"Oh, Canada!"

Judy. Of all the surprises I’ve received in this eastern part of Canada, the biggest is the huge number of French speakers. Of course I knew that Quebec’s first language is French, but I was amazed to learn of the number of Acadian towns and French speakers in the Maritimes. I suppose as the Capitol city of the country, some French is to be expected in Ottawa, but I hear the language spoken on the streets as often as I hear English.

It’s just one of the surprises Ottawa has to offer.

We broke our “big city” rule to come here because we know nothing about the area and it’s always interesting to visit a country’s capitol. We also broke our “no tourist” rule, because there’s so much to do here. We’re really glad we did; we’ve had a great lesson on Canada! A docent in St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church (where the Dutch Royal family attended during WWII while living here in exile) told us, “We know so much about American history, but you seem to know so little of ours,” so we’ve made it a point to learn something about what makes Canada—well, Canada.

 

War Memorial

Parliament 

We started out by taking one of our favorites, a Free Walking Tour, which began at the War Memorial.  Remember how touched we were by the Australian quote regarding their military: “Lest We Forget”? Well, it’s alive and well here, too, not only for the various modern wars’ veterans, but also for those who protected Canada before its Confederation. Ted’s already talked about that in a prior post. We learned about Ottawa’s beginnings as “Bytown” (named for Col. John By, who divided it into lots), about the Irish and French settlers who had street fights over areas of the town, and the separate Catholic churches each built so as not to come near each other. Eventually that settled but left a terrible reputation, so when the country’s Capitol buildings in Kingston burned, Bytown put in a bid to be the new Capitol. In an attempt to change the perception of the city, Bytown changed its name to Ottawa, and was named the Capitol in 1857 by Queen Victoria. It also helped that it was on the Ottawa River and the Rideau Canal, and that “Ottawa” wasn’t yet on any maps, so in the early days of its Dominion, it was not easy to find by foreign invaders (us). “Ottawa,” by the way, comes from an Algonquin word meaning trade, which gives you another aspect of the city’s beginnings.

 

Senate Chamber of Parliament

Parliament Hill from the Ottawa River

While Parliament Hill and its buildings are truly beautiful, they are in the process of being renovated, which will take years. We took the English-speaking tour of Parliament Central Block, watched the Changing of the Guard in front of it, watched the “Northern Lights” sound and light presentation on Parliament Hill about Canada’s history, and walked the city. We saw gardens and Cathedrals, Art museums, and Art Centers, and a view of Parliament from the water taxi on the Ottawa River. We rowed a canoe along part of the Rideau Canal, and, over beer and nachos afterwards, met a delightful local woman named Debbie, who showed us around the area and gave us a ride home.

Denise and Pascal & the beautiful garden

We had a lovely visit with a Servas couple, Denise and Pascal, a Francophone couple who gave us a tour of parts of the city we’d not seen, took us to their home outside Ottawa, fed us a fine lunch, then drove us back to our apartment.

Our street in Centretown

We lived in Centretown, an older area in transition, with brick houses and stained glass windows, and a park where, every morning, women from nearby Chinatown practiced

Morning dancing in the parki

dancing, and where, on Friday nights in the summer, movies are shown. We went to the Chinatown Night Festival and had a great lunch at a Dim Sum restaurant there.

Chinatown Gate

 

Food stall at the Night Festival

We walked to Sparks Street during our last week to watch the Busker Festival, and saw terrific performers from all over the world. 

Pole balancing!

One morning we rented a car and drove to Merickville, a 225-year old town built on the Rideau Canal, and afterwards drove to the small town of Fournier to visit Ab and Monique, whom we had met thirteen years before at a resort in Nicaragua. Over an excellent lunch prepared by Monique, we shared travel stories and marveled at the fact that a couple of days of laughter so many years ago could lead to a renewed friendship.

Ab and Monique

We’ve spent more time in the east now than in British Colombia, and I find, that like in America, the two parts of the country could not possibly be more different. Now I’m intrigued by the middle provinces and am ready to visit there in the next while. I continue to be surprised by how much I learn, and how much people are willing to teach me. Canada has been a treasure and learning experience I’ll not soon forget.

At the end of the “Northern Lights” presentation, a recording of a young voice singing “Oh, Canada” in the bilingual version was played. Around me, people stood and sang one verse in English and another in French. They are  rightfully proud of their country, and I, too, am proud, to have them as neighbors.