Its political importance tends to lend our nation’s capital an air of seriousness, but get ready: Ottawa is anything but straight-laced. A city steeped in culture and surrounded by nature, it is at once a paradise for art lovers, joggers, kayakers — and of course, skaters in winter. Surrounded and crossed by water, replete with museums and theatres, and loaded with walking and cycling trails, Ottawa is a city on a human scale that will quickly make you feel far removed from the stresses of big-city life.