A Taste of England in CanadaJust like London, Canada's capital offers visitors the pageantry of the changing of the guard ceremony and a gallery at the House of Commons where spectators can listen in on heated and often entertaining debates. But unlike London, Ottawa is just a short jet ride away so you can skip the jet lag and get a lot more out of your travel budget. Ottawa's Changing the Guard ceremony is a military tradition dating back to the 19th century. Held daily during the summer on Parliament Hill, it features more than 100 scarlet-coated soldiers wearing traditional British-style busbies (tall black bearskin hats). The ceremony features a color guard, marching band, and precision marching drills. This stirring ceremony is just one of the many summertime events in a gracious, friendly, and safe city. Ottawa is unquestionably, one of the world's prettiest capitals. It's well endowed with pretty parklands, waterways, and well-preserved historic buildings. Standing on a bluff overlooking the Ottawa River are Canada's neo-Gothic Parliament Buildings with their distinctive green, copper-clad roofs. Visitors enjoy cruises on historic Rideau Canal, the oldest continuously operating 19th-century canal in North America. Threading through the capital, this waterway is a system of natural lakes and rivers made navigable by canal. It wends its way 125 miles to Kingston and is a superb recreational resource, offering cruises in summer and skating in winter. An ideal way to visit Canada's capital is by taking advantage of the affordable "City Stay" tour packages offered through the popular "Air Canada's Canada" program. For example, a package priced from $454 per person (twin) includes round-trip air Chicago/Ottawa via Air Canada, two nights hotel accommodations, dinner at a local restaurant, and a 2-1/2-hour Gray Line sightseeing tour. Extra nights are priced from $45 per person. This Ottawa package is also available from Air Canada gateway cities across the United States sample prices are $349 from New York; $404 from Washington, DC; $404 from Cleveland; $469 from Houston, and $569 from either Los Angeles or San Francisco. Along with its pretty scenery, Ottawa offers an array of cultural attractions, such as the National Arts Centre with it programs of world-class dance, theater, and opera. The stunning National Gallery houses the world's most extensive collection of Canadian art as well as European, Asian, and American masterpieces. Providing an element of excitement is hot-air ballooning, sightseeing flights in a seaplane from downtown Ottawa, and rafting on foamy rapids of the Ottawa River, one of Canada's top rafting rivers. Colorful Byward Market is for browsers, diners, and night owls. Showcasing French Canadian architecture, it offers an array of nightclubs, caf�s, boutiques, and farm-produce stalls amid exquisitely restored heritage buildings. One "must" stop is for a beavertail, Ottawa's favorite street food, a fried-dough creation not unlike the "Elephant's Ears" popular at U.S. fairgrounds. This hot treat, sold at shacks along the Rideau Canal and outlets around the city, is named because of its shape. Made of whole-wheat flour cooked in soy oil, it is dusted with cinnamon and sugar and sprinkled with lemon juice. Across the river at Hull, Qu�bec, Ottawa's French-Canadian alter ego, the Canadian Museum of Civilization truly is a world-class museum. It features distinctive architecture and life-size recreations of historic Canadian scenes (don't miss the collection of totem poles), plus a hands-on children's museum and a giant-screen theater with both IMAX and OMNIMAX formats. Also in Hull is a glittering new gaming casino. Ottawa's major attractions may be conveniently visited via trolleys. These provide daytime and evening guided tours with on-and-off privileges. Reservations and additional information obtainable from "Air Canada's Canada" at 800-774-8993. An Ottawa Information Kiosk is located at http://www.ottawakiosk.com/ Air Canada Edited by Dave Shultz -Updated 6-5-99- |
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