December arrives tomorrow and while we've had a sprinkling of snow in November, it hasn't lingered. The pandemic, however, is another story and this week four people in Ottawa have tested positive for the Omicron variant. So...John and I continue to social distance and are grateful for our daily walks.
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| November 23 - Ottawa River Pathway |
Although I didn't intend to tally the number of kilometres we've walked since returning to Ottawa from Doug and John's, I did so only because I had difficulty coming up with a suitable title for this blog. It came as quite a surprise to discover that in the past eighteen days I've walked 80+ kilometres while John's clocked even more.
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| November 15, 2021 |
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| November 17, 2021 |
We're so fortunate to have the best of both worlds here in Ottawa - yes, we're in the city proper with the majority of conveniences within walking distance, but we're also very close to nature. Walking the Ottawa River Pathway is a joy in any season.
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| November 23, 2021 |
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| November 23, 2021 |
Another favourite is just up the street. The Beechwood and National War Cemetary not only offers tranquillity, but it's a great place to spruce up on our Canadian history. However, on this particular dreary, overcast day it was the abundance of pinecones on this tree that caught my attention. It was laden. AND, it reminded me that Christmas will soon be here.
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| November 25, 2021 |
Continuing past the cemetery we headed to McKay Lake and the quiet streets of Rockcliffe. While it is home to a number of embassies, it's also a residential area featuring homes of every architectural style. The following photos are posted in the order I took them. Many of these homes are side by side as if to showcase their diversity in style, size, and aesthetics - much like the diversity of Canadians themselves.
On Saturday I suggested we walk to the Byward Market, but as it was a brisk and windy -4C we opted to drive to Beechwood and walk from there (cutting the distance by half).
Upon our arrival at the Market we remained outdoors for the most part, window shopping, inhaling the scent of freshly cut Christmas trees and natural pine wreathes. We also admired, but did not succumb to the tempting sight of a decadent Beavertail pastry, Obama Cookie or freshly baked loaf of bread. (Perhaps next time!)
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| Outside one of the many souvenir shops. |
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| Ottawa sign with the Parliament buildings in the distance. |
Sunday we returned once again to the Ottawa River Pathway and with zero wind to speak of it felt almost tropical.
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| This exposed root system reminded me of the wooded area I used to play in as a child! |
Yesterday we walked the Ottawa River Pathway through Rockcliffe Park, past the Danish and French Embassies, as well as the PrimeMinister's Residence into Ottawa. We parked at the Rockcliffe Lookout and fyi the route shown in red below is only one way as we took a slightly different route back.
The view from the Lookout never ceases to amaze me. I always long to cross the River and explore that part of Quebec.
We practically had Rockcliffe Park to ourselves and upon seeing the height and circumference of the trees we took full advantage of the opportunity to hug them!
The Rockcliffe Pavilion may be from another era, but its grandeur endures.
Like the trees, its size is impressive.
As are the views.
We continued south on Sussex Drive, past Rideau Hall and the Prime Minister's Residence, neither of which we could see clearly from the street. We did, however, pass by a few embassies and other stately homes.
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| Embassy of Denmark |
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| Gatehouse at 24 Sussex Drive roundabout |
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| Centre for Geography and Exploration |
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| National Research Council |
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| John G. Diefenbaker Building |
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| Lornado, the official residence of the U.S. Ambassador |
Today we returned to our favourite section of the Ottawa River Pathway and while we talked pretty much the entire time we didn't take a lot of photos...except, of course, for one final selfie.
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