STEPHANIE ORTYNSKY
Opinions Writer

Those who have the pleasure of knowing me are aware of my complete obsession with La Belle France and all things pertaining to the French.

Fortunately for them, I have found a new destination to talk about: our beautiful capital, Ottawa: a delightful city.

Having had the opportunity to travel to much more exotic locations in my lifetime such as Minot N.D., Dauphin, Man. and Canora, Sask., I saw no need to venture out east to “Central Canada,” as they call it.

Nonetheless it was quite a wonderful trip to explore Canada’s capital. Some must-see attractions to spend some time at when you arrive are the House of Commons, the Senate, the Parliamentary Library and the East and West Blocks. A free tour is offered to any visitors and it is worth it to go just to see the library with its intricate woodwork saved from a blazing fire in 1952.

There is nothing quite like the view you get from the Peace Tower, which in the 1980s must have been commisioned to the nation’s top interior disco club designer by Pierre Trudeau. The gold sparkly decorations hanging from the roof caught my eye more than the sprawling city of Ottawa did.

The National Gallery of Canada is a treat for anyone, regardless of your level of interest in art. The Molson “I am Canadian” ads just didn’t cut it for me — up until this point in my life — in stirring up a significant amount of Canadian pride. When I saw the gallery’s collected works that probably rival the collections of some of the top museums in Europe, I was truly proud to be Canadian.

They had numerous modern art pieces from artists all across Canada as well as many internationally acclaimed pieces. Also, you cannot miss the enormous “Maman” spider sculpture by Louise Bourgeois on the front terrace that has duplicate copies in other top art cities around the world.

No trip to Ottawa is complete without a full day spent in the Byward Market — just ask Barack Obama. When he came to Canada for his first official state trip, he veered off from his strictly planned-out tour to grab a bite to eat. The unassuming French sandwich shop he chose to go into didn’t know what hit them. Since then they have renamed his sandwich pick “the Obama” and now proudly sport a cardboard cut-out of the man.

The market also has a wonderful Italian grocery store, La Bottega, that makes amazing sandwiches with Italian meats and cheeses. Some other places worth spending some time at include the specialty gift shops: Belle de Provence, Victoire, Canteen, Milk Workshop, Papier Papier, Mon Cuisine and Ma Cadeau.

Ottawa is a very funky town with an almost hippie feel to it; biking or walking to work is a priority along with their curbside composting program. There are almost as many yoga studios as there are convenience stores. To my surprise, coming from small-town Saskatchewan, there was one place called Rama Lotus (where all the Hill workers go) that had four studios in it. What happened to one studio and one instructor per day?

Another highlight of Ottawa is the great vintage shopping (and I don’t mean Value Village). There are great ones including Aunt Olive’s, Young Jane’s and the Green Room. I highly recommend them for a great clutch, scarf or unique shoulder-padded Star Wars-esque item, circa 1980.

Having one of my best friends living in Ottawa, I was in the know for the music scene. We had the chance to hear Wintersleep and the Ethics play in one of the suburbs of Ottawa. Other local acts that are starting to make some noise include The Balconies and Zeus, as well as Leif Vollebekk.

As for restaurants and pubs, this city has some of the best locally-owned establishments I have ever been to; there are few chain restaurants in sight. Chez Lucien is home to great hamburgers, salmon burgers, frites and their own in-house brewed beer. I enjoyed a classic French omelette and pain-au-raisin at Benny’s Bistro. Murray Street Kitchen had great cold cuts and mouth-watering pine-flavoured cheddar cheeses.

It is also important to note that bar food in Ottawa is falafel and kebabs. It would be blasphemy to suggest something like McDonald’s when you have had a few too many. One place even has hookah, which makes for a great relaxing atmosphere.

Oh and I forgot to mention that Ottawa is entirely bilingual, so lucky for me I got to speak French on numerous occasions. I guess you can’t totally escape the French!

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photo: Flickr / M_Eriksson