Days 55 & 56 Ottawa, Canada

Ottawa, with a population of 1.5 million, is the capital of Canada in the Ontario Province and sits on the Ottawa River.  Parliament Hill is in the centre of the city and the magnificent buildings with their grand victorian architecture stand proudly on the hill and can be seen from any direction.  We are staying at the lovely Fairmont Cháteau Laurier that sits on the Rideau Canal and directly opposite Parliament Hill.  It is the perfect central position for us to take long walks.

We arrived by train yesterday that is just over a two hour journey from Montreal.  The train journeys have been a lot easier than we imagined but we were surprised that you do not check in your luggage but simply take it with you onto the train.  They are very strict with the 20kg baggage allowance per person and we had some adjustments to make to get under the 20kg.  Thank goodness we purchased a small carry-on suitcase in Victoria!

Our room was not available when we arrived so we stored our luggage and walked along Wellington Street, the Main Street in Ottawa, until we found somewhere to stop for lunch.  The restaurant prices right across Canada are very expensive and it doesn't help that you have to add a 20% tip to you bill.  Also, Canadians are taxed very heavily on goods and services and surprisingly if you purchase an item, the price on the tag is not the price you pay.  GST has to be added on, plus a tip so in your mind you have to add at least 20% onto the tagged price.  I am very glad that GST is transparent in Australia and the price on the tag is the price we pay.

The tour we do in Ottawa is Ottawa River Cruise.  It is only an hour and a half but it is very interesting.  Our young guide points out places of interest right along the river.  She points out the residence of the Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, who is not in residence at present as the building is undergoing renovations.

Further down the river and where we turn around are some lovey riverside homes that our guide tells us are worth a lot of money.  Can't say I'm surprised.

It is lunch when our tour ends so we make our way to the lively market area of Ottawa.  Here there are food stalls in abundance but we chose the Irish Pub because it just looks so damn pretty!

We order the Poutine for share starters that is apparently an Ottawa favourite.  It is simply fries with gravy and cheese curds topped with spring onion but I love it.  Would have been even better with a pie on the side....

Philip had the seafood chowder for main and I stayed with a prawn salad that was delicious.  We both wanted to leave room for another Ottawa favourite - Beaver Tails!  I spotted the stall across the street that sold them so after lunch we walked over and purchased two.  I don't know why they are called Beaver Tails because they look nothing like their namesake.  You can have savoury or street be we try the traditional that is dusted with cinnamon sugar.  It tastes like a donut.

We walk off lunch with a stroll to Rideau Hill and are lucky enough to arrive for the change of the guard at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  It is quite the affair with a bagpipe player leading the change. They change guard every hour on the hour between 9am and 5pm daily.

We are back in our hotel room around 3pm and don't intend to move!  It's been a busy day.  We have to catch another train tomorrow (our last) from Ottawa to Toronto where we have a tour booked to Niagara Falls.  That is going to be another very long day!

As we walked back to our room we passed the Quebec Suite.  I wonder what lies beyond those doors.  I'm guessing it would be pretty magnificent.