Ottawa 1

Lake Ontario had narrowed enough that I could now see the opposite bank of the St. Lawrence.

There are many islands in the stream. I imagined it must be enchanting to cruise through those islands at night. I was reminded of the time I took the Stockholm-Helsinki ferry. Moving through the Stockholm archipelago at dusk we saw islands of all sizes and shapes. Some large enough for a house and a garden, others thickly wooded.

A bit of colour on a glum day.

I left the McDonald-Cartier Freeway and turned up 16 to Ottawa.  Looking for parking was a nightmare repeated in all Canadian cities, but especially bad in Ottawa. It is invariably more expensive the closer one is to downtown.  Since I didn't want to get have to get up at 7 am to move my car from the street, I chose to pay the car park.

The hostel was very interesting, located in an old gaol. It was actually warm and cozy inside. There were too many groups in the hostel. Groups are the bane of single hostellers because they are noisy. I don't get to sleep in a cell; they put me in a bed in a hallway because of the crowd. Even the shower is in a cell.  It's about 1 am before the hyperactive kids quieten down.

Downtown Ottawa is deserted at night. It is pretty in the way planned cities are—cold beauty. I attended a sound and light show in the cold night (about 15C) outside Parliament House. Surprisingly it had humour and not as much hype as I had expected.