Ottawa Day Off - Oh, Canada! - CycleBlaze

July 19, 2018

Ottawa Day Off

This is my first visit to Ottawa, so we mostly played tourist today, visiting the ByWard Market, the Rideau Canal, Parliament Hill, the Supreme Court of Canada, and other wanderings about town. Dinner was with Jack D'Andrea, my buddy from my work days!

So first, a tour through ByWard Market. When you're with Jerry, you must do the local markets! And it's always a good way to start the day.

The colors are so vibrant . . . red radishes.
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Yellow and green zucchini flanked by leafy green lettuce and red and orange peppers!
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Freshly baked bread . . . I wish we had markets like this at home.
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And always flowers. These kids seemed to be on an outing of some sort.
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The main and original (I presume) market building, although most of the good stuff was in the area surrounding the building.
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How could I say no?
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Well, I did because I'm not so much into sweets. And yes, "I love this country," too! What's not to love?
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And more flowers . . . everywhere, giving the city a very European feel.
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Next stop, and only a short walk away, is the Rideau Canal and Ottawa's waterfront.

The Rideau Canal locks in Ottawa looking towards the Ottawa River. Imagine what this looked like before the locks were built. Quite the waterfall, I imagine.
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Along the canal trail, where we met and chatted with this cyclist about biking the canal . . . which is not really possible per se.
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Looking back up the canal locks, one gets a better perspective of the drop in elevation. The canal is used mostly by pleasure craft these days. These boats are all waiting to be lifted to the upper heights of Ottawa. Passage through eight locks is required to accomplish that!
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Of course, this is a big tourist attraction, and being a nice July day, there are plenty of tourists to go about. These reenactors were very knowledgeable and friendly while they took a break from their duties.
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After visiting the canal, we took a walk along the Ottawa River Pathway . . . a view of the bridge we crossed when we entered town.
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Ottawa River Pathway and the Supreme Court of Canada in the distance.
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Getting back up to Parliament Hill requires some climbing.
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Next stop, Parliament Hill . . .

On Parliament Hill in front of the Parliament of Canada and the parade grounds.
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With Jerry, of course.
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And across from it, the Office of the Prime Minister and Privy Council. Mr. Trudeau, where are you?
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And further down the street, the Bank of Canada . . .
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. . . the Supreme Court of Canada, which we took a tour of.
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Inside the Supreme Court of Canada, which was surprisingly easy to get into.

In the Grand Entrance Hall . . . the stairs lead to the Supreme Court on the next floor.
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But first, we went to the left and toured the Federal Court. If you go right at the entrance, you see the Federal Court of Appeals (which is similar).
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On the inside, looking back at the entrance.
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And the bench, where the judges sit.
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Outside the Federal Court, suitably cased, is the Silver Oar of the Admiralty. It signifies the right of the Federal Court to try cases concerned with admiralty law . . . the law of the seas, an important consideration given Canada's heritage.
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The entrance to the Supreme Court of Canada.
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And the bench where the nine justices sit. In that regard, very similar to the U.S.
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After that, a walkabout town and dinner with Jack.

In the Garden of the Provinces and Territories, where all the flags of Canada are flying.
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A separated/protected bike lane in downtown Ottawa.
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With turn boxes at the intersections!
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One of the light rail stations that Jack is working on.
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And a great dinner with Jack at Canal Ritz.
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