Yesterday, I shared pictures of the Rideau Canal. It dominates Ottawa, and is a major part of the landscape of the city. But, there is so much more to this beautiful city than just the canal. Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. The Prime Minister's Residence is located within the confines of the town, as is Rideau Hall - the mansion of the Governor General of Canada. Parliament is downtown, as are all of the government buildings. Not surprisingly, everything has a distinctly British feel.
On my last day in Ottawa, we roamed down to Parliament, where we joined thousands of others in honoring the officers who have lost their lives in the line of duty over the last month. We watched the parade of officers onto the grounds of Parliament, and they kept coming - from Provinces and Cities all over Canada. It was a very somber reminder that no matter where you live, we have law enforcement officers who put their lives out their to keep the general public safe every single day.
Our view of Parliament the night we arrived in Ottawa. Not long after I took this picture, we were hit by a deluge!
These 3-D maps of the historic sites in Ottawa were located throughout the city.
This lovely little park was located across the canal from our hotel. Love the fountain!
The Supreme Court of Canada.
Do you see the flags on display? Both Canadian and Chinese flags? The Chinese Premier was here on official state business at the same time we were. Funny story here - we took a taxi from the airport to the hotel. When we got to the hotel, we were not allowed to pull under the portico. Instead, we had to pull in across the street - directly in front of the protestors. A guy from the hotel came running across the street, grabbed our bags, and ran back towards the hotel. So, while husband paid the cabbie, I ran off after the guy with our luggage. We wove our way across a red carpet, and through a maze of red velvet ropes where we got to the check in desk. While we were checking in, there was a sudden change in air pressure, people who were milling around the lobby suddenly pressed themselves up against the velvet ropes, and we saw a huge contingent of people walk through.... security people, other people, and a couple of people in uniforms with a huge salad bar of decorations across their chest and the flag of their country on their sleeves. We were made to wait behind the velvet ropes until everyone went upstairs. As soon as we got upstairs, I logged into the Wi-Fi, did some research, and discovered that we were staying in the same hotel with the Chinese Premier. Pretty cool, huh? Let me tell you, our hotel had some pretty awesome security that first night!
Giant spider statue in front of the art museum.
The bridge across the Rideau River, from Ottawa over to Gatineau. I am terrified of heights. Terrified. Even so, I managed to walk across the bridge, over to Quebec, and we explored the History Museum.
This is one of the only pictures I took on the grounds of the Rideau House. Absolutely beautiful!
From the ceremony honoring fallen officers:
One last, beautiful view of the locks, the river, and the bridge across the river. Parliament is to the left. The town is behind me. The series of Locks is to my right.
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