Canada - Ottawa

We left Toronto and headed for Ottawa, stopping on the way at Kingston for the Thousand Isle cruise. We arrived in Ottawa in the afternoon and did a city walking tour. Ottawa is the capital of Canada and is in Ontario province. The city is the most educated in Canada.

We started the tour in front of the Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. They are Gothic style buildings. The Centre Block with the Peace Tower -

The Centennial Flame in front of the Centre Block, first lit 1967 for Canada’s 100th anniversary as a Confederation.

The East Block -

 

The West Block -

The  Langevin Block faces Parliament Hill and is home of the Privy Council Office and Office of the Prime Minister -

A double length bus -

This is the grand Fairmont Château Laurier, a luxury hotel

Alongside the hotel is the Rideau Canal. The waterway goes to Kingston and is 202 km long and is a UNECSCO World Heritage Site . "The Rideau Canal is a large strategic canal constructed for military purposes which played a crucial contributory role in allowing British forces to defend the colony of Canada against the United States of America, leading to the development of two distinct political and cultural entities in the north of the American continent, which can be seen as a significant stage in human history." There are 45 locks. In the winter the water freezes and is used for ice skating - people get to work by skating down the canal.

Sparks Street is a historical street in Uptown Ottawa, it was converted into an outdoor pedestrian street in 1967, making it the earliest such street or mall in Canada.

Whilst we were in the Ottawa region, 1st Oct, there were hundreds of Canada Geese migrating. Canada geese fly in a distinctive V-shaped flight formation, with an altitude of 1 km (3,000 feet) for migration flight.

© Liz Price