There’s no denying it – Ottawa is known to be one of the coldest capitals in the world (though only when it comes to temperatures). But does that mean you stay home for the winter and are depressed? Absolutely not! Ottawa has turned a potential liability into a key asset and it really shows us how to celebrate winter.

First up is Winterlude, Ottawa’s winter festival, which runs this year from February 3-19, 2006. Winterlude is apparently attended by more than 650,000 winter revelers and encompasses a wide variety of events: concerts, special events, culinary demonstrations. , restaurant festivals. And the list goes on. Skating on the Rideau Skateway, with almost 5 miles of the largest ice rink in the world, was our main reason for coming to Ottawa. In fact, we had traveled to Ottawa about 3 years ago and due to the warm weather, Winterlude was a total disaster for us that year (I guess the appropriate term for that event would be “Waterlude”).

But our past experience didn’t stop us, so this year Theresa and I decided to go back and pray for better weather so that we could see this phenomenal skating and entertainment coming for ourselves.

By the way, the Rideau Canal Skateway has been recognized by the Guinness Book of World Records as the largest naturally frozen ice rink in the world. The skating rink is 7.8 kilometers long and takes you from the Rideau Bridge to Dow’s Lake.

We left early around 10am on an absolutely perfect winter’s day, but even then the skating rink was packed, and the ride on the frozen ice from Confederation Park to the skating rink entrance on the other side of the river was packed. with people in a long line.

We tied our skates and put our boots on our backs, which would give us the flexibility to get off the ice at any time and continue our explorations on foot. Or if we get too tired, we could even hop on the “Sno-Bus” that connects Dow’s Lake to Confederation Park for the entire Winterlude Festival for the low fare of $ 2.50 (more information on the OC Transpo site).

But apparently we didn’t need a Sno-Bus, we skidded our way down this wonderful natural ice surface to the lake and didn’t even need to rest. On this beautiful day with crystal blue skies and perfect, surprisingly windless winter weather, skating on the Rideau was a phenomenal experience. In fact, we couldn’t have picked a better day to explore the Rideau Canal on skates.

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 stands selling freshly baked hot cakes, dusted with sugar and cinnamon. The perfect snack and powerhouse on a cold winter day.

At the Via Rail Concord station rest area, an exhibit sheds light on the history of the Ottawa railroad. Apparently, many years ago, trains ran into downtown Ottawa right next to the Rideau Canal. On Fifth Avenue, young sports fans enjoyed the Canadian Tire JUMPStart Activity Center, where they leapt through the air on a trampoline system and put their hockey skills to the test.

A special area with teepees was set up on Pig Island to learn about Aboriginal traditions, culture and cuisine. In addition, the area featured a logging exhibit, a snowshoe-making workshop, and Aboriginal songs and drums.

Once I got to Dow’s Lake, I went on to explore the 26th Annual Bed Run, a fundraising event that turned out to be an absolutely fun experience, for nothing less than a good cause. The bed race is organized by the Ottawa Kiwanis Club and the proceeds, about $ 50,000, will go to the Read-A-Thon for children.

But I had more to cover so I started skating back to the center and by then the skating rink had gotten pretty crowded. He looked young and old, the whole family was out. Parents carried their children on small sleds or even pushed them in all-terrain baby carriages. Everyone was having a blast.

On the way back, one person caught my eye: a young woman in red skates with red gloves and a red scarf was skating down the canal, juggling, apparently just having fun. I approached her to find out a little about her. She introduced herself as Sylvie and told me she’s part of a juggler family and juggling is in her blood. He said juggling is his life and even though he doesn’t drive the fanciest car, he’s happy because he can do what he loves.

After all this skating, I got really hungry, so I took off my skates and just headed to the Rideau Center, one of the largest shopping malls in Ottawa. It is located right next to the Canal and it was very crowded that day. The Rideau Center provided a welcome opportunity to warm up and enjoy a good lunch in their food court.

Obviously, I love the outdoors and urban exploration, and skating on the Rideau Canal through downtown Ottawa combines both activities perfectly. I briefly tried this special winter activity, and one thing is for sure: I will be back !!!