5 outdoors places to practise your French in Ottawa
A month of biodiversity in May
Every year, 22 May is World Biodiversity Day. ‘Biodiversity refers to all living organisms and the ecosystems in which they live. It also includes the interactions of species with each other and with their environment’. (OFB – Office Français de la Biodiversité). The concept of biodiversity is recent, having emerged in the 1980s, whereas biodiversity has been around for thousands of years.
The Alliance Française Ottawa is continuing its commitment to raising awareness of socio-environmental issues and is offering several events in May to talk about biodiversity. Recurring Alliance Française Ottawa events are free for members and from $5 for non-members, and members can enjoy a discounted rate for other events. Bilingual or in French, the events offer easy access to francophone culture. Everyone can participate and enjoy listening to and practising the French language.
In spring and summer, the Alliance Française Ottawa also offers French courses from A1 to B2 level. What if the summer season was the ideal time to improve your knowledge of the French language?
Let’s make the most of this month of May to reconnect with living things, with biodiversity on land and at sea, by preserving and appreciating it. Ottawa’s famous Tulip Festival is an example of reconnecting with nature and its wonders.
Discover 5 outdoor locations in the heart of Ottawa to study your lessons and improve your French!
5 places in the heart of nature to practise your French in Ottawa
Ottawa is full of parks and is bordered by 2 main rivers: the Rideau and the Ottawa Rivers. There’s only one step from the city to nature. Here are 5 places in the heart of nature to brush up on your French conjugations, vocabulary, and exceptions!
Major’s Hill Park
Certainly, one of the best-known parks in downtown Ottawa, Major’s Hill Park overlooks the link between the Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River. It offers an unbeatable view of Parliament and the Ottawa River. Its flowerbeds and century-old trees will delight you as you study. Take advantage of the benches and wide grassy areas to practise your French!
Strathcona Park
At the far end of the Sandy Hill district, Strathcona Park is the perfect combination of pedestrian and cycle path and expanses of greenery. Sometimes sheltered from the sun, sometimes exposed to it, Strathcona Park will seduce you with its proximity to the Rideau River. You’ll even find benches by the river for quiet study!
Corktown Footbridge
On either side of Corktown Footbridge, the entirely pedestrian bridge over the Rideau Canal, you’ll find benches and grassy areas to sit and study. You can even enjoy a bike ride before studying, then pedal to the Alliance Française Ottawa in less than 10 minutes.
Central Park
You don’t have to go to New York to take a few minutes – or hours – in the middle of Central Park. At the entrance to the Glebe, in the center of Ottawa, Central Park stretches along both sides of Bank Street, offering large areas of greenery. Located 1 kilometre from the Alliance Française Ottawa, it’s an ideal place to study before going to class. You’ll breathe in the softness of the summer flowers and be able to study the colours, in French, by observing every detail.
Museum of Nature Park
Less than 10 minutes’ walk from the Alliance Française Ottawa, the Nature Museum Park is ideal for studying your French lessons. You can sit on the tables or on the ground, in the shade or in the sun, to study in the way that suits you best. For a class at 6pm, leave the park at 5:40pm and you’ll arrive at the Alliance Française in time!