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Ottawa à vélo – rien de plus beau!

11 Sep

Des pistes cyclables longent le canal Rideau dans le centre-ville d’Ottawa

Vous voulez visiter la capitale du Canada et prendre de l’air frais en même temps? Avec plus de 180 kilomètres de sentiers récréatifs joignant les espaces naturels, les parcs, les jardins et les sites nationaux, Ottawa est une ville de rêve pour les amateurs de cyclisme! Voici quelques options :

Pour cyclistes expérimentés et indépendants :

Vous pouvez apporter votre propre vélo (à bord d’un train-vélo de Via Rail peut-être?) et planifier votre trajet à l’aide d’outils variés. La Commission de la capitale nationale(CCN), l’organisation qui gère la majeure partie des sentiers de la capitale, consacre une section complète de leur site web au cyclisme. On y présente entre-autres les outils suivants:

  • Le document La capitale du vélo: Cette carte, qui présente un survol des sentiers de la région, est disponible de façon numérique ou imprimée.
  • La Carte du réseau cyclable - Ottawa-Gatineau : Cette carte présente le réseau de façon plus détaillée. Ce document est aussi disponible de façon numérique ou imprimé.
  • La carte Google Maps : La nouvelle option « vélo » de Google Maps vous donne accès au réseau cyclable de la capitale par le biais de votre ordinateur ou votre téléphone intelligent.

Pour cyclistes avec habiletés et intérêts variés :

Des cyclistes prennent avantage des vélos-dimanches sur la promenade de Sir-John-A.-Macdonald (anciennement la promenade de l’Outaouais)

Il y a des pistes pour tous! Des pistes faciles et pavées, des pistes cendrées, des pistes de montagne dans le parc de la Gatineau et plus encore. Sans oublier Les vélos-dimanches Alcatel-Lucent lors desquels plus de 50 kilomètres de promenades à Ottawa et dans le parc de la Gatineau sont fermées à la circulation automobile pour les cyclistes, patineurs à roues alignées, coureurs et marcheurs.

Plusieurs compagnies à Ottawa offrent leurs services pour faciliter vos randonnées:

  • Louez un vélo (avec casque et cadenas) par heure, par jour ou par semaine chez Vélocation. Ils offrent des vélos de toutes sortes : de course, tandem, de montagne et pour enfants. Ils offrent aussi des randonnées guidées et des suggestions de trajet.
  • Faites une randonnée avec Ottawa Cycling Tours en utilisant votre propre vélo ou une location. Ils offrent des randonnées adaptées aux besoins et aux goûts de tous. Ils peuvent personnaliser des itinéraires, ou vous pouvez choisir une de leurs randonnées prédéterminées (par exemple: visiter des brasseries; longer la rivière des Outaouais; se rendre à Carp pour visiter le Diefenbunker.)

Une des nombreuses pistes cyclables de la capitale – celle-ci longe la rivière des Outaouais, sous la colline du Parlement

Pour ceux qui veulent un mode de transport facile et abordable :

Un vélo “Bixi” devant les fameuses sculptures de pierres équilibrées aux rapides Remic le long de la rivière des Outaouais

BIXI de la capitale est la solution parfaite pour ceux qui veulent faire de courts déplacements d’un site touristique à l’autre. Ce système de vélos en libre-service compte 250 vélos et 25 stations situées à proximité d’un grand nombre de lieux touristiques de la capitale. La tarification encourage une utilisation fréquente et de courte durée. Une autre façon idéale de se déplacer au centre-ville de la capitale!

Avec tant d’options, pourquoi pas visiter Ottawa sur deux roues?

CIAO BELLA!

23 Aug

Ottawa Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012. Photo by André Bergeron.

Ottawa Fashion Week has announced dates and locations for their upcoming Spring/Summer 2013 fashion fest. The style-filled weekend will be held from October 11 to 14 at San Sala Marco in Ottawa’s Little Italy neighbourhood along Preston Street. Surrounded by superb restaurants for cannelloni, lasagna, baked ziti and yes, even great sushi, it is the perfect place to spend a weekend with the girls.

Fashion Week is not just about the runway; it is a fashion and art festival that will spill onto the street turning Preston between Willow and Gladstone into a glamorous street party. Live music acts will take to the stage, local artists’ work will be displayed and fantastic boutique-style shopping will be found all under one tent.

For schedule details and tickets (that go on sale in September), visit www.ottawafashionweek.ca

Ottawa Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012. Photo by André Bergeron.

Ottawa Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012. Photo by André Bergeron.

Ottawa Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012. Photo by André Bergeron.

Ottawa Fashion Week Fall/Winter 2012. Photo by André Bergeron.

Ottawa Fashion Week Highlights

22 Feb

This weekend in Ottawa was full of beautiful dresses, high heels and high fashion. Ottawa Fashion Week took fashionistas by storm this weekend with three full nights of designers. See the highlights below for a recap on all the excitement.

Miss the show this weekend? Don’t worry models will hit the runways again in September for the Spring/Summer 2013 collections.

Ottawa Fashion Week struts its stuff!

15 Feb

Ottawa Fashion Week takes place this weekend (February 17-19, 2012) and it is going to be awesome! The show is being held at the Westin Ottawa hotel this season, and features 18 designers — most showing for the first time in Ottawa.

Tickets are $45 for Friday and Saturday night and $55 on Sunday night. The Sunday night show includes a charity show with $10 from each ticket going to UNICEF. For those who can’t get enough fashion, the best deal is to buy a weekend pass which is $95 for all three days.

The nights are packed with entertainment. There are two intermissions during which bands will be playing and there is a Marketplace with designers selling jewellery, among them Love Montreal, Sean Ward, and Nova Design. There will also be hair and make-up touchups, cocktails and photo booths!

Slip into your stilettos and come on out for a weekend of fashion and fun!

Check the schedule: http://www.ottawafashionweek.ca/schedule-feb-new.php

Buy tickets: http://ottawafashionweek.ca/consumer.php

New water taxi service links Ottawa – Gatineau – Casino

16 Sep

The Gatineau dock (with beautiful view of Parliament Hill) for Au feel de l'eau's new environmentally friendly electric aquabus.

A new water taxi service is linking sites along the Ottawa and Gatineau Rivers. Au feel de l’eau operates a pollution-free electric boat that can hold up to 12 passengers, 2 wheelchairs and 4 bicycles.

Until October 9, it departs each morning at 9am from the Casino du Lac-Leamy, and arrives at the Ottawa wharf (located where the Rideau Canal empties into the Ottawa River, near the Bytown Museum) around 10:00am. At 10:15am, it begins to shuttle back and forth between Ottawa and a site on the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River near the Canadian Museum of Civilization until 12:20 when it departs Ottawa for the Casino again.

At 1:30pm, it leaves the Casino and between 2:35 and 6:15pm, it shuttles back-and-forth between Ottawa and Gatineau. The final run from Ottawa to the Casino departs at 6:15pm, arriving at 7:15pm.

If weather conditions permit, the company will continue the Ottawa-Gatineau shuttles for an additional week, until October 16. In 2012, the service will run between May and October.

The cost is $5 per person (tax included) for the Ottawa-Gatineau shuttles and $15 per person for the Ottawa-Casino shuttles.

The company also offers private group bookings.

UPDATE (September 18): Until further notice, the water taxi will operate in the afternoon only!

Ottawa Fall Festivals

12 Sep

Ottawa may be Canada’s Capital, but not all of our parties are political. Here’s a brief overview of some of fabulous fall festivals and celebrations happening in the city and nearby towns and villages.

International Plowing Match & Rural Exp0
Sept 20 – 24

Nearby Prescott-Russell comes alive with this annual autumn competition and exhibition. It’s a tough row to hoe, but someone’s got to do it!

Ottawa International Animation Festival
Sept 21 – 25

It’s the largest festival of its kind in North America and attracts film buffs, art lovers, filmmakers and cartoon fans from around the world! Image (right): La Luna, Director: Enrico Casarosa, Pixar Animation Studios, 2011.

Ottawa Fashion Week
Sept 29 – Oct 2

Ottawa, Canadian and international designers strut their stuff for Spring/Summer 2012 during the seventh annual Ottawa Fashion Week.

Beau’s Oktoberfest
Sept 30 – Oct 2

Local microbrewer Beau’s All Natural Brewing Company presents three days of Oktoberfest fun in Vankleek Hill, an hour east of Ottawa.

Fall Rhapsody
Sept 30 – Oct 16

The annual celebration of fall colours in Gatineau Park, featuring activities, learning and sightseeing for the whole family.

Ottawa International Writers Festival
Oct 20 – 25

Michael Ondaatje, Irshad Manji, Chef Michael Smith, Wayne Johnston, Adrienne Clarkson, Guy Vanderhaeghe are just some of the authors confirmed for this annual event. Image (right): Ian Rankin who appears at the Festival on October 24th

Ottawa Food and Wine Festival
Nov 9 – 13

The longest running event of its kind in Canada, the Festival moves into the all-new Ottawa Convention Centre and expands to five taste-filled days of programming.

Free wi-fi near the National War Memorial

14 Jul

Enjoying free wi-fi within view of Parliament Hill.

Visitors to Canada’s capital who still have a bit of work to catch up on — or who want to share their photos right away, or blog — now have a beautiful new setting to get it done!

The National Capital Commission has installed 20 bright red Muskoka chairs on a plaza just off the east side of Elgin Street where it meets Rideau Street. They’ve stretched some shade sails (from a local company called House of Canvas) across the top to provide a bit of shade. All in all, a beautiful spot — and the best part is, it offers free wi-fi!

So within view of the Fairmont Château Laurier, Rideau Canal, National Arts Centre, National War Memorial, Parliament Hill and steps from a Capital Bixi bike station, you can get caught up on your online life — for free!

The pilot project, based on an employee’s suggestion, runs till October 11, 2011. Check it out!

Not everybody using the chairs is surfing the web. Some are just having fun, enjoying the day, like these children!

Trick or treat (at 24 Sussex and Rideau Hall!)

22 Oct

Trick or treating at the gates of Rideau Hall

I’m wondering if anyone’s yet told Canada’s new Governor General David Johnston about what’s expected from him in Ottawa for Hallowe’en? He was only sworn in as GG on October 1, and there are certainly a lot of files to cover, but still — he should know!

Every year on October 31, “trick or treaters” of all ages are welcome to visit Rideau Hall – the home and workplace of every Governor General since Confederation — and are greeted by staff (and, in past years, the Governor General herself!) with various goodies! I’ve heard full-size chocolate bars are often the treat of choice.

Former Governor General Michaëlle Jean (with blue wig) and her daughter Marie-Eden as a fairy giving out candy, Hallowe’en 2007.

In fact, just across the street at 24 Sussex Drive, Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his family usually distribute candy as well.

Happy Hallowe’en!

 

Fall colours on display, Hallowe’en around the corner!

13 Oct

I love the autumn! Crisp clear days, great produce at local farmers’ markets and beautiful fall colours!


Fall colours in Ottawa's Glebe neighbourhood.

I happened to be walking in the Glebe neighbourhood this morning on my way to a meeting. I was amazed at the orange, red and yellow colours shown in a group of three trees hanging over a residential street — gorgeous! The photo from my BlackBerry really doesn’t do it justice.

Of course, October also means Hallowe’en and nobody does Hallowe’en better than Saunders Farm. This family-friendly farm is located southwest of Ottawa in the small town of…  (wait for it!)… Munster!


There's still lots to see at Saunders Farm if the Barn of Terror is too scary for you!

The farm offers a variety of experiences, from daytime fun that includes hedge mazes, wagon rides through the pumpkin patch, farm animals, a playful pirate ship and a delicious bakery.

At night, though, Saunders really comes to life (or is it life after death???). Not recommended for kids under 10 (or those with a weak constitution!), you can explore the Barn of Terror, take a Haunted Hayride or cheer on the Gathering of the Ghouls!

It’s easy to spend a few hours strolling the grounds. You never know what you might encounter.

And check out Thursday Fright Nights at the Canadian Museum of Nature throughout October! Take a Haunted Tour of the 100-year-old museum building with Haunted Walk of Ottawa (which have a whole series of creepy tours planned throughout the year — with a special focus on October!), and catch a screening of The Shining in the museum’s high-definition theatre! There’s even live music at the on-site Nature Café!

Happy hauntings!

Win a 3-night getaway to Ottawa!

1 Oct

Scotiabank Place, home of the Ottawa Senators. The winner will receive two tickets to attend a game! (Credit: Ottawa Senators Hockey Club)

Feelin’ lucky? Test your skill with the fun new online matching game on Ottawa Tourism’s website.

Find the 10 sets of matching Ottawa photos before the time runs out and then submit your name and contact info to be eligible to win a three-night getaway for two to Ottawa.

And what a getaway!

The trip includes 3 nights at the Novotel Ottawa Hotel (including breakfast), two $100 gift cards courtesy of Rideau Centre, an Ottawa Shopping Magazine, a Rideau Centre Savings Directory, couples Flaming Hot Oil Massage courtesy of Holtz Spa, 2 tickets to an Ottawa Senators hockey game, dinner for 2 (exclusive of alcohol / taxes / gratuities) courtesy of Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa, $50 in slot machines promotional credits, courtesy of Casino du Lac-Leamy, and complimentary admission for two to the National Gallery of Canada and the Canadian War Museum. The approximate retail value of the package is $1,500.

Contest closes November 15 — good luck!

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