Although I live only two hours from Ottawa, I have not been to Winterlude since 2008.  With a little encouragement from an old friend from university, I made some time for a day trip to catch up with her and enjoy two of my favorite parts of Winterlude: skating on the canal and ice sculptures.

Of course, I took a few pictures from the day:

Skating the Rideau Canal – the world’s largest outdoor skating rink

 

A lot more crowded downtown.  Canada’s parliament buildings in the background.

 

Recognize her?  She’s the queen from the movie “Alien”

 

Love the spirit of this sculpture

 

Hanging out by the fountain… and the power box.

 

The park benches had to be dug out of the snow from a recent storm