In October, those of us studying abroad in Montreal had the chance to visit Ottawa for a weekend trip organized by the school. 17 of us packed up and headed out into the great unknown of Ontario that weekend. We got to try new restaurants, went to an art museum, a university hockey game, and spent the nights in a refurbished prison! Personally, I found the experience interesting and useful to build my perspective on Canada as a whole. I asked other Champlain students Evan, Carson, Bea, and Eric what they thought as well and here is what they had to say.
What were your overall impressions of Ottawa from our weekend there?
Evan: It was a new place to me. It was very cool to see a new place in Canada- and as a capital of a country it was very unlike Washington D.C.
Bea: People think Ottawa is a boring city, but they don’t go out and find things to do. There were about the same amount of things to do in Ottawa and Montreal.
What were some of the main differences you noticed between Montreal and Ottawa?
Evan: Since Ottawa is in Ontario, there was more English than French. The city felt much smaller than Montreal.
Carson: Ottawa felt more open due to there being less skyscrapers and more small buildings.
Eric: Montreal is more spacious as far as walkability goes. Ottawa’s sidewalks were thinner. It was also a lot louder.
What’s something that didn’t go the way you expected but turned out ok anyways?
Evan: Staying in a hostel was a new experience. It was very cool to try something new like that.
Carson: We went to a bar that had video and board games. Originally, it was supposed to be only a few people but a big group ended up going. We got split up, but we were still able to find fun.
Eric: We were trying to go to a restaurant but it got booked up. We ended up at- I think it was called Mama Grazzi’s (it was)- and it was pretty good We had the chance to try a lot of places over the weekend.
What was your favorite thing you ate?
Evan: Classic spaghetti, meatballs, and parmesan. It was good, it was reasonably priced, and it was in a convenient location. The gamer bar (Level One Game Pub) had an expansive menu and a neat setting as well.
Bea: Zak’s Diner’s French Toast. Pretty good.
Carson: I got a salmon eggs benedict for breakfast. It was really great.
Eric: Zak’s Diner’s burger was pretty good! I liked it, personally. The one that I ordered had a little spice to it which made it a lot better.
What was your favorite part of visiting? Where was your favorite place/activity over the course of the weekend?
Evan: The hockey game at the University of Ottawa- it was my first time ever watching one. It was really intense but it made the trip much more exciting.
Carson: I was entertained by the hockey game! We also got to go to the mall.
Bea: Definitely the nightlife.
Eric: Hockey game was fun. It was nice hanging out with people at an organized event like that. It also wasn’t very crowded, so it was chill.
