For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to skate a canal. Last weekend we laid claim to some ‘real winter’ and headed to Ottawa to skate the Rideau during the Winterlude festival – pure magic!

Skating the Rideau Skating the Rideau - made it! Paul enjoying a Beavertail!

We were lucky – this weekend, as for most of this year, the ice is closed. The ice may have been ‘poor’, but we skated all 7.8km of the world’s longest skating rink (at an average skating speed of 5.25 mph and a top speed of just over 9mph!). We stopped for a free technical lesson along the way, not to mention for hot chocolate and  ‘Beavertails’ (a Canadian classic!).

Snowflake Kingdom - ice slides Snowflake Kingdom - snow carving Snowflake Kingdom - tubing

Then on to Snowflake Kingdom, a wondrous winter playground for the young and young at heart (we couldn’t resist the ice slide!).

Later, after night fell, we were enchanted by the ice carvings in Confederation Park, probably not quite as exquisite as when they were carved a week before, given the freeze/thaw cycle of this winter, but still lovely.

Ice Carvings - Confederation Park Ice Carvings - Confederation Park Ice Carvings - Confederation Park - War Memorial

Winter festivals are awesome!!!

I have new aspirations when building a snowman . . . Ice Carvings - Confederation Park The phantom statue's return?

(See the Ottawa – Winter Album in the photo gallery for more pictures)