Ottawa: Did you know the Parliament Buildings are right in the downtown core, parking is mainly underground and depending on the parking garage the maximum height is somewhere between 6’2” and 6’6”? I didn’t and the truck needs at least 6’8”, I would not trust anything lower than 6’10”. So it took a little time to find parking, well worth it though.
I would recommend all Canadians visit the Parliament Buildings at least once. Don’t miss the East bock tour, the tour took you back in time when Sir John A. McDonald was premier of the newly formed Canada. The tour was a history lesson taught by actors when you entered the original offices. The actors were able to improve as well, it added a very nice touch to a history lesson I am sure to remember, not only for the content but for the manner the information was presented.
Of course you will also want to visit the Center Block (main offices) and see where the decisions for Canada are made. At the end of the tour you have the option to visit the tower and Memorial Hall, we did both as it did not take that long to do. The walk up the stairs was well worth it, the view of the city of Ottawa and the river was amazing.
Dinner at a Darcy Mcgee’s with a couple pints of Guinness was the meal break of the day.
After the tours were over and short walk after dinner though the downtown core, we headed for a private campsite just a few minutes out of town called Poplar Grove. Very few people were staying at this campsite, it made for a nice evening, at dusk however we thought we had made a HUGE mistake. The mosquitos were biting something fierce, they disappeared after nightfall and once we had a campfire going to scare them away. The mosquites took a lot of blood from my ankles and left the huge welts as a memorial. The best part about this campsite is the closeness to the city center. It is only about a 15 minute drive to the city center so its was a cheap alternative to a hotel or motel, and also allows you to see the stars and have a nice campfire. It was great end to a great day (less the bug bites)
Hello again ,
I am going through the website again to catch up on photo entries and written reports etc etc .
Reading your reports is enough of an incentive for me to want to get to see the rest of our country .
I have only been as far North as Edmonton in Alberta , S. E as far as Niagara falls on a visit in the 70’s to our
Toronto branch office at the time and that has been the extend of my Canadian experience East of BC .
On that same trip back East I visited New York City and New Jersey .
Must get to see Ottawa , Quebec and the Maritimes for sure before I swim with the fishes .
Great job on your journals of the trip Sean and Dave .
You both have hidden talents as travel destination reporters .
Makes for interesting reading and wanting to hear , read and see more .
Well done
Dad /Hans
the mosquito bits have got to ich! and as for the welts… ouch.
The Niagara Falls area has to be my favorite vacation destination. Each year that I visit I discover new things that I enjoy.