Trans Canada ‘23 Day 11

Oh my Lord… big sleep in! It wasn’t until after 8:00 AM that we finally hit the streets of Ottawa. First mission was a good cup of coffee at Little Victories Coffee Roasters on Elgin St… ah ☕️! Then on foot to one of our first museum stops of the day. We have a couple planned that we hope will unearth a few treasures that Janie can use for her new “Contemporary Canadian History” course. 

The Canadian War Museum has a tremendous collection of both artefact and information pieces in regard to Canada and the experience of war. Upon arrival at 9:00 AM we quickly purchased entry and visited the new “War Games” exhibition. In short, it’s an exploration of how games, from tabletop battlefields to digital simulations, have been used to train military personnel. Looked like a thesis that went wild to us!!!

At 9:30 we were invited to participate in a Guided Tour that would provide, in more detail, information selections that delve into the architecture and pivotal artefacts/stories in each of the Galleries. Our guide, Benoit, was knowledgeable and a keen student of history. With a heavy French accent he gave us a quirky, behind the scenes look at the museum. 

Following the tour we took on the full permanent exhibits, not leaving until 1:00 pm. Galleries include Early Wars in Canada, South Africa and First World War,  Second World War and From the Cold War to Present. Excellent content! We even found a picture of Nicola Goddard in the last Gallery. My favorite section has to be the Military Technology Collection, stacked with tanks, artillery and all manner of other machines of war. Five star ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ visit!

After a quick Uber through Ottawa we were at the doorstep of the Canadian Museum of History. It’s our national museum on anthropology, Canadian history, cultural studies, and ethnology located in Gatineau. The museum explores the history and heritage of Canada, and offers 4 floors of exhibition space and programming to visitors of all ages. After a quick queue, we took in a recent Jane Goodall film, Reasons for Hope, that detailed four specific communities / projects where people have made a difference in environmental restoration. Very well done, with Sudbury, Ontario (which we passed just yesterday) being one of the communities. Well worth a look. Of note, we were there the busiest time of day and permanent exhibits were congested during the afternoon. Good info though… and we especially hunkered down for looks in the Modern Canada Hall focusing on Residential Schools & The October Crisis. I particularly got lost in a short video of a Nova Scotia Mi’makq artisan constructing a birch bark canoe. Solid couple of hours at this museum as well!

We walked Pont Alexandre home (the rain held off) and took a short cut through Major’s Hill Park to the Rideau Canal Locks NHS. Fortunately, we arrived just in time to watch a pleasure boat using the lock system. What an excellent little lesson in engineering! It’s described as “North America’s best-preserved “slackwater” canal, and the only one from the great 19th century canal-building era that still operates along its original route with most of its original structures intact.” So interesting to see the power in this very simple technology, watching a craft quite literally be lifted 15-20’ in elevation each lock without any form of power beyond buoyancy in water. Once again… worth the watch and a total freebie!

After some time to regroup at the Laurier, we decided on getting some supper. After sampling three Irish Bars Sunday evening, we opted for something totally different. Using a quick google search, we identified Le Casablanca eatery and menu, in Byward Market, to go and grab some authentic Moroccan food. Easy, peasy 6 minute walk and we were ordering! Reviews recommended the Royal Plate as a meal for two… wowzers! A huge meal with all the best including chicken, lamb, kafta, vegetables, rice, chick peas, couscous and, of course, mint tea provided a real taste of Morocco. Unpretentious, so very friendly, reasonably priced and almost immediate service… a perfect stop for us.

After doing our best, we relented to what was left on our plates and got some help ID’ing several of the veggies (we had most except rutabaga). We also asked about the tagines (Moroccan cooking dish) on the industrial hood. The owner, in his best English, stated these were broken ones and decoration. However, he quickly marched us out the door and across the street to a nearby store that sells tagines and all manner of products Moroccan. We purchased our own, which we had been searching for, and were so glad we had visited!

One last chore for the evening was a little Tuesday preparation… we wanted to get some picnic lunch items for getting on the highway first thing in the AM. After coming up short on our initial search, we finally landed a Loblaws about a km away! Great stop and we nailed the usual items that keep us happy on the road. Unfortunately, the skies opened while inside, leaving us with a shortened walk opportunity and a Uber hire for the return trip. It’s the third time we’ve used the service this journey, and always a low stress option when driving our vehicle in an unknown city is the non-preferred option. Thus, quick to bed and an early wake up on Tuesday!

… Trans Canada ‘23 Day 12