Some time ago, I went to Ottawa by train. But now, I decided to go by car again and visit friends on the weekend. We were actually neighbors back in Beijing in 北京東湖別墅 and have not seen each other for more than a decade. It’s always great, when you can catch up after more than 10 years and it feels like, “just yesterday”. This time in Ottawa, I was for there for leisure and I really enjoyed the historical views (given the short modern history), and just to see how life is in town. It’s a very pleasant city and easy to get around. It’s now summer of course, when living is easy.
Another experience was the drive, with a new car. It’s a Subaru Forester 2025. I tried it’s offroad capabilities before which are really superb. The 2.5 litre boxer engine is not the most modern design. But it still is one of the best ways to get a low center of gravity in such a car. Also, it can handle dogy fuel, if necessary. And what did surprise me on this 5 hour drive from Toronto to Ottawa, is the comfortable long haul capability. Given a boxer engine, also the fuel economy was fine, with 8.1 liters (regular) / 100 km. It comes with all the driving assistance systems of a modern car. So, the drive was really a breeze. I just hocked myself behind another car, put cruise control to max 110 km/h and listened to French satellite radio. Canadian Subarus com with a Starlink connection.
On the way, I took two breaks: the 1000 Islands Boat Museum at Gananoque and the Pickering Nuclear Power Plant. I am a big fan of old boats and nuclear power. So, for me, both worth visiting.