Doors Open

This past week-end, I participated in Doors Open Ottawa. Almost 130 buildings in the Ottawa area were open for the public during the week-end.
 
Having lived in Ottawa almost ten years, I am beyond surprised that I have never participated in Doors Open before. I love going to special events and this one has a really interesting concept. According to the City of Ottawa website, Doors Open has been going on for about ten years. Many of the buildings involved are not usually open to the public, which is why this week-end is so special (and popular). Many other big cities in the country offer a Doors Open as well. Safe to say, I am really happy that I went... and from now on, I plan on participating every year.

Photo: Canadian Guide Dogs for
the Blind http://www.guidedogs.ca

First, we headed to Manotick and visited the National Training Centre of the Canadian Guide Dogs for the Blind. As a huge dog lover, I was really excited to see the facilities, and of course, the dogs! Not surprisingly, many other people had the same idea. There were TONS of people there. All the tours were booked and line-ups were forming around the building. So we just walked around the facilities, visited the kennel and saw some of the dogs.

Then we headed to Carp and went to the Canadian Space Services. It was really cool, seeing this huge dome that shields a satellite antenna.

Photo: Canadian Space Services
http://www.canspace.com

Finally, since we were in the Carp area, we dropped by the Diefenbunker, Canada's Cold War Museum. Although I had been there before, I was really excited. I love and appreciate museums. This museum, in my opinion, is a secret jewel in the area. This place is filled with history, and it makes for a very interesting exhibition space. There were many small exhibitions in many small rooms. Gaston and I probably visited every room in the entire museum (except the bottom floor, seeing as it was closed off to the public). It was a very fun visit and I'm happy that Gaston was finally able to see the museum.

Photo: Diefenbunker, Canada’s
Cold War Museum http://diefenbunker.ca

A few things to remember for next year:
- Plan ahead. Most of the places involved in Doors Open are not usually open to the public.
- Expect line-ups and lots of people.
- Make educated choices. It's impossible to visit 130 buildings in two days. However, look at your interests and see what's available. If some of these places are never open to the public, then it's definitely worth going during Doors Open. Also, check if you can book a tour or make reservations in advance.

See you next year!