A thought about Ottawa

I know we are living in a difficult and troubled time and something horrible happened today, nevertheless I thought I would share a thought about Ottawa, a city I don't like much. My brother PJ, who works there, mentioned yesterday on Facebook that the Rideau Canal is not opened yet. I wrote: "Ottawa without the Rideau Canal is an almost useless city." I said alomost, as there are still other things I loved about it. And no, I don't mean the federal Parliament. But in winter, when there is actually ice, this is what the city is, or should be all about. Or mostly about. Without the Rideau Canal running, or without people ice skating on it, it remains mainly a capital city, a boring place full of civil servants and anonymous governmental buildings. So yes, there is a bit of truth in what I wrote on my brother's wall and it deserves to be a great unknown line. The third one (see here and here) I put on this blog about the city. All of them had a hint of cruelty. I love poking fun at Ottawa.

Three things I actually loved about Ottawa

As I mentioned here, I am not a big fan of the capital of Canada. In fact, my dislike of it is close to contempt. It looks and feels like an English city from which the soul had been sucked out, leaving a dry, bland, cold shell. City of bureaucrats, of tourists, so close to Québec geographically yet a continent away in its mentality. I felt like a foreigner, when I heard the voices of Quebeckers I thought they were immigrants and the Couche-Tard dépanneurs there were as much part of the place as an Indian take-away is in England: taking roots there yet not from there.

That said, there are three things I actually and genuinely enjoyed in Ottawa, enough to make me consider another visit:

-The Rideau Canal (picture on the left). During winter you can skate on it. I was stupid as I didn't bring ice skates (my brother had some but I didn't want to carry them all the way). Ice skating is maybe the only sport, with swimming, where I am actually good and which I enjoy. I could have ice skated all my way there. Heavenly. I didn't. I missed Paradise. In Ottawa, of all places.

-The Chapters bookstore. I could have spent the day there. I could have spent a lot of money (especially since Canadian dollars are worth more these days AND there are taxes on books). I behaved and bought only three (one a gift to my bro). But I took a loyalty card. Since it's a chain and there is one in Montreal (I even gave my c.v. there in another life), I will not have to go to Ottawa to use it. But I have to admit, the one in Ottawa was every bit as a bookstore should be.

-The campus of the University of Ottawa. I walked through it, went in its buildings and I don't know why but really loved it. Maybe I just love any campus, deep down. Maybe I just miss academia. It's not like walking on the campus of the University of Liverpool, but in any case it was a nice campus.