The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Spectacle sparks in Ottawa in the summer
Even if you won’t see a giant dragon-horse, a visit to Ottawa during warm months highly recommended
Canada’s stately capital is a powerhouse of a destination for free outdoor amazement.
Ottawa celebrates summer like no other city I know.
Easy to reach and packed with things to do, places to eat and drink and experiences both familiar and foreign, Canada’s stately capital is a powerhouse of a destination for free outdoor amazement.
Last year, for the country’s 150th anniversary, I visited for La Machine, a four-day event in which a large mechanical dragon and a huge spider roamed the capital city, staging epic battles in and around landmark buildings. I was among more than 750,000 people thronging the sites to witness Long-Ma, the dragon-horse, as she sought the return of her magic wings stolen by Kumo, the giant spider.
I’d first encountered the giant creations several years ago in Nantes, France, when I visited Jules Verne’s hometown and rode a 30-foot-tall mechanical elephant. (For that story, see bit.ly/2L3eawC.)
The French street theater company that brought the La Machine creatures to Ottawa originated there. I was wowed by the creations and made my plans as soon as I learned I could see them on this side of the Atlantic.
The undertaking in Ottawa was a huge one, involving 34 manipulators who guided the creatures through more than 16 miles of city streets while avoiding traffic lights, signs and spectators. More than 250 volunteers took part, and 51 musicians and choir members were situated in buildings and providing live music around the sites where the storyline played out.
Because of the scale of La Machine, traffic was gridlocked and streets were
closed, but my headquarters for the weekend was the magnificent Fairmont Chateau Laurier. It’s at the edge of the ByWard Market district and within easy walking distance of museums and Parliament Hill, where much of the drama was to take place. I was glad I’d packed lightly because the taxi taking me from the airport to the hotel had to drop me off next to the Rideau Canal, a few blocks before my destination.
The giant dragon-horse, surrounded by wall-to-wall crowds, was ambling down the street right in front of me. Trundling my wheeled bag behind me, I made my way toward the hotel looking up almost into the orange-yeIlow eyes of LongMa. Just then the manipulators, riding up inside the framework of the dragonhorse, released a stream of mist from its nose, startling me at first but cooling off me and those around me.
It was just the first of many encounters with the amazing creatures that produced the biggest theatrical production ever witnessed in Ottawa. The incredibly lifelike sculptures, created by talented French designer Francois Delaroziere and his team, included the huge yellow dragon weighing about 46 tons and measuring 40 feet tall. Just getting it to Ottawa was a monumental undertaking, with the shipping costs alone estimated at $500,000 Canadian.
The city is said to be in talks with Nantes-bases La Machine to bring other creatures back in 2020.
This summer in Ottawa,
be sure to visit Parliament Hill, where the changing of the guard takes place at 10 a.m. each day through late August. A spectacular sound-and-light show, with a Northern Lights theme this year, is projected on Parliament buildings after dark, with projections reaching 30 feet high.
The 200-year-old ByWard Market neighborhood, four blocks wide and four blocks long, is filled by day with artisans, crafters, live music and 120 places to eat and drink. Be sure to stop at the BeaverTails stand to get one of the whole-wheat pastries shaped like a beaver’s tail and topped with a choice of ingredients both sweet and savory.
I dined one night at Eighteen (18 York St.), with a two level structure framed by original stone walls from the 1800s. There I enjoyed an exquisite lamb dish with a crunchy sauce made from fennel and dehydrated sliced black olives with a perfect rosé.
If you’ll be shopping among the Market’s many vendors, know that those with green labels are sourced 100 percent locally, while those showcasing yellow labels source 60 percent of their foods locally.
The National Gallery of Canada, a granite-andglass architectural gem, this summer has an exhibit of Impressionists loaned by a European museum while it’s closed for rehabilitation. It’s also the place to become acquainted with the Group of Seven, a collection of Canadian artists whose works put Canada on the world maps. See my story about places where they painted at bit.ly/2JcRbNY.
The Rideau Canal winds through the heart of Ottawa and is a great place to bike, stroll or take a boat tour. It connects with a network of canals and waterways in this part of Canada. In winter, it becomes the world’s longest ice skating rink when it freezes over.
The Fairmont Chateau Laurier Hotel makes an ideal headquarters. It’s on the route of a hop-on-hopoff double-decker bus tour of the area, which is a perfect way to become oriented to Ottawa. My room was in one of its towers with a rounded window and view of the Rideau Canal. It’s considered one of the finest hotels in Canada.
I took a gourmet food walking tour with C’est Bon that explored Ottawa’s thriving food scene through its restaurants, neighborhoods and shops. It included plenty of tastes of some of the city’s best foods.
The company also offers cooking classes.
The 200-year-old ByWard Market neighborhood, four blocks wide and four blocks long, is filled by day with artisans, crafters, live music and 120 places to eat and drink.