Proud Ottawan went out of her way for us

There are always way too many scary, unpleasant stories in newspapers. Here’s a different kind of story:

While visiting Ottawa on July 28, my friend Patricia and I encountered shopper Sylvia Schatz in the Hudson’s Bay store on Rideau Avenue. I asked her how to get to Rideau Hall. Not only did she tell us, but she said, “I’m very proud of my city” and proceeded to give us a visual synopsis of what we would see on our walk to Rideau Hall.

We meandered over to Sussex Drive and proceeded north. Along the way, we stopped for at least 20 minutes at the fabulous Gordon Harrison art gallery. Then we visited the amazing shop attached to the National Gallery for about 30 minutes. Proceeding north, we spotted a woman waving at us. It was Sylvia, who offered us a ride to Rideau Hall, saying her car was parked just around the corner. We were dumbfounded by her generosity.

First, she took us to view the nearby falls. Then she drove past Rideau Hall to show us another nearby scenic site. Returning to the front gate, Sylvia parked her car and accompanied us up the long winding road to Rideau Hall. Discovering an hour-long tour was available in the next three minutes, we signed up, as did Sylvia.

After the tour, Sylvia took us on a driving tour of the nearby ambassadors’ houses followed by a walking tour of a nearby forest garden pathway. When we told Sylvia we were going to visit the Ornamental gardens the next day, she volunteered to drive us there immediately. We said we were rather tired and would rather save that trip for another time. So Sylvia volunteered to drive us back to our hotel.

I think Ottawa is very lucky to have such a kind, generous citizen. When I look back at this trip in the future, the thing I’ll always remember the very best will be Sylvia’s outstanding kindness.

Merrilyn Evans, Ajax