Week 196–210 · Ottawa · Montreal · Parliament · Notre-Dame Basilica
Canada
Been a while since my last update — although I contemplated retiring and trading cryptocurrencies (which wouldn't have been the worst move) I returned to my roots at my original company. Right now my focus is on projects in Canada and I have made several trips to Toronto and Ottawa in the last couple of months.
Most of my trips have been to Ottawa — mostly in and out for 2–3 days with not a lot of time to see the city. I have got to spend some quality time with Canada immigration: "Why should we let you in? Your President wants to get rid of NAFTA." Pretty much everyone gets the treatment — but now that I have a work visa as a skilled migrant short-term worker it should go smoother.
I did accidentally schedule some meetings on a holiday Monday so I decided to take Sharon and make a weekend of it. It's cold — like every part of the day requires some thought about proper hats and gloves, where to park, and strategically ordering an Uber where you can stand inside while waiting. Didn't get above zero degrees while we were there. One of the attractions is skating on the canal — but 30 seconds after leaving the enclosed heated parking garage Sharon lost interest (I never had interest — just another way to break something). We explored as much as we could inside on Saturday.
Ottawa became Canada's capital in 1857, chosen by Queen Victoria partly because of its defensible position on the border between Ontario and Quebec. The Rideau Canal — completed in 1832 as a military supply route between Ottawa and Kingston — is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and in winter becomes the world's largest naturally refrigerated skating rink at approximately 7.8 kilometres. The canal was built by Lieutenant Colonel John By of the Royal Engineers; the ByWard Market neighbourhood (one of Ottawa's oldest) is named after him. Ottawa consistently ranks among the coldest national capitals in the world, with temperatures regularly dropping below -20°C in January and February. Canada's Senate, as noted on the Parliament tour, was designed as an appointed chamber — senators serve until age 75, effectively for decades.
On a Sunday we took a day trip over to Montreal. It was cold but worked out well and we saw much of Old Montreal — street skating between churches, museums, and coffee shops. The primary attraction was the Cathedral of Notre-Dame — the outside similar to European churches but the inside much different.
Will definitely need to revisit Montreal when it is warmer.
Finished up our trip with a tour of Parliament back in Ottawa — had a good guide and found out that the Senate positions there are basically for life.
"Why should we let you in? Your President wants to get rid of NAFTA. Pretty much everyone gets the treatment."