1. No kitchen - looking forward to making and having pancakes for breakfast that I bought with me all the way from Sydney in the likely event I could not find a supermarket near by only to find there is no stove here only a toaster fridge kettle and microwave. No pasta tonight for dinner as well. Need to go shopping for bread as toast and tea my only options unless I plan on eating takeway or frozen microwave meals during my entire stay here - yuk not an option!
2. 2 bathrooms for 16 guests. You have to be up at 6 am in the morning to have a shower or go to the toilet - it is now 8.30 am and bathroom still occupied. I have an early train on 21st February therefore will have to get up extra early! Setting my alarm for 6 am now.
3. No shoes allowed upstairs and the shoe rack downstairs is full and no lift to second floor so will have to leave luggage downstairs night before I leave.
4. Check in is next door - hope they accept early departures as you have to return key next door.
Day 2 in Canada and I waste no time on my 2nd trip to Canada.
After a few hours sleep in Toronto (and I do mean a few hours sleep!) at the Toronto HI it is time to depart on the 9.20 am VIA train from Toronto Union Station to Ottawa Station. Only time for a quick breakfast of my leftover roll from the flight over some magerine also from the flight over and a sachet of vegemite I had with me - always carry some on my travels - you never know when this comes in handy! Had to ditch the plastic knife though going through security again and my water but always prepared a tea bag and boling water to refil my Contigo was all I needed for my trip train trip from Toronto to Ottawa.
Being family day long weekend in Ottawa everyone had the same idea of escaping to Winterlude therefore prices were jacked up for accommodation and travel during this long weekend. Some even missing out on seats on the VIA. I know I paid a lot more for my train ticket to Ottawa in Economy class as all Esacape tickets for around $44 ex taxes were already sold out online.
The car 5 of the train was not full most window seats were taken therefore I was lucky as I prefer asile seats.
Right at the back of the train - this turned out to be an advantage as I could stand near the toilets at the very rear of the train door and video the snow laiden tracks as the train chugged along. What a beautiful scenic 4 - 5 hour train trip between Toronto and Ottawa.
I think storing my large suitcase at the Toronto HI at a cost of $5 per bag per night and carrying 2 small pieces of luggage instead of bringing 1 large suitcase with me to Ottawa on the VIA was a good decision made as there are steps up onto the trains unlike train travel in Australia where the train is level with the platform making it easier access for suitcases prams and walkers.
Ottawa train station is quite a distance from the city centre therefore to cut down on time I taxied it to the Barefoot Hostel .
As soon as I checked in I had already missed the first International Ice Dragon Boat Rowing Competition which started the day before and ended by 4 pm down at Dows Lake Pavillion a 40 minute bus ride away and was also recommended that if I wanted to skate the Rideau Canal to do so today as conditions of the canal were already poor verified online as well and not likely to open for skating tomorrow - it turned out the canal was closed for the rest of Winterlude.
I unpacked and quickly grabed my skates gloves ski pants and jacket and a helmet and cleets and found my way down to the Rideau Canal. There were hundreds of people on the canal and the canal's surface was really slushy and chewed up - it looked like soft snow . I put on my brand new recreational ice skates and started to skate the first km or so of the canal - I stacked it so many times I gave up skating on the canal after a little past the 1 km mark. Something was wrong my toe pick kept getting caught in the divets in the canal and my skates felt as though they have snapped at the base - it felt like I had broken the sole of a pair of pointe shoes.
I took my ice skates off at the nearest rest area along the canal - the second of several along the canal and changed into my hiking boots and cleets. I slung my ice skates over my shoulder and just walked as far as I could along the canal. To reach my goal of skating the entire 7.8 km of the Rideau Canal all the way to Dows Lake - which I never reached - I had to at least walk to the 3.9 km mark and walk all the way back. I managed to walk to almost the 5 km mark before turning back as it was becoming very dark on the canal and it was getting late. There were not many skaters on the canal and just arriving it wasn't exactly the smartest option to be on the canal on my own not knowing where exactly I was heading.
Most skaters had taken off their skates and walked. It was a very long walk back snd those that persevered with skating on the canal an even longer way - most of the time it wasn't a gliding action on skates but a stepping motion just to avoid stacking it on the ice.
By the time I got back to almost where I started on the Rideau Canal - there was live music playing and lights so I took a detour to Confederation Park Crystal Garden I think it is called and on stage live was a live band playing a free concert. I had no idea who was playing but was later told it was from a very old Canadian band from the 1990s called MOIST. Good looking lead vocalist and great music - they had it all flashing colour lights a live band and even smoke! He sung in English mainly but also made a great effort singing a French commenting on how he had to get it completely correct no inprov in French and also how he had to keep his lyrics clean that night as there were a lot of kids around.
After watching the live concert for a while I lined up to see the 2 sets of ice sculptures on either side of the park and also to have a look inside the metro ice bar - nothing happening in there just seating and tables made of ice.
Next stop I just kept walking in the dark and ended up at City Hall where another large ice sculpture was and an ice skating rink. Boring. It was really late by then and I was completely lost. I had no idea where I was or how to get back to the Barefoot Hostel so I asked a couple on the street heading towards the Rideau Centre and they walked me to as close as possible to where I was heading as they were heading towards the Rideau Centre. Back at the hostel safely and 2 new Dutch roommates.
End of a very long day 1 in Ottawa.
(Rideau Canal Skateway photos atrached)
(Winterlude night activities photos attached)
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