Hello… Ottawa

With Mark off early to his course, the boys and I grabbed the map and hit the pavement. First stop, two blocks away, the Rideau Mall with a stop in many shops including a ‘zany brainy’ type educational/fun/joke shop amongst the favourites. We then checked out the series of lochs of the Rideua Canal before finding the Parliament buildings atop Parliament Hill. Such beautiful grey stonework with copper roofs – very grand and more akin to something you would find in Europe. We took the lift to the top of the clock tower where we had a superb 360 degree view around the city and heard the bells chime on the hour. On our way down we saw the memorial hall that houses the many books that have the names of all who have served Canada in times of war. We took the English tour which included a visit to the chamber where the Prime Minister conducts press conferences and a look inside the Senate chamber. The highlight of the tour was most certainly the library which is the only original building that survived the fire that destroyed the rest of the parliament building in 1916. After passing through the large iron doors (attributed to the library surviving the fire) and a several foot deep passageway, we entered an amazing spherical room with a high domed roof. Largely lined with books, with various wrought iron stairs up to different sections and levels, lots of wood panelling and complete silence it was very much like something you would imagine fitting right into Hogwarts. The only exception to this mythical feel was the immense white marble statue of Queen Victoria that stands overpoweringly large in the centre of the room – lit by a flood of light that pours in through the skylighted centre of the dome. Even the boys were impressed with the nearly surreal atmosphere and grandness of this room. With the tour complete we wound our way back through the streets and the Rideau Mall, for a quick ‘feet-up’ relax.
 
With Mark home after his training, it was off to the supermarket to get dinner, breakfast and snack supplies as our accommodation is a wonderful suite with a full kitchen and laundry (oh, it will be nice to have clean clothes again!…).