Hitz Adventures: It's Winter, why not go to Canada. (2 of 4) Ottawa

I arrived in Ottawa about 5pm. It was about a 4hour uneventful drive. I had mapquested the route and found minimal trouble locating the Hostel. Fortunately the Hostel had parking on site which saved about $15. This hostel was incredible. It was a former prison. It was actually the site of the last official hanging in the country in 1869. As you can see by the pictures they have transformed the cells into...well....cells.

Once being assigned a cell block and dropping my backpack I headed out into the night to take some pictures. Ottawa is the capital of Canada, meaning there are a number of historic government buildings. It is also the home to the largest ice skating rink in the world. In the winter the entire canal freezes over and people skate up to where it drops down into the locks (picture 1) and into a larger river.

I hiked around until my battery went dead and had to come in for the night. On the way back to the hostel I stopped at an Irish pub for a couple drinks. I have never seen so many Irish bars outside of Ireland. I am not really sure the connection, but I had no complaints as they offer a layed back social atmosphere.

I thought the first picture below was interesting. It is a castle-type building covered over for construction. I thought the construction itself made it look very cool. I practiced with my camera before leaving and picked up a tripod so i was able to add some night shots to my very limited toolbox of skills.

This is the main parliment building. I know this only because as I circled it I was followed by many police officers. It was all lit up as you can tell with snow flakes and colored lights.

This is a shot of the city on a snowy evening from the opposite side of the river. The second picture is the Supreme Court of Canada.

Many of the churches were closed, but was able to get into Notre Dame. The architecture was amazing. It was not as grand as the Notre Dame in Montreal, but breathtaking to say the least.

On my way to Montreal and Quebec I stopped at a waterfall. It was so cold. The spray was freezing in the air and pelting my face. I could barely take my gloves off before they froze solid. If they were not in my gloves then they were in my mouth. I had to hide behind a wall for 10 minutes before regaining feeling. This is from someone that wears shorts throughout the winter in the lower 48.

Until Next time,