Ontario, Canada Travel

Our winter getaway over the last two days was supposed to include a couple of different activities: snow-tubing and outdoor skating. Well, our outdoor skating fell through, due to the extraordinarily warm conditions, however, we had a beautiful day yesterday on Kempenfelt Bay in Barrie, where we enjoyed some great outdoor time on frozen Lake Simcoe.

Today, after our delicious filling breakfast at Nicholyn Farms Bed and Breakfast, we headed off for another adventure: snowtubing at Horseshoe Valley. Unfortunately the weather today was even less cooperative: as the day progressed it went from freezing rain to rain to a veritable downpour as we drove back to Toronto.

Nevertheless the morning was cold enough for our snowtubing adventure. My 8-year old nephew had never been snowtubing before, and knowing his penchant for high-speed adrenaline-filled activities, we knew that he would fall in love with this sport.

Horseshoe Valley is one of several Ontario winter resorts and in addition to downhill skiing, cross-country skiing and skating, it also features a snow-tubing hill. It’s a thrill to get pulled up on the hill, sitting on a refunctioned inner tube, and then getting linked up in a group of 2, 3 or 4 snow-tubers, who hold on to their neighbouring tuber’s handle and then get pushed down the hill by one of the staff members – with a spin and a momentum that feels almost like a roller coaster!

Snowtubing is just one of the many fun winter activities that Ontario has to offer.
Snow Valley Resort just on the other side of Highway 400 also offers snowtubing.
Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood is another place for Ontario snowtubing enthusiasts.

Skating:

Obviously hockey is Canada’s national sport and skating runs in the veins of many residents of this northern country. Virtually all Ontario cities, towns and villages have outdoor skating rinks and indoor arenas. Outdoor skating is free in many cases, and indoor pleasure skating is generally a very inexpensive sport.

One of the best known skating Ontario opportunities exists in Ottawa, on the 7.8 km long Rideau Canal, the world’s longest skating rink according to the Guiness Book of Records. The City of Ottawa lists its public skating information on the Internet.

Toronto’s well-known outdoor skating venues include City Hall, Harbourfront and Grenadier Pond in HIgh Park and the City of Toronto provides a list of leisure skating opportunities in Toronto.

Skiing & snowboarding:

Although Ontario certainly doesn’t have the greatest vertical drop compared to international ski resorts, but it does offer 41 resorts for downhill skiers and snowboarders at the Ski Ontario website.

Cross-country skiing & snowshoeing:

Ontario’s more than 120 cross-country ski areas are rivalled only by Quebec for sheer number and variety. Ski areas are operated by various organizations ranging from parks to clubs and resorts. The Ski Ontario website provides an extensive listing of cross-country opportunities across Ontario.
Special offers for snowshoeing and cross-country getaways are featured on the Ontario Outdoor website.

Snowmobiling:
Ontario offers more than 43,000 km (26,000 mi.) of maintained, interconnected, uncongested trails. It is the longest network of recreational trails in the world. The 248 member clubs of the Ontario Federation of Snowmobile Clubs build and maintain this extensive trail network. Find more information about snowmobiling in Ontario in the Ontario Snowmobiler Magazine.

Iceclimbing:
The north of Ontario is the heart of Ontario’s iceclimbing country and features ice-clad routes with heights of more than 90 m. Special ice-climbing getaways are featured on the Ontario Outdoor Website.

Dogsledding:
Dog sledding has evolved from a utilitarian form of transport in northern countries to a unique travel experience. Some dogsledding operators have a guide drive the team, where at other places you may drive the sled yourself. The Ontario Outdoor Website features a variety of dog sledding adventures and getaways.

Urban Winter Getaways:
For those who want to enjoy the best that Ontario’s cities have to offer over the winter time, there are a variety of special events going on. Many cities and towns throughout Ontario feature special winter festivals, starting with many festivals of light, tree lighting ceremonies and New Year’s celebrations in November and December, and continuing with a variety of special events, trade fairs and restaurant promotions throughout January and February. The Success with Ontario website features a listing of Ontario’s Festivals and events.

Major festivals include:
Toronto’s WinterCity Festival and Winterlicious
Ottawa’s Winterlude Winter Festival
Niagara’s Icewine Festival

Ontario Accommodation Choices:
Ontario offers a wide variety of choices for getaways. From all-inclusive feature-packed resorts, to down-to-earth farm vacations, to cozy bed and breafasts, secluded cottages and chalets and inviting country inns, Ontario has a wide selection of accommodation providers. Unique boutique hotels, and centrally located urban hotels round out the accommodation offers. Ontario Travel’s website offers a great overview of the accommodation choices available in Ontario.

There is plenty to do in the winter in Ontario, indoors and out. Nature lovers, urban explorers, adrenaline junkies, and romantic lovebirds will all find something to choose from to brighten up those cold winter days.

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions (http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences, interviews with travellers and travel experts, insights and reflections, cross-cultural issues, contests and many other features. You will also find stories about life and the transitions that we face as we go through our own personal life-long journeys.

Submit your own travel stories in our first travel story contest (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/contests.htm) and have a chance to win an amazing adventure cruise on the Amazon River.

“Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons”.
The story with photos is published at Travel Stories and Photos (http://www.travelandtransitions.com/stories_photos/hello_barrie_3.htm)

As far as travel to Ottawa is concerned, you’d be hard pressed to find a more central lodging location than the Lord Elgin Hotel. It is located right at the Intersection of Elgin and Laurier Streets, just steps away from Parliament Hill, the War Memorial, the Chateau Laurier, the Government Conference Centre and the National Arts Centre. Confederation Park, one of the main locations for Winterlude, is located right across the street.

We could not have found a better spot for our Ottawa Winterlude getaway last weekend. My room on the 4th floor was very comfortable and I had a perfect view out over Elgin Street, looking at the Chateau Laurier and the War Memorial on one side, and facing Confederation Park and the Rideau Canal on the other. We literally left our car parked for the whole 2 days and were able to get everywhere we wanted on foot.
The Lord Elgin was a perfect starting point for our adventures on the Rideau Canal, and our excursions to the ByWard Market and Sparks Street. Further south on Elgin Street is another major entertainment area nestled inside an established neighbourhood with exclusive homes and condominiums.

Ann Meelker from the Lord Elgin Hotel was kind enough to give me a lay of the land and pointed out the local landmarks. She also explained to me that the National Conference Centre actually used to be a railroad station many years ago, when train tracks were routed right next to the Rideau Canal.

My big interest in this hotel was its history as it was constructed more than 60 years ago. So I did some reserach to dig into the background of this historic building.

In 1940, as the Second World War brought more and more official visitors into town, Ottawa found itself desperately short of hotel accommodation. A local entrepreneur and city alderman by the name of Chester Pickering, President of Dustbane, Modern Building Cleaning, and Michael’s Industrial Equipment, was entrusted with the job of bringing a good hotel to the City. He connected with Jack Udd, a wealthy businessman from Rochester, New York, the president of the Ford Hotel Chain.

They were looking for a suitable site for the hotel and finally found one in an abandoned lot at the corner of Elgin and Laurier. However, obtaining the land was complicated by the fact that it was owned by the federal government.

It seemed highly unlikely that this land could be obtained from the government, but through personal connections and various outright shenanigans Chester Pickering was able to get the property. Chester Pickering knew that then Prime Minister Mackenzie King longed to make Ottawa the most attractive capital in the world, so he was sure that the idea of cleaning up this run-down area would appeal to the Prime Minister.

And not only did Pickering get the land, he also got a low-cost tax assessment on it, in light of the fact that government had not been receiving any taxes on this federally owned property at all before. With all the conditions met, Jack Udd started building the hotel and Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King even laid the cornerstone. The Lord Elgin was completed in 1941 in a classical French chateau style at a cost of about C$1,500,000.
All throughout Prime Minister Mackenzie King took a strong interest in the hotel and virtually designed the pillars in front of the hotel himself. He also insisted that the hotel be built of stone, not brick. Jack Udd agreed on a compromise and used stone at both ends and in the front, but he would put brick in the back.

The hotel is named after James Bruce, 8th Earl of Elgin and 12th Earl of Kincardine (1811 to 1863) who became Governor General of Canada in 1847. He became the first Governor General to remove himself from the affairs of the legislature, which led to the essentially symbolic role that the Governor-General of Canada has today.
Ann also allowed me to have a look at some correspondence between Prime Minister Mackenzie King and the grandson of the original Lord Elgin, who donated two marble busts of his grandparents, Lord and Lady Elgin. The correspondence dates back to 1940 and talks about shipping the busts on warships during World War II from Scotland to Canada.

Ann also mentioned that during the summer a portion of the Changing of the Guards ceremony can be seen directly outside the hotel. And the starting line for the Ottawa International Marathon is located immediately in front of the Lord Elgin Hotel.
Being the nosy person that I am I wanted to get the real low-down on this property and Randy Battcock, Guest Services Manager at the Lord Elgin, agreed to take me on a tour through the property. Randy is an interesting individual himself, he hails from Newfoundland and worked for a local airline for 21 years. After running a guest house in Ottawa for 8 years he applied for the Guest Manager’s position and got the job the next day. It is obvious that Randy loves what he does.

During our tour through the building, Randy explained that the original building was H-shaped and that the back was filled in many years ago to enlarge the rooms. In some of the boardrooms on the higher levels you can still see the former street fa

Ottawa has a myriad of sights to visit and the ByWard Market is one of the major entertainment areas in Ottawa. It combines a great selection of restaurants and night spots, with funky boutiques and retailers, galleries and artsy places and a busy outdoor market. Throw in a good dose of special events and you’ve got yourself a happening place!

I myself will be heading off to Ottawa on February 10 to sample Canada’s capital, and to check out Winterlude, Ottawa’s winter festival, which will be held this year from February 3 to 19, 2006. Winterlude includes skating on the Rideau Canal, the world’s largest outdoor skating facility according to its Guiness World Book of Records designation of November 2005.

Let me give you an idea of the enormity of this skating opportunity: the Rideau Canal’s surface is the equivalent size of 90 Olympic rinks and stretches for 7.8 km (4.8 miles) through downtown! And it features all kinds of outdoor entertainment as well as the famous Beavertails, Ottawa’s signature pastry, so skating on the Canal will be a definite must on this upcoming trip.

So, after a good round of outdoor exercise I will certainly be checking out what the ByWard Market area has to offer and quench my well-deserved hunger with a great meal.

In anticipation of my visit I had a chance to talk to Meg McCallum, from the ByWard Market Business Improvement Association, who was able to give me a great overview of this ecclectic area.

1. Please give us a general overview of the ByWard Market, its location and its history.

Established by Lieutenant Colonel John By in 1826, the ByWard Market is one of Canada’s oldest and largest public markets. The legendary builder of the Rideau Canal, Colonel By himself laid out the street plan of the Market, designating George Street and York Street to be extra wide to accommodate the creation of a public market and gathering place. 180 years later, the Market is still going strong!

Within an area roughly four blocks square, you’ll find caf