Natalie Lamb and the travel post: Ottawa, Ontario

I was fortunate enough to obtain a grant to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Instead of booking direct flights and a hotel, I used that same amount of money (and actually, quite a bit less) to go on a little overland East Canada road trip. I travelled Halifax to Québec City to Montréal to Ottawa to Toronto to Halifax. I have one blog post for each location, plus one about the road trip experience itself.

An Ottawa adventure 

Next up on the travel itinerary was Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. The overall feeling or vibe in Ottawa surprised me. I had previously visited Toronto so I (wrongly) assumed with Ottawa being the capital, that it would feel bigger and even more city-like than Toronto. Ottawa actually has the 6th greatest population (after Toronto, Montréal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton). Queen Victoria way back in 1857 actually chose Ottawa as Canada's capital because of its defensible location. I actually found Ottawa to be kind of cute and compact. I really liked the Bywater Market area and it was chock full of beautiful Victorian architecture. Many Canadian questioned my visit there and recommended I go elsewhere but I’m glad I stuck to my guns! If only for my amazing accommodation, the Ottawa Jail Hostel, which I can’t recommend enough for people who like a spooky museum. 

Some things to do:

I cannot recommend the Ottawa Jail Hostel enough for accommodation- a stay in an actual jail! And included in your overnight stay, you don’t just get free breakfast included, you also get a free tour of the hostel! Spooky ghost stories and the history of Ottawa combined in 1h20. 

Bywater market was quite a small but quite a cool market. 

One thing I had been recommended to try while on my Canada trip was butter tarts. I got some delicious chocolate coated ones from the chocolatiers Rocky Mountain Chocolate.

Within the market I would also recommend the Moulin de Provence Bakery for some souvenir Canadian biscuits, or “Obama Cookies” as the bakery calls them.

The Ottawa sign is also close to the market, if that’s something you’re into.

I really wanted to see the spider at the National Gallery of Canada, just because I’m into spooky things! I did try and enter the museum but unfortunately I arrived too late. One thing I did notice about Ottawa is that the museums seemed to close early, around 5pm, except for Thursday where they stayed open late and maybe were for free on this day.

Wander around the beautiful different buildings at Parliament Hill. Apparently they have free yoga here every Wednesday too (I’m assuming just during August)! I will note though that there were lots of construction works happening so I didn't get the same views as I had seen online. Apparently road works and construction works are quite common in the city.

Make sure you Google what events are going on because I was told by people in my hostel about a free firework

Something to miss:

I did a free walking tour of the Rideau Canal and I didn’t really find anything interesting to look at. However, during winter it would be so cool (literally!) to skate on the canal!

Things for if I had more time or a car next time:

While watching the fireworks, I saw some kayaks at night lit up with rainbow-coloured lights, paused to watch the fireworks. That looked like a great experience and I would have loved to have got the opportunity to join. 

Image Credit: Ottawa Valley Air Paddle

Ice skate on the Rideau Canal.

Image Credit: Project Local Love

Visit Diefenbunker, the Cold War Museum. Unfortunately, this is very difficult to access without a car so I didn’t visit, despite how much I love a bunker.

Image Credit: Ottawa Tourism

Every Saturday and Sunday in the summer (and less frequently but still on weekdays) there is a free bus to Gatineau Park May until the end of October. You will find it if you Google “Gatineau Park shuttle”. I had been planning to take the free bus from town to Camp Fortune. There is a toboggan ride (known as a “mountain coaster” you can do there and included in the price is also a chair lift up the top of the mountain. It looked so cool! Unfortunately there was heavy flooding during my visit so the bus, the park and Camp Fortune were all shut down.

Image Credit: Camp Fortune

Natalie Lamb and the travel post: Montréal, Québec

I was fortunate enough to obtain a grant to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Instead of booking direct flights and a hotel, I used that same amount of money (and actually, quite a bit less) to go on a little overland East Canada road trip. I travelled Halifax to Québec City to Montréal to Ottawa to Toronto to Halifax. I have one blog post for each location, plus one about the road trip experience itself.

 

A Montréal adventure

Montréal was stop number three for me in Canada. The overall feeling or vibe in Montréal was that it seemed like a big city. The port area seemed almost add odds with the city. There seemed to be quite a clear divide to me between the touristy parts and the city parts. There was plenty to eat and do but it could sometimes be very far away so I would take public transport next time instead of just walking.

 

Some things to do:

La Grande Roue de Montréal was pretty cool, with great views of the port and of the city. You got to go in the carriage with just your group and did two full cycles in the wheel so I feel like it was great views and great value for money too.

Mont Royal for some great views of the city. The Kondiaronk Belvedere is known to have the best views but beware it is a hike up a lot of steps!

Go for a walk around the Old Port, including the Clock Tower.

The Montréal Convention Centre really surprised me! It’s a beautiful rainbow coloured building. I recommend seeing the light come through the windows on the inside for the full effect.

Have a day at the beach in the city at the Old Port.

Somethings to miss:

I didn’t think the markets were very impressive but potentially that’s because I’m used to the big markets we have in Europe. I visited Atwater Market which had a pretty outside but was just a few shops selling tourist souvenirs (the same as you see in other gift shops). 

I also visited Jean-Talon Market. This food market was a long walk from tourist attractions and I’m not sure if that walk was really justified with it just being food.

Saying that though, the maple sugar pies from Succeries de L’erable were lovely! I recommend them if you're at the market.

Eating a proper bagel! I visited Fairmont Bagels because the queues at Viateur Bagels put me off but both are said to be excellent! For me though, I just felt like they were normal bagels? I didn’t really understand the hype.

I was recommended to go and visit some pretty and colourful houses at Square Saint-Louis. They were OK but similar to other houses elsewhere in Canada I had seen and were quite far away from other attractions.

 

Things for if I had more time next time:

To spend more times hiking the different paths of Mont Royal, including reaching the summit with the cross on.

Image Credit: The Great Outdoors Stack Exchange

To rent a bike and cycle from the Old Port to the Lachine Canal, which is said to be beautiful.

Image Credit: TripSavvy

The Biosphere Environment Museum, which is saw from a distance and looks really cool.

Image Credit: ResearchGate

Have a thrill-seeking jet boating trip (just got to remember to bring a coat!).

Image Credit: Go Montreal

Natalie Lamb and the travel post: Québec City, Québec

I was fortunate enough to obtain a grant to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Instead of booking direct flights and a hotel, I used that same amount of money (and actually, quite a bit less) to go on a little overland East Canada road trip. I travelled Halifax to Québec City to Montréal to Ottawa to Toronto to Halifax. I have one blog post for each location, plus one about the road trip experience itself.

A Québec City adventure

Québec City was stop number two for me in Canada. I arrived into Gare du Palais and was swiftly greeted by a bit of a hike to reach my accommodation! The hills here are not playing around!

The overall feeling or vibe in Québec City was very Parisian, very European. The architecture was beautiful. Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, which is the giant castle in every picture of the city that you see, is like a real life fairy castle. There were cobbled streets, artists painting caricatures on the streets, artwork hanging left, right and centre. It was my favourite place I visited on my road trip and I cannot recommend a visit enough. The only drawback is that it was heaving with tourists in August! The beauty of Québec City is not at all a well kept secret!

 

Some things to do:

You have to go explore Old Town, viewing Fairmont Le Château Frontenac from every possible angle! My personal favourite views were the ones from Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine.

There are some very Instagrammable streets which are worth a visit. Here’s my top 5:

1. Rue de Petite Champlain

2. Place Royale

3. Rue Sois le Fort

4. Governors Promenade e.g. Dufferin Terrace

5. Rue du Tresor

Outside of cute little side streets, I recommend doing a walk. It's a lot of stairs up but it's worth it. Walk across the Governors Promenade, past Dufferin Terrace, towards the Dufferin Terrace Tobogan Slide (unfortunately only open in the winter), up the Cap-Blanc Stairs (the city’s longest staircase), to the Edwin-Bélanger Bandstand, then through the Plains of Abraham to the Parc du Bastion-de-la-Reine back down to the Governors Promenade. The path doesn’t need signs, it’s super easy to follow (just go forward). It’s 5k so should take around an hour with lots of photo stops.

Poutine was said to originate in Québec City so obviously you have to get some there!

I was fortunate to see the fireworks while there, as they were shown over the river twice a week for 20 minutes (Tuesday and Thursday) in August. You could watch for free, grab some street food and maybe do some dancing at Places des Canotiers.  

Sky Spa is on the other side of town but it was well worth a visit. The were two heated rooftop pools, two saunas, two steam rooms, two cold waterfall pools, beanbags, free ear plugs, deck chairs and amazing city views. It was so much cheaper than the Strom Spa. I went on a weekday and pretty much got the place by myself. Just make sure you bring flipflops or sandals because they will make you pay $4 for them. They also offer student discount. Don’t miss the relaxation room for double bed bunk beds overlooking yet more of the amazing city.

I spent a day getting the bus to and from Montmorency Falls. It is a beautiful area with a falls even higher than Niagara Falls! There’s a cable car, a bridge walk and maybe some other activities but they were all closed during my visit. The bus journey is long and not so exciting but is an easy one. I recommend getting off on the final stop (where the bus pulls in to do a U turn near a McDonald’s because it’s easier to get to the park as a pedestrian. Google Maps told me to get off a stop earlier but I had to walk around a lot of staff only entrances that it didn’t realise existed. It sounds a bit of hassle but it's immediately worth it!

Something to miss:

Paying for entry for the Montmorency Falls. If you arrive early enough, you can just walk straight in!

Things for if I had more time next time:

The Suspension Bridges at Canyon Sainte-Anne.

Image Credit: World of Waterfalls

Get a ferry as the sun is setting.

Image Credit: Trip Advisor

Ride the Dufferin Terrace Tobogan Slide in the winter.

Image Credit: Daily Hive

Natalie Lamb and the travel post: Halifax, Nova Scotia

I was fortunate enough to obtain a grant to attend a conference in Toronto, Canada. Instead of booking direct flights and a hotel, I used that same amount of money (and actually, quite a bit less) to go on a little overland East Canada road trip. I travelled Halifax to Québec City to Montréal to Ottawa to Toronto to Halifax. I have one blog post for each location, plus one about the road trip experience itself.

A Halifax adventure

My Canadian adventure began and ended with flights into Halifax in Nova Scotia (Halifax Stanfield International Airport). Because I didn’t have a car, I really struggled to get around Nova Scotia. Fortunately there is a bus to the city from the airport every hour but it finishes earlier than the flights arrive so you might find yourself needing a taxi. I also strongly recommend checking train times before booking flights because they were infrequent. For my train in particular (The Ocean, a sleeper train), there was only one every 6-7 days!

The overall feeling or vibe in Halifax was that it was almost like a seaside, just without the beach! There were the nice colourful buildings by the water, everyone was chilling on the waterfront with a coffee or going for a run by the water. It was pretty chilled out. There were much rougher areas outside of the harbourfront but it’s generally a great place to go if you fancy a chill few days.

Some things to do:

I recommend walking around the harbourfront. There are little brightly coloured huts which do all sorts of street food like poutine, beavertails, coffee and a couple of gift shops near Salt Yard Social.

There lots of cute brightly coloured chairs in front of the harbourfront (for example, just outside the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel), as well as a "Canada" sign.

A little further down Halifax Boardwalk there are even hammocks (44°38'44.2"N 63°34'05.0"W)!

Halifax Seaport Farmers' Market is right at the end of the walk at the harbourfront.

Glitter Bean Café for a rainbow coffee, the "fairy latte"..

The Titanic Grave Site is very far away from the harbourfront but an attraction to point off if you’re a history buff.

Eat a donaire (essentially a gyro/doner kebab but a very popular food in Halifax), for example from Pizza Corner. Personally, I went to King of Donair. I even managed to get doner meat in a spring roll!

An excursion to George’s Island to visit the underground complex beneath Fort Charlotte on Georges Island, either by boat or by kayak.

Drink a pint! There are so many breweries here! Just to name a few: Chainyard Cider, Two Crows Brewing, Propeller Brewing, Garrison Brewing, Good Robot Brewing.

Something to miss:

I was recommended the pretty buildings on Agricola Street but they were few and far between and not really worth the walk in my opinion

Things for if I had more time or a car next time:

A spa day, either at Oceanstone Resort or SENSEA Nordic Spa.

Fisherman’s Cove for cute wooden houses by the waterfront

Explore more nature! Some ideas include: Point Pleasant Park, Long Lake, Herring Cove Park, Salt Marsh Trail, Cole Harbour, Mackintosh Run Trails, The Bluffs Hiking Area. The one I would most like to hike is the Cabot Trail though, it’s supposed to be beautiful!

Spend a day at the beach. Some examples: Crystal Crescent Beach, Queensland Beach, Rainbow Haven Beach, Conrads Beach.

Finally, some day trips I have been recommended: Peggy's Cove, Chester and Lunenburg.