February 12, 2006
Hello from Ottawa - Skating on the Rideau
Canal - Officially the World's Largest Skating Rink
There is no denying it: Ottawa is known is one of the coldest capitals
in the world (only as far as temperatures are concerned though).
But does that mean you stay at home during the winter and mope?
Absolutely not! Ottawa has turned a potential liability into a key
asset and really shows us how to celebrate winter.
First there is Winterlude,
Ottawa’s winter festival, which is being held this year from
February 3 to 19, 2006. Winterlude is apparently attended by more
than 650,000 winter revellers and encompasses a myriad of events:
concerts, special events, culinary demonstrations, restaurant festivals
and the list goes on. Skating on the Rideau Skateway, at almost
8 km the world’s largest icerink., was our main reason for
coming to Ottawa. Indeed we had travelled to Ottawa about 3 years
ago and due to warm weather Winterlude was a total washout for us
that year (I guess the appropriate term for that event would be
"Waterlude").
But our earlier experience didn't deter us, so this year Theresa
and I decided to come back and pray for better weather so we would
indeed be able to check out this phenomenal skating and entertainment
venue for ourselves.
Incidentally, the Rideau Canal Skateway has been recognized by
the Guiness Book of World Records as the world's largest naturally
frozen ice rink. The skateway is 7.8 kilometers long and takes you
from the Rideau Bridge all the way to Dow's Lake.
What about a horse and carriage ride on Dow's Lake?
We got going early just around 10 am on an absolutely perfect winter
day, but even at that time, the skateway was packed, and the walkthrough
over the frozen ice from Confederation Park to the skateway entrance
on the other side of the river was chock full with people in a long
lineup.
Food for the hungry skaters...
We laced up our skates and put our boots in our backbacks which
would give us the flexibility to get off the ice at any time and
continue our explorations on foot. Or if we got too tired, we could
even hop on the "Sno-Bus"
which connects Dow's Lake with Confederation Park during the entire
Winterlude Festival for the low fee of $2.50 (more information on
the OC Transpo site) .
But, apparently we didn't need a Sno-Bus, we skated our way down
on this wonderful natural ice surface all the way to the lake and
didn't even need to rest. On this gorgeous day with crystal blue
skies and perfect winter weather and amazingly no winds, skating
on the Rideau was a phenomenal experience. We could indeed not have
picked a better day to explore the Rideau Canal on skates.
What a phenomenal day to go skating!
At different intervals along the way there were a variety of rest
areas, food concessions and special entertainment or information
areas. Well represented of course is a famous Ottawa trademark:
the Beavertails concession booths which sell freshly made warm pastry,
sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon. The perfect snack and energy
source on a cold winter's day.
At the Via Rail Concord Station Rest Area an exhibit shed light
on Ottawa's railroad history. Apparently many years ago, trains
would arrive in downtown Ottawa right next to the Rideau Canal.
At Fifth Avenue, young sports fans were enjoying the Canadian Tire
JUMPStart Activity Centre where they were jumping through the air
on a trampoline system and putting their hockey skills to the test.
At Pig Island a special area with teepees was set up to get a
taste of Aboriginal traditions, culture and cuisine. In addition
the area featured a loggers' exhibit, a snowshoe-making workshop
and aboriginal songs and drumming.
Once arrived at Dow's Lake I went on to explore the 26th
Annual Bed Race, a fundraising event which proved to be an absolutely
hilarious experience, for a good cause no less. The Bed Race is
organized by the Ottawa Kiwanis Club and the proceeds, close to
$50,000 will go towards the Children's Read-A-Thon.
A young hockey star tests his skills at the Canadian Tire JumpStart
Activity Centre
But I had more to cover, so I started skating back towards the
downtown and by this time the skateway had filled up quite a bit.
It seemed like young and old, the whole family was out. Parents
were pulling their children on little sleds, or even pushing them
in all-terrain baby carriages. Everybody was having a ton of fun.
On the way back one person struck my attention: a young lady on
red skates with red gloves and a red scarf was skating down the
canal, juggling, apparently just having a ball of a time. I approached
her to find out a bit about her. She introduced herself as Sylvie,
and shared with me that she is part of a juggling family and that
juggling is in her blood. She said that juggling is her life, and
although she doesn't drive the fanciest car, she is happy because
she gets to do what she loves.
After all this skating I got really hungry, so I took off my skates
and simply headed up to the Rideau Centre, one of Ottawa’s
biggest shopping centres. It is located right next to the Canal
and was positively packed on this day. The Rideau Centre offered
a welcome opportunity to warm up and catch a nice lunch in its food
court.
Obviously I love outdoor activities as well as urban exploring,
and skating on the Rideau Canal through downtown Ottawa combines
both activities perfectly. I got a brief taste of this special winter
activity, and one thing is for sure: I'll be back!!!
A glimpse at the historic Chateau Laurier
Related Articles:
Hello from Ottawa
- My 2-day packed itinerary for Winterlude
Hello from Ottawa - First
impressions and an overview
Hello from Ottawa - The Lord Elgin
Hotel: a historic landmark in the heart of Ottawa
Hello from Ottawa - Fat Tuesday's
and the Mardi Gras Experience in the ByWard Market
Hello from Ottawa - An early
morning walk to Parliament Hill
Hello from Ottawa - Skating
on the Rideau Canal, the World's Largest Skating Rink
Hello from Ottawa - Charity and
hilarity: the 26th Annual Bedzz Races on Dow's Lake
Hello from Ottawa - Confederation
Park and other Winterlude locations
Hello from Ottawa - Darcy McGee's:
a historic Irish pub on Sparks Street
Hello from Ottawa - The Canadian
War Museum and "Weapons of Mass Dissemination - The Propaganda
of War"
Hello from Ottawa - The
Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography featuring Sunil Gupta
and the challenges of immigration
An interview with Tourism Ottawa
provides a great overview of this city
An interview about
the ByWard Market, a prime entertainment and shopping area
An interview
with the National Gallery of Canada
An interview
with the Canadian Museum of Civilization
Helpful websites:
Ottawa
Tourism: Ottawa's official tourism information
The ByWard
Market Business Improvement Area
The
National Capital Commission
The National
Museum of Civilization
The National Gallery
of Canada
The Canadian War
Museum
Useful books about Ottawa:
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