π€β¨ 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! ππΌβ‘οΈπβοΈποΈ Why Go? π« Cost: $12 CAD per person (before tax) π§ Book via their websiteβthey email your tour time! Free guided tours (English/French π¨π¦π«π·) Highlights: β° 1h tourβperfect for short layovers! π They mint collectible and specialty coins with 99.99% pure silver/gold. π₯π₯ π² Saw TWO 100kg gold coins (2nd largest ever made, worth ~$1.4M CAD each!). Purity? 99.999% (five 9s! π€―). Fun Facts: π British monarch coins alternate portrait directions each reign. Butβ¦ George VI (Queen Elizabeth IIβs dad) faced the same way as George V. Why? Edward VIIIβs short reign (abdicated for love π) meant no coins were minted, so direction flipped correctly later. π Queen Elizabeth II had 4 different coin portraits over her reignβfrom 27 to 96! ππ΅ π Minted 2010 Vancouver Olympics medals, Canadian honours, and coins for other countries (π¨π³ China in 2013!). Tour Guide Shaya: ππ Super friendly and hilarious! β οΈ No photos insideβsecurity reasons! π΅πΈ Verdict: πππππ Highly recommend for history buffs, coin geeks, or anyone wanting a quick, fascinating Ottawa adventure! #RoyalCanadianMint #OttawaTravel #CoinCollectors #HistoryNerd ππ€