Day 5 - Cycling the Rideau Canal

The weather on Monday was great.  It was sunny and out of the breeze it was almost warm.  I think the temperature reached about 14 degrees. 

Ottawa unlike the San Francisco is just at the beginning of spring.  The grass is yet to change from brown to green although there are a few green shoots.  None of the deciduous trees have started coming into leaf.  Apparently there was snow lying around only two weeks ago.  It is a very late start to spring we are told.  It feels more like winter to me although the length of the days is more like summer.  The previous evening we had seen a lot of Canadian geese who were returning from their winter in the south and which is a Canadian sign of spring. 

Hedy took us into the centre of Ottawa where we promptly got lost, well sort of.  I keep getting disoriented by the sun and unlike San Francisco there are no high reference points to keep one oriented.  We wandered around the main shopping centre, the Rideau Centre, after again looking for shoes (with no success) and coincidentally found the bus stop for our return back to Orleans.  Our wander around the streets revealed the imposing fortress of the American Embassy across the road from Parliament (which dominates from Parliament Hill).  I was wanting to do a tour through it but we decided to do that the next day if we had time.  We wandered around for bit taking some photos of the beginning of the Rideau Canal and Parliament. 

The Canadian Parliament in the background

Rideau canal locks with the Ottawa River in the background

I had found a place on the internet  from where we could hire bikes and in our slightly focussed wander around Rideau Street and environs we found it.  Deciding by that time we needed lunch we found a nice boulangerie in the nearby Byward Market or Marché By where they had salads as I had a great need for vegetables.  The coffee was rubbish and if there is one thing I am missing in both Canada and US is a decent coffee.  Wellington does them so well!

Biking along the Rideau Canal

Hiring the bikes was a very easy affair and we soon on our way following a very nice bike trail alongside the Rideau Canal.  There were lots of people walking and riding the trail which is nicely sealed and very smooth to ride on.  Our bikes were almost brand new and although they did not have the comfort seat they were reasonably comfortable.  We went to the end of that section of canal to a place called Hogs Back where the canal joins the Rideau River.  The distance was about 8.5 kilometres.  There was a major fall at that point and the reason for the canal.  We returned via the other side of the canal.  In total I think we covered about 18 kilometres all of which was flat.  It was a nice ride and great to be in the fresh air.

Hogs Back Fall - Rideau River

We returned the bikes and then found a bookstore with French language books where I found several interesting ones.  Over the road was another very large bookstore for browsing.  It was very nice to do that as when one works there never seems to be time to do such things. 

Finally we took the bus home.  It was a very impressive system with about half of the 20 kilometre journey on dedicated busway.  The announcements were like on a train and so we easily found our stop.  The bus system is extensive and relatively cheap.  It was cheaper for instance to go to Gloucester where Hedy and Graham live than to the airport in Wellington. 

Local art and local teens who invited Bev to sit with them

The day ended after a very nice meal with Hedy and Graham in their home.