Ottawa, a city best viewed with the ugly lights off!

As the title sounds, Ottawa is a city that is best viewed after twilight. The bright sunshine (when there is any) just brings to light the cruel harsh fact that ottawa is a boring and visually unattractive city (besides a select few buildings that once instilled the hope that this could be a great city) that houses a select few travelers, army personnel, Politicians and University students. What could be a better mix?

The shopping complex in the centre of town - the Rideau Centre - was once a stately and large shopping area. Now hooligans (students with nothing better to do) parade around after hours so that a large number of security guards have to guard the shops and the premises, in a not so behind the scenes fashion.

The streets are filthy (they should take a hint from Australia and start employing some of the unemployed in jobs meant to tidy their own filth, but hell, why would we want to create jobs?), the public spaces are devoid of any color other than dull browns, beiges and blacks, and even the Fairmont Chateau Laurier looks out of place. It actually looks more like a misplaced Disneyland castle, than something that should be sitting across the canal from our parliament buildings.

The parliament is great, although it sits on top of the hill as if too high and mighty to have real buildings surround it as they do in London, but the buildings themselves are quite a feature. They were rebuilt, and while stunning inside, still quite devoid of any real character.

Overall? Ottawa is not really worth the money it takes to get there. More on some of the better points of Ottawa to come soon.