29 May - Levis to Gatineau - Day 25 of TCE

When I had reached the reception counter to check in to the Hotel Motel Hospitalite last evening the first impression was that the accommodation would just be okay for the night. I was proved wrong. The room was comfortable and it had been maintained neat and clean. The facilities were better that I had thought it would be. In fact, the lighting in the room was much better than the ones I had been in most of the days. The Hotel had very large parking lots in front of each room that could even accommodate a large truck. The pleasant lady, to who I handed over the keys this morning, told me that she had nearly 70% occupancy in the 30 rooms she has.

Peak time had begun by the time I eased on to the road from the Hotel after a breakfast of cereal and milk with a cup of coffee. At the reception I was reminded this morning that I could have a lovely breakfast for just C$5. I had chosen the cereal breakfast in the room instead. The route from Levis to Ottawa took the Montreal bypass along Autoroutes. This is the Quebec province equivalent of freeways. Speed on the Autoroutes is invariably 100 maximum in rural areas and between 70 and 90 in urban limits. Winter seemed to have retreated almost fully. The trees had taken on different hues of gree. Nt a single bare tree could be found. The birch and the firs had become vibrant and the grassy meadows had become lush and green. I had been told by Todd in St. John’s that I would be experiencing a different Canada on the way back because the winter was in retreat. It truly was like a carpet had been rolled on to give a different feel. And, the bright Sun made it feel a lot different from when I had been in Montreal and Quebec City ten days ago.

When I was looking to book accommodation in Ottawa they were all pricey. But, booking.com gave me more affordable housing in a place called Gatineau, which was mentioned as being 5 km away from the city centre. I did not exactly fathom the reason why there was such a difference between accommodations in the two cities, till I got there and found out. The two cities are separated by the Ottawa River, Gatineau in Quebec and Ottawa, the country’s capital in Ontario. Naturally, the capital city would be pricier with tourists actually swarming that place in summer.

Gatineau is a relatively small town with very little to experience there except the Park and the River. I was booked to stay in cosy suite 2 in the Pleasant Stay accommodation, two minutes away from the River. The setting was indeed idyllic. It took me some time to contact Anne, who is in charge of the large number of suites, as I had overlooked he email this morning. Fortunately she was in the facility and I got through the number locked door soon. The suite was well appointed with a fairly big sized bedroom and the living area had cooking facility with pots, pans, crockery and cutlery. The bathroom was attached and from the sets of towels placed there I surmised that such accommodation is sought by families.

After settling into the room and a late lunch of sandwich I took a short rest before venturing to explore the neighbourhood. Knowing that most of the places of public interest would be closed by 5 pm I drove to the Canadian Museum of History to take a look at the Parliament Hill on the opposite shore of the River that flowed adjacent to the very large building that housed the Museum. When I parked the car in the Museum basement parking I thought that the stay would be about a half hour. Little did I think that I would be back to the parking only after three hours!

The Museum was indeed closed but I marked it as top of the agenda for the next day. The magical views across the Ottawa River from the vantage positions in the premises of the Museum kept me walking around for different views of the Pont Alexandra Bridge and the majestic buildings on Parliament Hill. The setting sun was a perfect ally in the evening tour. Every now and then I could spot a different hue on the buildings and aimed to shoot more pictures. I think I saw more of Parliament Hill through the lens of the mobile camera than I did otherwise. I walked to the riverside and thought that it was in spate because many trees were more than half in water. The large tributary of St. Lawrence River defines much of the border between the Quebec and Ontario provinces. I was told that Ottawa River completely freezes in winter and it turns into a large skating rink for winter sport aficionados.

When I was taking pictures of the Pont Alexandra Bridge I noticed pedestrians and cyclists on the bridge. I checked with a few people and found access to the lovely and famous Interprovincial Bridge built in 1900. Besides the two lane vehicular traffic on the bridge it has a wide wooden pathway for pedestrians and cyclists. The views of the two cities and the river are awesome, for want anything better to say. It has a couple of lookout points to admire the views. The long walk took me first to Nepean Hill with the Samuel Champlain monument, an amphitheatre, many sculptures and a beautiful 360 degree view of the surroundings.

The Hill also has a monument that defined the 45^th parallel, the boundary between the States of New York and Quebec; the post is claimed to be a portion of the original that was given to Canada when the boundary posts were replaced. To the right of Nepean Hill is the Major’s Hill Park with beautiful trees, walkways and memorials. Prominent among them is that of the kneeling Ashinabe Scout. On the way down Nepean Hill is another massive museum, the National Gallery of Canada. As was to be expected it was past opening time. In the premise of the Gallery is the large sculpture of Mamon, the egg carrying spider. From there the Notre Dame Basilica looks majestic. I tried in vain to enter the Basilica too. It was a day for closed doors, I calmed myself.

The weather was brilliant and that kept me walking along the neatly laid out streets to the many sights in that lively city. Ottawa, I was told, is rated by Indian students as the best one to be in. In the past hour or so, I understood why it was so. There is much more life in this city than I have found in other cities of Canada. It may have been the weather to be outdoors or it may just have been that the city had more tourists at this time of the year. The pubs and restaurants were overfull and loud chatter and laughter filled the air; a general air of boisterousness that I have never experienced anywhere in Canada till now.

Between the large US Embassy and the Connaught Building that houses the dreaded Revenue Department of Canada is the York Steps that took me down to the historic Sussex drive. 24 Sussex Drive is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada. A large number of tourists were busy posing in front of the letters that spelt out the name of the city. The colourful By Word Market is in close proximity and so are many iconic buildings such as Beaver Tales pastry shop, the oldest tavern and the Bell Tower. I packed dinner from India Café and walked back in glorious sunshine – it was nearly 8 pm! – to the car park on the other side of the bridge.

The parking charge was C$ 13 for a whole day of parking and I was charged that because the half hourly rate of C$ 2.75 was in excess of the full day rate. That is how long I had been out walking. The sights and streets had kept me spellbound and footloose in beautiful summer weather. It had been an extremely long walk and the tired legs had to be rested over a couple of boutique Indian Pale Ales I had picked up from the Quidi Vidi Brewing Company in St. John’s.  Dinner consisted of beef curry and rice.