Ottawa

Ottawa, the capital city of Canada, is located at the confluence of Ottawa River and Rideau River.

Ottawa

My general impressions of the city:

1. Ottawa is a much smaller city, compared to Toronto, understandably;
2. Ottawa is full of the PRIDE vibe; rainbow flags and crossings can be seen frequently, at least when I visited the city;
3. Ottawa, like other cities, also has a severe homeless crisis, which damages the city’s image;
4. Ottawa is little boring since the economy is mainly driven by the Canadian government, which happens to be the largest employer in Ottawa;
5. Ottawa’s public transit, OC Transpo, is still developing; good news is that it accepts Presto or Visa/Mastercard credit card;
6. Ottawa is a more bilingual city and French is more widely used, compared to Toronto which is a more English city;

Parliament Hill

Parliament Hill is one of the most iconic landmarks in Canada, standing out with its unique Gothic Revival style.

The parliament has threes buildings:

1. The Centre Block: the Senate, the Library of the parliament, the peach tower;
2. The East Block: ministers’ and senator’s offices, meeting rooms, and other administrative spaces;
3. The West Block: now the interim House of Commons, house offices for parliamentarians, a branch of the Library of the Parliament, committee rooms;

It was firstly built between 1859 - 1876 after the Confederation of Canada.
In 1916, a fire almost destroyed the whole Center Block and the then it took 11 years to rebuilt it. The Centre Block and the East Block are undergoing renovations since 2019.

We can also tour inside the parliament buildings.
To do so, tickets can be booked at the official website of the parliament. The ticket is free, but a ticket and security check are required.

Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica (Ottawa)

The Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica is the oldest church in Ottawa and one of the oldest churches in Canada.