Ottawa

Le Nordik Spa-Nature

Lauren

On Friday, I took a trip over the provincial border to Québec to go to Le Nordik Spa-Nature because it was recommended to me by several people, and I felt like a day of relaxation and mindfulness was in order! I first tried to go to Gatineau Park but due to rain, I went directly to Chelsea for Le Nordik. This was by far the most expensive day of the vacation, around $250 USD I would estimate. I got the all-day spa access and decided to splurge on a massage. That came to around $160 CAD ($123 USD) and then I had to buy a swimsuit, rent a bathrobe ($12 CAD), and also enjoyed some food and drinks ($35 CAD). So, an expensive day, but I think it was worth it and was a really great experience. One of the great things about Ottawa is how many of the attractions and sites are free or extremely affordable during the majority of my week. The most expensive ticket I paid the whole trip was $13 USD. Others like Parliament were free, the Mint was only $6 USD, and so forth.

The rate to go to the spa all day (called spa access), including the nine saunas and ten temperature pools and hot tubs is $65 CAD ($50 USD) weekends, holidays, and high season, and $55 CAD ($42 USD)  Monday-Thursday. They are open from 9 AM – 11 PM (12 AM on Fridays and Saturdays). Your spa access allows you to stay all day as long as you’d like. Massages (with a choice of 60 or 90 minutes and regular or specialty massages) ranged from $105-$160 CAD ($81-$123 USD). Mine was a traditional 60-minute regular massage which came to $105 CAD ($81 USD).

Lunch at one of the restaurants on site, the Mëzz Café. It’s a mango smoothie and Québec cheese platter.

The big thing about Le Nordik is their thermal cycle. This is where you start in hot (such a one of the saunas or hot tubs) for about 5-15 minutes, and then in a cold pool for about 15 minutes, and then a period of rest.

Capture
Courtesy of https://chelsea.lenordik.com/

I didn’t follow the steps exactly. I was okay with short periods in the sauna but couldn’t make it long, and the cold pools were pretty cold! But I did the best I could and found it interesting the health benefits.

Capture

The spa is beautiful and is integrated into nature, with some of the pools being in natural rock formations and waterfalls.

 

 

Photos courtesy of https://chelsea.lenordik.com/

Downfalls of the day: I got a sunburn!! This was especially crappy because I had just gotten sunscreen! Second downfall, I took a Lyft from Ottawa to Gatineau, but when I went to request a ride back, both Uber and Lyft said they were unavailable in Quebec! So, that was some tough stress to handle! After about 10 phone calls, I finally found a cross-provincial taxi that was around the cost of a ride-share.

This place was so great that I’m actually going back with my mom and a few friends in August! I would definitely recommend setting aside a day to do something relaxing and enjoying this unique spa! I suggest going during a weekday because it’s particularly busy Fridays-Sundays. Also earlier in the day (10 AM – 2 PM) was slower then it got later in the afternoon. I recommend trying to see the place at night because I hear it’s beautiful, but I wasn’t able to stay late enough for the sun to set and see it lit up.

 

Ottawa

Thursday’s Adventures

Lauren

Thursday, May 24th started with a trip to Tim Horton’s and a visit to the store for sunscreen. Then I decided I wanted my hair dye touched up, so I spent a few hours there.

Around 4:00, I headed to the day’s next adventure: Dow’s Lake, which is a  small man-made lake on the Rideau Canal.

ottawa

I headed to Dow’s Lake Pavilion for a margarita and some lunch before heading to the kayak rentals!

img_1207

I was nervous to take a kayak out because I haven’t been in years, but I really enjoyed it. It was about $20 CAD (about $15 USD) to rent a kayak for an hour, and then $12 CAD for each additional hour. I went for one hour and went on a short loop towards the right side of the lake, rather than farther down the Rideau Canal which can bring you all the way downtown!

Ottawa

Parliament

Lauren

After the War Museum, I finally got a chance to tour Parliament! While the tour is free, it can be tough to get tickets. So, I suggest arriving as soon as the ticket office opens!

As a political science student, I really enjoyed studying Parliament and the structure of Canada’s legislature. I learned a lot, and it caused a lot of critical thinking about the various systems and pros and cons of each.

Blocs of Parliament

img_1100
The Centennial Flame outside of Parliament, which commemorates Canada’s 100th anniversary as a Confederation.

 

Video of the inside of the library, which is the only standing part of the original Parliament after a 1916 fire burned the rest of the building.

Photo Courtesy: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peace_Tower

At the top of the Peace Tower, which is a 306.5 foot clock tower situated in the center of the Centre Block of the Canadian Parliament buildings.

Video of the three Parliament blocks from outside of Centre Block.

img_1119

Ottawa

Canadian War Museum

Lauren

The next stop on Wednesday was the Canadian War Museum, one of Ottawa’s highlights. The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum regarding military history “from the first recorded instances of death by armed violence in Canadian history several hundred years ago to the country’s most recent involvement in conflicts” (Wikipedia). I paid $13.00 USD for the museum and spent about three hours there.

There are 3,000,000 artifacts and items in their collection and 500,000 annual visitors. The museum has its origins in 1880 where it was a collection of military artifacts. Its current location opened in 2005. “The Museum’s collections are among the finest military holdings in the world, including rare vehicles, artillery, uniforms, medals, personal memoirs” (About the Museum).

 

Here are a few of the artifacts that I saw that really stood out to me:

Adolf Hitler’s Car

img_1062

A piece of the Berlin Wall

Weapons used by the Hutus during the Rwandan Genocide

img_1069

A fragment of one of the airplanes that flew into the World Trade Center on 9/11

The Regeneration Wall was awe-inspiring. “The highest point in the museum is called Regeneration Hall. This strikingly narrow space features angled walls that tower dramatically over visitors. Rising up with a tightly framed view of the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill, Regeneration Hall is a physical representation of hope for a better future” (CWM: The Regeneration Wall).

And here is another round of general pictures from around the museum:

And photos from the LeBreton Gallery, which “contains the most extensive collection of military technology in Canada” (CWM: The Lebrten Gallery).

Ottawa

National Holocaust Monument

Lauren

In late 2017, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau inaugurated Ottawa’s Holocaust Monument. Up until then, Canada was the only allied nation without a Holocaust memorial in its capital.

new-gallery-01-L
Aerial view of the Monument. Courtesy of http://holocaustmonument.ca/

The Monument is in downtown Ottawa, outside of the Canadian War Museum, which was my next stop on Wednesday afternoon!

Ottawa

Supreme Court of Canada

Lauren

Wednesday started with yet another attempt at a Parliament tour… I arrived at 9:10 AM, and they were booked until 5:30! I got a ticket and decided to do a few other activities on my to-do list for the day.

First, I went to the Supreme Court of Canada. They have three levels: the trial courts, the Federal Court of Appeals, and the Supreme Court. The SCC also offers free tours (check on the dates and times because some require a reservation) which was great. The Court was in session, so we were not able to view the chambers. The public gallery was also full, so we couldn’t watch the case directly, but we were able to watch it from the lobby. We learned a lot about the history of the SCC, its creation in 1875, and how it functions today. I will write more about social and political differences between the US and Canada later on! Stay tuned for the Parliament post, too!

img_0947

 

After, I decided to walk aimlessly around and explore this part of the city. I found a place to have lunch, stopped into a LASIK clinic for a consultation (whoops, impulse decision anyone?), and then found myself suddenly near the Ottawa Locks! This was beautiful, and I took a few moments to just be mindful by the water before I headed to my next stop….the Canadian War Museum, one of Ottawa’s highlights!

Ottawa

Tuesday

Lauren

After going to the Royal Canadian Mint and the Bank of Canada, I didn’t do any other major activities for the rest of Tuesday. I went to lunch and then decided to do another loop on my Hop On-Hop Off bus tour from Lady Dive Tours. It was worth going through again because there were some lovely sites of the river, and we also drove by houses of many ambassadors and even Justin Trudeau’s!

I finished around 4:30 and decided to wander around until my Parliament Tour. I decided to go and get a piercing….surprise surprise! I did this and then was pretty wiped out from a long day and decided to post-pone my Parliament visit until Wednesday.

And then I was off to some Netflix and sleep after a busy Tuesday!