July 1 was Canada Day, which marks the joining of the British North American colonies of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and the Province of Canada into a federation of four provinces on July 1, 1867. Thousands gathered at the Parliament Hill in Ottawa to listen to live music, watch fireworks and join in the festivities in showing Canadian patriotism and pride.More...

I stumbled upon the BIXI bike sharing system in Ottawa on our way to a friend’s graduation last year. The link goes to the Montreal site for some reason. Maybe they are meeting greater success in Montreal?

It’s $3 for the first 30 minutes, and the fare increases the longer you don’t return it. This encourages users to return the bikes more often.

With summer coming, the system should see increasing use. I wonder how’s the ride like?

Here's a bike that steers in the opposite direction of the handlebar. Turn right, and the front wheel goes left - and vice versa.The gear on the handlebar stem is also larger, amplifying the tiny mistakes you make on an otherwise counterintuitive setup.

These photos were taken during an exhibition in the Tulip Festival in Ottawa. The exhibitor offered to challenge anyone to cycle on the bike for a set distance. I paid $5 for three tries. I didn't make it.

He managed to cycle smoothly in circles, which I'm guessing took a lot of practice. But he claimed that three people managed to do it within the three tries. I don't believe it!

Jas and I drove to watch the Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival last year. We intended to ride the balloons but didn’t make a reservation. The rides were so popular that we didn’t get a chance to get on one.

This year, we made a reservation three months in advance. Only the weather could stop us now.

It didn't stop us this time.More...