Ottawa's 2008 Winterlude. | Correr Es Mi Destino

Winterlude (Or Having Fun In The Cold)

6 February 2008By Zhu 26 Comments

After another winter storm (where I, among others, sat on a bus that got stuck in the snow for an hour and shoveled about 50 cm of white snow to be able to open my door), we decided to make the most of the season and we headed to Winterlude, the annual winter festival which opened last week-end.

Funny thing is, I was recently reading RennyBA’s Terella, where my Norwegian friend was telling about his own Oslo Winter Festival — guess both countries enjoy having fun in subzero temperatures and building stuffs with ice!

After The Storm

Snowy Road

Winterlude starts here, at the Rideau Canal. The longest skating rink in the world opened last week, and the ice was thick enough for people to skate on it. It was quite crowed and no, in case you ask, I walked and didn’t skate. Come on, I can’t be perfect!

The Rideau Canal

The Canal At Somerset

Skating Marks

Skating

The Rideau Canal ends downtown, close to the Confederation Park. Not all the little chalets — which usually sell food and hot drinks — were opened, but I found a great ice bar. Bet the drinks are chilled!

Nunavut In Ottawa

Ice Boat

The sculptures were really nice. Made the previous day by an international team, they feature Canadian landscapes (such as this Nunavut scenery) and lots of icy people. The details are amazing… and don’t forget everything is made of ice!

Dancer

Ice Warriors

Red Inukshuck

Lining Up For Beavertails

Kids were invited to make their own Inukshuk. Inukshuk (“in the image of man”) are sculpture made of stone or ice erected by the Inuits. They represent leadership, friendship and are also used as milestones in the North. Meanwhile, grown-ups were queuing at the Beavertails stall….

Maple Toffee

Making The Treats

But wait, the best is to come. I soon spotted… maple treats!! Maple toffees, more precisely, my favorite… They are the made by pouring maple syrup directly on ice/ snow. Yes, it’s very sweet and sticky but oh-so-good!

What? I deserved it, didn’t I?