Rideau Canal Skateway - World's Longest and Largest Skating Rink

In winter, Rideau Canal serves as a natural skateway, which is renowned as the world's largest skating ring lasting for 7.8 kilometres. I didn't get a chance to go skating this winter, just took a few overlooked pics when I visited Winterlude Ice Carving Contest. Well, might give it a try next year ^^

The 38th season of skating at Rideau Canal kicked off on Jan 25, lasted for 41 days, then the skateway has officially been closed on Mar 5th. I guess it might served shorter compared with last year's duration due to the weather condition - excessive snowing. Hope next year it will snow less, please...


Rideau Canal [Wikipedia]

The Rideau Canal, also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. The canal was opened in 1832 and is still in use today, with most of its original structures intact. The canal system uses sections of major rivers, including the Rideau and the Cataraqui, as well as some lakes. It is the oldest continuously operated canal system in North America, and in 2007, it was registered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Rideau Canal Skateway（里多运河滑冰场）:

Videos （点图观看视频）

Virtual Tour （点图观看360度全角照片）

What Did Winter Storm Leave for Us? (March 9)

Ottawa got the biggest winter storm ever of this year on Mar 8. Greyish sky, whisling of the wind, endless snowfall and few pedestrains, that's what outside looked like yesterday.

Today, I was shocked by what I saw outside the door of my house. Holy cow! It is all white, no stairs, no sideways... How can I step out, that's really the problem man!!! But I have to go to grocery store anyways to buy some stuff. Uh..A-l-r-i-g-h-t..Okay, let's get rid of this snow then >_<

Opened the door of my house in the morning today, wow~ Great! We were trapped

Where are the stairs? I cannot find them

You want to know how thick the snow is outside my door, here it is...

Keep shovelling, seems lots of work waiting for us

Need a rest, so tired...

"Hey,it is your turn~" (talk to my roommate)

Jesus Christ, I guess this snow can bury me alive!

Everyone is busy shovelling. Look at the cars, they are almost buried

Finally, I was free ~

Snow Mountain

I don't think I can walk on this sideway

Have to walk on the road where the car goes

Snowplow car, run! run! run!

Winterlude 30th Ice Carving Contest (Feb 15)

Part 1

Part 2

Have been so busy these days, and finally I got a chance going to see Winterlude 30th ice carving contest last Friday before class. It had been open for more than two weeks the day I visited there. This visit helped me retrieve some of my childhood memories more or less. I remembered that when I was in elementary school, my parents used to take me to Ice Carving Festival held in Yan Qing county, an outskirt of Beijing in winter. Although the trip took us several driving hours to get there, I was always excited all the way.

That Friday was a big sunny day although it was still cold. BTW, here in Ottawa, sunny day usually much colder than snowy or rainy day. This is an interesting finding that I just discovered during my first winter here. Really like the look of those ice sculptures bathed in the ample sunlight. They are so pure, transparent, reflectible and as clear as shining crystal. I believe that there is no single word being able to fully express the beauty and uniqueness of the ice carving. Only if when you are standing in front of them and appreciating in every detail, you can get the message. So admire those carvers, a group of creative artists, who endow cold chunky ice blocks with spririt and soul.

This time I almost took pictures of all ice sculptures there as well as shot a few video clips, and then I remixed them together. Hope you will enjoy my output :)

Featured Winter Scenery in Ottawa: Icicles

As you know, the temperature of Ottawa in winter is much lower than my hometown, like mimus 20 degree Celsius is quite ordinary. Therefore, an interesting phenomenon happens here after snow; almost every building, particularly house, get the same "hairstyle" - bangs. :) That's right, you can find icicles of different size and length hanging on the eaves everywhere.I don't know exactly how do these icicles form, but they are really beautiful! In a crystal clear sunny day, you are able to see them sparkling and shining even from far away.

After I came to Ottawa, I used to miss Vancouver, especially its English Bay, because there is no sea around this capital city. With every passing day, however, I found that each city has its own characteristics and I have to learn how to appreciate them. That is enjoying what I have and what's available at the moment. Although I cannot hear the waves of the sea right now, I could see this amazing natural work of art here, which is definitely unavailable in Vancouver.

One thing important I have to mention to you is that once you get a chance to visit here, don't be too concentrated on those icicles to forget where you are, I mean right under them, that's terrible...

Don't want to grow (January 18)

Today is my birthday. I should have done something different from the usuals. It seems, however, nothing special is gonna happen today. I will be going to school taking evening course just like what I did yesterday. A good thing is I received many birthday wishes from people both in China and Canada. Thanks all of you! Thanks for remembering my birthday!


Birthday reminds me that I'm older than yesterday, so I really don't want to celebrate it. I don't want to grow up. I like eating birthday cake very much, but if I can stop growing at the cost of never eating it anymore, I won't say a word.


Recently I watched a movie called "Butterfly Effect". I like the story's idea, creativity, plot and the way it goes. From my understanding, it tells us that life is not perfect, nobody can play the role of God and help everyone around him/her lead a good life without the cost of any things. The only thing that we can do is to cherish what we have right now, family, friends or lovers . Life is all about change and balance, isn't it? Sometimes, we have to face the reality, even if it is unsatisfactory and we are not willing to accept it. Okay, now I have to accept the fact of growing; it is the rule of nature, no more complaint. ;) Besides, I also got the message from the movie that even the smallest choice we made or the action we carried out may bring dramatic difference to our future life, so we'd better be careful for what we choose and be responsible for what we do now and don't regret ourselves over time.


Today I visited my elementary school's alumni website, and saw many familar names from there. A lot of stories relating to these names came to my mind suddenly, though some are segments, they are still vivid and just like happened yesterday. As a matter of fact, it has been more than ten years after my graduation from elementary school. The time really goes by so quickly, now everyone is a grown-up. Maybe someone is even father or mother already. I was amazed by seeing some pictures of them on the website, cause their appearances changed a lot and I guess I don't dare to call their name if I meet them somewhere on the street.


I don't know why I tend to recall the past quite often these days... really don't know...Miss my family, especially the one I lost. Grandma, I love you!!!

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I was wrong. My expectation made early afternoon was totally wrong this time!!! Today is not as usual. I got a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig surprise, oh my goodness! I even felt the Butterfly Effect myself, really! To say it simple and clear, I'll list what happened in the evening in time order.

1. My class of today was cancelled by our Prof. (Did he do this for my birthday, haha, just kidding)

2. Because my group in this class arranged a group meeting (half an hour early before the class)originally, even this class was cancelled, we still decided to meet at school for discussion.

3. When the discussion was in process, my cell phone rang. The call was from Xue (She was not in my group). She didn't know our class was cancelled and she came to the school. When I told her I was in classroom at that moment, she said she was coming to meet me.


4. After she entered the room, I noticed that she held a box in her both hands. "What's that?" people asked. She said she bought me a birthday cake to celebrate my birthday. Woa~


5. When the group meeting was over, Xue, Jessie, Carlos and I decided to go somewhere for dinner.

I felt that the whole thing was just like God's arrangement.

• If My class wasn't cancelled, we wouldn't have had time to eat a birthday dinner together.



• If my group cancelled the group meeting, I wouldn't be in the classroom.



• If Xue got the notice of cancellation of class, she wouldn't have come to the classroom.
  

All in all, if any of the assumptions above was true, then we cannot have today's wonderful dinner together! Thanks Xue and everyone accompanied me today very much! I have had a happiest time on birthday!!!!!!!!! Oh~ and that cheese & chocolate cake was tasty, I like it!

Because I didn't bring my camera to the school, I took pictures by my cell phone. Therefore, the pictures' quality was affected.

Cheers~

classsic Canadian food - fish and chips

Fettucini - my birthday noodles ^^

my cheese & chocolate birthay cake with a very special candle ;)

After I went back home, finally got a chance to shoot a good one by using camera :)