picture, but it was fun.
Next, off to downtown to see the parliment buildings. Very different from Washington D.C., not quite as imperialistic but very Canadian.
What I also loved was the Cattery, its on the side of a hill...right across from the main building but outside the gates. It's been there for several decades, has a "pride?" of 22 stray cats (who self regulate the size), and receives no support from the government. It's all run by volunteers who come out and feed them..even in -35C weather.
I like the fact that, in D.C. nothing like this would be allowed to exist...everything was very orderlyin the Mall and around the hill, but in Canada the MPs come out and feed new litters.
We also had dinner at Cafe Paradiso, delicious encrusted lamb with a very nice Cab-Sav/Shiraz. And live jazz as well. I have forgotten how well good food, good wine, and jazz go together. I'm going to have to go to the Montreal Bistro again.
On Sunday morning they shutdown the street beside the Rideau Canal for rollerbladers and bikers. Its a seven Km paved track through some very beautiful/wild parkland, to downtown...you end up right by the Parliment buildings. I think Ottawa wouldn't be too bad a place to live...in the summer :)
After that we went to the DiefenBunker, Canada's Cold War Museum. Its actual nuclear shelter for the federal government. Four stories of conrete and huge amounts of rebar. It was built in the 60's and severed as a CF signals station until 94 when it was decommissioned (everything was ripped, even useless old computers). It was turned into a museum around 2000 and they put it back together to simulate how it would look in the 60s.
It was very cool to walk around inside, experience some of the Cold War nostalgia and paranoia. It's amazing to think that the government was preaching "duck and cover" for the civilians and making huge underground bunkers for the government to survive.
Needless to say, lots of cool, old military stories.
It's a five hour trip, but its very cool to see the Ontario countryside. Very different from BC, its relatively flat with lots of farms so you can see the dome of the sky much better. Much better in the summer with all the greenery too.
We spent some time playing mini-golf, always a fun little game except for the bit of rain. I don't think I'll ever be able to golf but I can have fun trying to get through the silly obstacles.
We ran into a groundhog who had made one of the holes home. I stalked him a bit to get a good picture, but it was fun.
Next, off to downtown to see the parliment buildings. Very different from Washington D.C., not quite as imperialistic but very Canadian.
What I also loved was the Cattery, its on the side of a hill...right across from the main building but outside the gates. It's been there for several decades, has a "pride?" of 22 stray cats (who self regulate the size), and receives no support from the government. It's all run by volunteers who come out and feed them..even in -35C weather.
I like the fact that, in D.C. nothing like this would be allowed to exist...everything was very orderlyin the Mall and around the hill, but in Canada the MPs come out and feed new litters.
We also had dinner at Cafe Paradiso, delicious encrusted lamb with a very nice Cab-Sav/Shiraz. And live jazz as well. I have forgotten how well good food, good wine, and jazz go together. I'm going to have to go to the Montreal Bistro again.
On Sunday morning they shutdown the street beside the Rideau Canal for rollerbladers and bikers. Its a seven Km paved track through some very beautiful/wild parkland, to downtown...you end up right by the Parliment buildings. I think Ottawa wouldn't be too bad a place to live...in the summer :)
After that we went to the DiefenBunker, Canada's Cold War Museum. Its actual nuclear shelter for the federal government. Four stories of conrete and huge amounts of rebar. It was built in the 60's and severed as a CF signals station until 94 when it was decommissioned (everything was ripped, even useless old computers). It was turned into a museum around 2000 and they put it back together to simulate how it would look in the 60s.
It was very cool to walk around inside, experience some of the Cold War nostalgia and paranoia. It's amazing to think that the government was preaching "duck and cover" for the civilians and making huge underground bunkers for the government to survive.
Needless to say, lots of cool, old military stories.
posted by Mike Lepard at
10:31 p.m.
