What we did our our summer vacation part 3: Ottawa

The capitol of another country is always a fun place to go.  In this case, it is adorable.  Washington D.C. is sprawling, spread out, and full of not-so-safe areas to travel.  Ottawa, on the other hand, is compact, walkable, and does not feel like a police state. Alas, I was not able to take my photo with a mountie. (Don't you think there should be a mountie in Red Serge at the capital?)

And you can still celebrate President Obama here. Because even Canadians love him. So of course we at where Obama ate and bought Obama cookies.

 The Parliament building.

These are locks. They connect the capital to Lake Ontario. I think. They are an engineering wonder. It takes 5 days to travel through all of the locks to the lake. Or 3 hours to drive it.

Doesn't this look like parts of the U.S. capitol complex?

One of the nights we were in Ottawa, we went to a light show. They actually use the Parliament building  as the backdrop for a light and sound show on the history of the country.  The entire field is filled with people watching the show, and they have interviewed famous Canadians about the history of the country.  One of the final questions was "Canada is the world's _____" Some said brain, some said other things, but the answer they used was Canada is the world's heart. And I wanted to stand up and say, yes! Yes, it is!  

When we went to the U2 concert, Bono remarked that Canadians certainly were an idealistic people, and  I think that is true.  Canadians embrace people other countries will not, like Cuba, or immigrants.  They aren't a perfect country, certainly, but I am enjoying learning about their culture. 

************************

In contrast, I was in Chicago and Michigan this weekend.  I was hit up constantly for money by homeless people, something that doesn't normally happen in Toronto.  And it was loud with sirens.  And I liked Chicago! I thought it was an alive, vibrant city. 

And really? Instead of building a fence between Canada and America? Just make people take the Ambassador Bridge. No one will want to enter America if that is how they have to enter. You can rest assured, security is tight. They were checking trunks on every other car. And then you enter Detroit. They should pipe in Eminem as you cross.  And the people in Michigan did not like my Ontario license plates. Or my Honda. 

It is hard not to draw comparisons between the U.S. and Canada, particularly when you travel back and forth between them often.  In Canada, I see a lot of common sense people who make sensible decisions and care for their citizens. What if we took all of the private money we spent on the homeless in different agencies in the U.S. and turned that into housing and aid? Would that work? Is it just that our sizes are so different that they are able to provide much better public service for their citizenry?  I don't think it is that people care less in the states, but we debate so much, we lose sight of the goal, which is caring for people.