๐คโจ Royal Canadian Mint Tour in Ottawa: A Sparkling Surprise!
During a quick 3h stopover in Ottawa en route from Quebec to Toronto, I hopped off the train and dragged my luggage to the Royal Canadian Mint! ๐๐ผโก๏ธ๐โ๏ธ๐๏ธ Why Go? ๐ซ Cost: $12 CAD per person (before tax) ๐ง Book via their websiteโthey email your tour time! Free guided tours (English/French ๐จ๐ฆ๐ซ๐ท) Highlights: โฐ 1h tourโperfect for short layovers! ๐ They mint collectible and specialty coins with 99.99% pure silver/gold. ๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฒ Saw TWO 100kg gold coins (2nd largest ever made, worth ~$1.4M CAD each!). Purity? 99.999% (five 9s! ๐คฏ). Fun Facts: ๐ British monarch coins alternate portrait directions each reign. Butโฆ George VI (Queen Elizabeth IIโs dad) faced the same way as George V. Why? Edward VIIIโs short reign (abdicated for love ๐) meant no coins were minted, so direction flipped correctly later. ๐ Queen Elizabeth II had 4 different coin portraits over her reignโfrom 27 to 96! ๐๐ต ๐ Minted 2010 Vancouver Olympics medals, Canadian honours, and coins for other countries (๐จ๐ณ China in 2013!). Tour Guide Shaya: ๐๐ Super friendly and hilarious! โ ๏ธ No photos insideโsecurity reasons! ๐ต๐ธ Verdict: ๐๐๐๐๐ Highly recommend for history buffs, coin geeks, or anyone wanting a quick, fascinating Ottawa adventure! #RoyalCanadianMint #OttawaTravel #CoinCollectors #HistoryNerd ๐๐ค
