World's longest skating rink marks 175th year
Friday, August 10, 2007
CANADA'S Rideau Canal is the oldest continuously operated canal in North America. It snakes 202km through lakes and marshland in the eastern part of Ontario province, passing small islands with wind-bowed conifers and villages whose stone houses were built before the country was founded.
A paradise for boaters from spring until autumn, the waterway becomes home to the "world's longest skating rink" in frosty weather. That is the name conferred by the Guinness Book of Records on a 7.8km stretch of canal in Ottawa.
Canada is marking the canal's 175th anniversary this year. The icing on the cake of the festivities, as it were, came from Paris-based Unesco, which in June designated the Rideau Canal a World Cultural Heritage site.
Deemed both a scenic and technological wonder, it strings together more than 60 lakes like pearls via rivers and in places where Mother Nature is not helpful man-made links.
The engineer who supervised the canal's construction, British Lieutenant-Colonel John By, cut his way through swamps and impassable brush in lands acquired from Indians. Construction of the waterway, which was of strategic importance to the British military, took five years.
The canal stretches from Ottawa in the north, to Kingston, on Lake Ontario. By had dams built where waterfalls impeded river navigation. A total of 47 locks helped to overcome the varying water levels in the hilly terrain.
The adventuresome can travel the waterway into wilderness inhabited by wolves, elk and black bears. A host of branches offer solitude and good fishing. With more than 1,000km of lake shores and river banks to choose from, boaters can pull their canoes or kayaks onto land devoid of humanity and set up camp for the night. Don MacKay, who wrote a guide to canoeing/kayaking the Rideau Canal, said the best times of year for paddling were May, June, and the Indian summer months of September and October.
Happiness awaits shoppers in historic places like Merrickville. Founded on the Rideau Canal in 1793 and considered to be one of Canada's most beautiful villages, it is home to glass blowers, blacksmiths, potters, sculptors, and painters.
Visitors can watch more than 30 local artists and artisans in action at their workshops and galleries.
Merrickville is celebrating the Rideau Canal's anniversary all year, as in Manitock, a neighbouring village that is similarly picturesque and has more than 100 shops.
The seat of Canada's federal government and home to 29 museums, Ottawa is a magnet for lovers of culture.
Parliament Hill, with its majestic buildings, is the scene of a summer changing-of-the-guard ceremony modelled on the version done at Buckingham Palace in London. In Ottawa, too, the guard wears red coats and bearskin caps.
Not far away is the dignified Chateau Laurier, a luxurious hotel reminiscent of a French chateau. In its cosy inner courtyards, musicians play as guests sip wine or enjoy dinner.
At the vast ByWard Market, cuisine and handicrafts from all over the world can be found.
DPA
A paradise for boaters from spring until autumn, the waterway becomes home to the "world's longest skating rink" in frosty weather. That is the name conferred by the Guinness Book of Records on a 7.8km stretch of canal in Ottawa.
Canada is marking the canal's 175th anniversary this year. The icing on the cake of the festivities, as it were, came from Paris-based Unesco, which in June designated the Rideau Canal a World Cultural Heritage site.
Deemed both a scenic and technological wonder, it strings together more than 60 lakes like pearls via rivers and in places where Mother Nature is not helpful man-made links.
The engineer who supervised the canal's construction, British Lieutenant-Colonel John By, cut his way through swamps and impassable brush in lands acquired from Indians. Construction of the waterway, which was of strategic importance to the British military, took five years.
The canal stretches from Ottawa in the north, to Kingston, on Lake Ontario. By had dams built where waterfalls impeded river navigation. A total of 47 locks helped to overcome the varying water levels in the hilly terrain.
The adventuresome can travel the waterway into wilderness inhabited by wolves, elk and black bears. A host of branches offer solitude and good fishing. With more than 1,000km of lake shores and river banks to choose from, boaters can pull their canoes or kayaks onto land devoid of humanity and set up camp for the night. Don MacKay, who wrote a guide to canoeing/kayaking the Rideau Canal, said the best times of year for paddling were May, June, and the Indian summer months of September and October.
Happiness awaits shoppers in historic places like Merrickville. Founded on the Rideau Canal in 1793 and considered to be one of Canada's most beautiful villages, it is home to glass blowers, blacksmiths, potters, sculptors, and painters.
Visitors can watch more than 30 local artists and artisans in action at their workshops and galleries.
Merrickville is celebrating the Rideau Canal's anniversary all year, as in Manitock, a neighbouring village that is similarly picturesque and has more than 100 shops.
The seat of Canada's federal government and home to 29 museums, Ottawa is a magnet for lovers of culture.
Parliament Hill, with its majestic buildings, is the scene of a summer changing-of-the-guard ceremony modelled on the version done at Buckingham Palace in London. In Ottawa, too, the guard wears red coats and bearskin caps.
Not far away is the dignified Chateau Laurier, a luxurious hotel reminiscent of a French chateau. In its cosy inner courtyards, musicians play as guests sip wine or enjoy dinner.
At the vast ByWard Market, cuisine and handicrafts from all over the world can be found.
DPA
Business Besides Oil
