Back on the road again! Instead of just replacing the broken part of my tow bar, for my peace of mind, I decided to replace the arms and cables as well. The driver’s arm bent a little, and rather than worry about anything, I just went for a new one. So, $1,064 later and about 5 minutes to install, I’m all set to roll.
I don’t know what was going on at the border, but it was a pretty long wait; they finally opened another lane. I’m not sure what the criteria are, but I either get no questions about produce, or I get inspected. Odd. The firearm questions and my residence are always asked, and, of course, my purpose and length of stay. I wish I knew the deal about the produce though because I never know whether to dump it or not. Oh well, it doesn’t matter as I actually have only 3 more crossings to do and then I’m done with Canada for another year.
As I mentioned in a prior blog, there are actually 1,864 islands in the “Thousand Islands.” What makes an island .. an island? To become part of the count an island must meet two criteria: it must be above water 385 days a year and it must support a living tree. No island is divided by the international border, meaning each is either wholly within the United States or Canada. That causes the international border to zig-zag across the water instead of forming a straight line between the two countries.
Why am I bringing this up again? I finally got to the 1,000 Island Tower after I crossed back into Ontario. These are the “same” pictures I showed you before but taken from 400 feet above the St. Lawrence.
Holiday weekends, now that I’m not working, have turned into a mini-curse. Trying to find someplace to stay in Ottawa for a day or two, I planned on the casino. Well, they have an event this weekend and are using the RV lot, so that’s not available. Unfortunately for me, I ended up in a security area with no turn-around. The head of security was a very nice man, and sometime later after unhooking, 3-point turns, and re-hooking, I was on my way. The local Walmart didn’t allow overnight parking, so I kept at it until I found a spot. Driving through Ottawa in the coach, towing a Jeep on those narrow streets in traffic was a challenge, but no mishaps and all is well.
So, today I went to the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica in Ottawa. Since I’m parked by a bus stop, I checked into just taking the bus, but it was a 45-minute commute for the 4 miles, so I opted for the Jeep. I went early and was lucky enough to snag a street spot (still have to pay, but that’s fine). I’m glad I went early because they had a funeral and it was closed to the public when I got back to the car.
The Basilica is the oldest and largest church in Ottawa, is a National Historic Site of Canada and the central church of the Catholic Archdiocese of Ottawa. Construction of the cathedral began in 1847 and took almost 200 years. Pictures of these churches can never do them justice, but it was beautiful.
And then I took a walk through Major’s Hill Park to the Rideau Canal and Parliament Hill.
Built in the mid-19th century, the Rideau Canal is a man-made construction that travels through lakes and canals from Ottawa to the city of Kinston. It was once used for shipping but is now recreational. In the winter, it turns into the city’s ice skating rink.
The neo-gothic sandstone buildings were completed in 1860. Located on a 165-foot hill, the Parliament offers a view of the Ottawa River. The Parliament Buildings are distinctly reminiscent of London’s Westminster, both in their Victorian neo-gothic style and in their position. Partly destroyed in a fire in 1916, all the buildings are now restored.
The National Gallery, featuring more than 25,000 works, this the country’s premier collection of fine arts, housed in this outstanding granite and glass building. Located in the courtyard is this sculpture. Called Maman, it is the last of six spiders cast by artist Louise Bourgeois as a tribute to her mother (odd? Anyone?). The sculpture, which carries 26 white marble eggs in its underbelly, stands 30 feet tall and weighs 13,228 lbs. The National Gallery of Canada paid $3.2 million in 2005.
By Ward Market was a large outdoor (they move it indoors in the winter) farmers’ market. The produce was beautiful, but I was afraid to stock up, not knowing the border issue on produce. It is all locally grown. There was also a meat market, a cheese market, bakery, and jewelry, jams, etc.
It was a good morning to walk around Ottawa and enjoy the sights.
No comments:
Post a Comment