scarlet-moustachioed Canal. So I bin my guidebook and National Gallery of Canada. Or ACharlie Chaplin is debating decide to follow the locals for my grab a gourmet hotdog at sister with a towering Mountie where remaining days in Ottawa. White-water rafting business Tavern on the Falls while they should watch the fireworks. the Rideau Falls roar away below. It could only mean one thing ◗ SEE IT LIKE A LOCAL on the Ottawa River If you want to bypass the – I was in the nation’s capital, Ottawa’s grand architecture, is a thrilling way bagpipes and bearskin hats of the Ottawa, to celebrate Canada neo-Gothic spires and inspiring to explore the city, main tourist spots, urban white- Day along with nearly 40,000 modern museums make for a racing through rapids water rafting on the Ottawa River creatively costumed Canadians. multitude of dramatic views. If offers a different perspective. It’s The action is centred on you’re lucky enough to stay in a thrilling way to explore the city, several high-spirited shows the fairytale turrets of the racing through rapids and getting Oh, on Parliament Hill, featuring Fairmont Château Laurier, you’ve your feet thoroughly wet. Rafting everything from local electro pop got the best view in town over sip cocktails while watching the makes a refreshing change from to Inuit throat singers. Parliament Hill and the Unesco- sunset over the capital’s copper- tourist boat tours, and the trip I edge closer to Charlie listed Ottawa Locks. topped domes. ends with extraordinary views of and the Mountie just as they But local folk frequent Copper Tucked away on the Rideau the Canadian War Museum that conclude that the best view for Spirits & Sights, the rooftop bar Canal, Tavern on the Hill offers wouldn’t be possible from land. Canada the evening’s fireworks would at the Andaz Ottawa Byward less lofty but equally exquisite Try Ottawa City Rafting or be Major’s Hill Park, where the Market. It’s the highest patio in views across the Ottawa River, family-run Owl Rafting for Enjoy Ottawa like a local with the Ottawa River meets the Rideau the city and the perfect venue to Notre-Dame Basilica and the longer excursions. firework-filled festivities of Canada Day, writes Jenni Doggett k
Fireworks at Parliament Hill, Ottawa PICTURE: shutterstoc PICTURE:
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far Left: Urban white-water rafting
Left: Byward Market
◗ GO OUT LIKE A LOCAL ◗ EAT LIKE A LOCAL Spend a real night at the museum with Most folk know about BeaverTails, Nature Nocturne. Once a month, the At Nature Nocturne, Ottawa’s original doughy treat. But Canadian Museum of Nature comes glamorous young the real inside info is that Ottawa alive after dark. Glamorous young is the country’s shawarma capital. things dance the night away beneath things dance the night Thanks to a large Lebanese population, a giant, quivering jellyfish suspended away beneath a giant, shawarma shacks are common. from the ceiling. A cocktail-frocked quivering jellyfish The Shawarma Palace is generally teen pauses to read about narwhals considered the best option, having and a pack of lads explore the served enormous home-made portions interactive brain room. It’s an inspired for more than 20 years. Alternatively, use of the space – and possibly the soak up the booze in the wee hours coolest night out in Ottawa. For a slower pace and a mellower with worse-for-wear locals at the If you really want to party like a atmosphere, Bar Robo in Chinatown 24-hour Elgin Street Diner. Chips, gravy local, you could do worse than a is popular with all ages. Hipsters and and cheese curds make up the alcohol- Saturday night at The Laff, as it’s grandpas murmur over icy local brews, absorbing poutine – a staple in Canada. affectionately known. Short for Below: while Manouche gypsy jazz band For a more refined dining Chateau Lafayette, it’s Ottawa’s oldest Ottawa Locks Django Libre provides the tunes. experience, several Ottawans bar and dates back to 1849. “My name is Lucky Ron and I’ve been playing here every Saturday since they hired me, and I’ll be playing here every Saturday till they fire me,” says Lucky Ron, a local institution. His act hasn’t changed in more than 30 years. The audience is lively, merrily joining in with his country-and-western standards and calling out pantomime banter. The familiarity is part of Ron’s charm. Some regulars have never missed a show. tourism; ottawa From The Laff to the laughs at son YukYuks Comedy Club late-night show, k ac housing an even rowdier crowd. The id j mostly local comedians give a unique v perspective on the city and I leave feeling a lot less like a tourist, almost plore da x as if I’m in on the jokes – although a couple did pass me by, not knowing
the local slang. PICTURES: e
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recommended I visit Play Food & Wine downtown. The restaurant serves a select menu of small plates with suggested wine pairings. Seconds had to be ordered of the octopus tostadas. ByWard Market is famously the heart of foodie Ottawa, so escape the over- priced tourist chains and assemble a picnic from the gourmet shops. The House of Cheese specialises in hard-to-find domestic and imported cheeses: try Old Grizzly from Alberta and Bleu D’Elizabeth if you’re feeling bold. Canada in a Basket sells Canadian-made gourmet foods. Peruse Left: beautifully packaged jars of pickled Rideau fiddleheads (ferns) and chokecherry Canal jelly, then buy your maple syrup like a local, in a can, from the Maple Country Sugar Bush stall. And for a sweet treat, from the Canada Day crowds. try red rapture ice cream at Sweet I float smugly through the afternoon Jesus, an experimental ice-cream shop During Winterlude, folk before my flight home, watching glossy on Clarence Street. black squirrels in the trees and inhaling can skate on the world’s the woody scents of the saunas. ◗ ADVENTURE LIKE A LOCAL longest natural ice rink, Ottawa has more than 100 miles of the Rideau Canal ◗ PARTY LIKE A LOCAL bike pathways and it’s unquestionably With festivals celebrating everything the best way to get around the city from buskers to tulips, it seems like a local. Find your bearings on a Ottawans love a party. Canada Day trip with Escape Bicycle Tours (from is the crowning event but there is £27), or just rent a bike for the day something to suit everyone’s tastes. and explore. Mountain. For a gentler workout, Jazzfest and Bluesfest take over Cycle to Dow’s Lake and try kayaking hundreds of residents gather for free downtown for a few weeks every June with local families or seek out some yoga on Parliament Hill at noon every and July, and feature a spectrum of of the cooler neighbourhoods, away Wednesday throughout the summer. acts including smaller local groups from touristy downtown. The Glebe, After all the exertion, the Nordik Spa- such as the Bank Street Bonbons Westboro and Hintonburg are home Nature in Chelsea, which claims to be as well as the likes of Bryan Adams, to unique cafes and cool boutiques. the largest of its kind in North America, bELOW left: Herbie Hancock and Alison Krauss. For stronger cyclists, a trip to is a welcome treat. Hidden away in a Bluesfest Hogman-eh and Winterlude cover Quebec’s vast Gatineau Park is a fragrant forest, the series of waterfalls, the winter months, when folk can skate below: must. Visit the park’s prettiest photo saunas and pools create a delightfully Nordik to work on the world’s longest natural opportunity Pink Lake or climb King surreal sanctuary and the ideal respite Spa-Nature ice rink, the Rideau Canal. There are festivals to celebrate dance, dragonboats and animation, while locals also hit the streets for Glowfair, Pride and Brewfest, burlesque, hockey and hoedowns. It’s a great way to meet people and eavesdrop on the best location to watch fireworks or, at the very least, meet a Mountie. nature k spa k Getting there
Air Canada offers the only non-stop nordi ; tourism service from Heathrow to Ottawa. Economy return fares start at £561, including one checked bag and taxes. aircanada.com PICTURES: ottawa PICTURES:
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