Harjit Singh
Recently, I had the opportunity to visit Ottawa, the capital of Canada. Ottawa is about a 5 hour drive from Brampton city. This time may be more or less as the time depends on the traffic. Canada’s roads are 8-10 lanes, but still there is traffic jam. Traffic flows like crazy. Google keeps you informed about Rush. You can change your path. Apart from this, the toll taxed roads are different which are less congested, but the toll free roads are also very good.
The attention of the person sitting in the front seat of the car went to the meter of the car. On which the maximum speed was written 220. Asked his son-in-law, who was driving the car, how fast the car can go here. He immediately replied, “We’ll see.” By saying this, he put more pressure on Race. The meter needle started moving rapidly and stopped at 180. “The bus doesn’t go any further,” he said and slowed down. At the speed of 180 the car was running perfectly. It was a toll free road. You can guess the roads from this. Apart from this, people follow traffic rules. Except for a few people.
We reached Ottawa around four in the evening. We passed the American and Nepalese embassies. There was no security outside the two embassies. Security is all within. There was no obstruction to traffic outside. When there was a desire to see the Parliament of Canada, Google told that the time to see the Parliament is from 9 am to 5 pm. So the task of seeing the Parliament went to the morning. Our room was on the sixth floor of the hotel which gave us a good view outside.
The city of Ottawa lies on the Ottawa River on the US border near the city of Montreal. People from all over the world come here to enjoy the historical places, artefacts. Ottawa is a sight to behold both day and night. This city is somewhat cheaper than other cities. Ottawa is the best city to live in, according to a study. This study is prepared on the basis of people’s income, unemployment rate, climate, lifestyle of people. Here the English, the Irish, the French and now the Indians will rarely be found. This city was founded in 1826. According to a survey conducted in 2023, this city is one of the 10 safest cities in Canada. According to the 2021 census, the population of the city was more than 10 lakh. Parliament Hill, Bywarid Market and the National Gallery are places to visit. Both French and English are official languages. This city is clean, big trees, parks and beaches are the hallmark of this city.
As soon as it got dark, the lit lights made the city even more beautiful. The down town (old town) stands proud despite its age. Whites are to be congratulated that they have preserved their culture and buildings. Every city I have visited in Canada has a downtown. Despite having clean water lakes in Canada, special attention is paid to water conservation.
In the morning we walked from the hotel to see the Parliament of Canada as there is no parking facility near the Parliament. Although the Parliament Buildings are old, they beat even newer buildings due to their good maintenance. Entry was free, but a ticket was required. That too has to be taken online. There were different tickets for different Parliament buildings. Like Upper Chamber and Lower Chamber and Library of Parliament etc. Groups of up to 15-16 members are formed to go inside and a guide is also provided. We lined up to get in. When we got close, the security check was being done like an airport. All the goods were being placed in trays and being scanned. My wife started saying that I will not go inside.
“Why?” I asked.
“I will not take off the gatra and they will not let me go with the gatra.” He said
“Let’s ask them,” I said. When asked, the security officer’s reply was that they know about your religion. We will not even touch your religious symbols, but we must do the checking. They checked and she entered the Parliament House with Gatre. The guide inside was giving full information who spoke French. We did not understand anything about it. Because of this we were walking side by side and living by reading whatever was written there in English. The session was not in progress at that time, but you can still enter during the session. Due to not knowing the French language, we were deprived of a lot of information. After half an hour we came out after seeing the Parliament House. To see the rest of the buildings one had to get a ticket again which was not possible at that time.
Then we went to see the city the next day. The bridges on the Rideau Canal are of historical importance. It captivates the beholders. These eight bridges were not only for crossing the canal on foot. It is a very good and awe-inspiring piece of engineering. Locks (bridges) connect the Rideau Canal to the Ottawa River. The word ‘redo’ is from the French language. In 1824 Samuel surveyed the site and in 1827 John Pennyfather was commissioned to build the lock (bridge). After this, engineers continued to contribute their part in it from time to time. In 1838 Mackay built for himself a large palatial stone mansion, now known as Rideau Hall. It is the home of the Governor General of Canada. The first steamboat passed under these bridges in September 1831. Sapper Bridge is a very beautiful bridge which is made only of stones. These buildings have taken the brunt of nature from time to time. Still, the hiccups are standing firm.
The next day we left for Montreal. People there speak French. Signboards are also in French. French is the official language. If you want to do business here, you need to know French. In the hotel where we stayed, I could not find English written anywhere. The city of Montreal is part of Quebec. A referendum was held in 1995 that would have decided that French-speaking Quebec would become an independent country provided it entered into a political and financial agreement with Canada. 93.52 percent people voted in this referendum. 50.58 percent of people voted against and 49.42 percent of people voted in favor. The referendum failed by a one percent margin.
We also decided to visit the Old Port here. We bought tickets and boarded the ferry. Although it was raining a little and it was quite cold. Still we went to the roof of the ferry and enjoyed the surroundings. Reached Old Port in fifteen minutes. The church here is very old and famous. This church was built in 1771 on the old ruins. Seeing this church reminded me of the old temples of South India. It has been named as a National Historic Site. It is a historical, religious and art specimen. People respect it completely. They bow with folded hands from outside and go forward. Although there is no dress code for prostration, full clothing is still considered good while respecting the religion. Any city, be it small or big, takes a long time to get to know its culture, people and history. In a few hours or a day or two, you will only get the same information.
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