Ottawa, Canada

The day dawned with another adventure….. Ann, Cathy and I were off to visit Ottawa, the nation’s capital.  I was looking forward to photographing the beautiful Parliament Buildings, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the Epitaph as other locations in the city.  Much to our surprise….. and dismay the Parliament Buildings, Tomb and Epitaph were all under construction as were the majority of buildings in downtown area…..so we made the best of our time.  I was able to photograph parts of the Parliament Buildings, Clock Tower and East Block as I dodged the scaffolding and the stages being erected for Canada's birthday celebration on July 1st. We popped into the Chateau Laurier Hotel and I found a spot where I was able to snap a few photos of the Parliament Buildings.  We walked to the Sparks Street Mall, coincidentally it was also under construction.  The Ottawa Ribfest Festival is going on, we stopped at a booth where I was awarded a trophy for first place as the King Pig….  Gotta love it when everything comes together.  We took a boat cruise down the Ottawa River aboard the Empress of Ottawa.  The boat cruised along the river passing behind the Parliament Buildings which gave me the opportunity to photograph an almost clear building with just a bit of scaffolding still at the back.  We cruised by the Statue of Samuel de Champlain, the Royal Canadian Mint , Rideau Falls, the Supreme Court and 24 Sussex, the official residence of the Prime Minister of Canada.   Seems a bit funny but due to renovations the Prime Minister and his family reside elsewhere.  Told you the city was under construction!!!!!  After the boat ride we walked past the locks of the Rideau River, which flows into the Ottawa River, snapped a few photos and walked back to the Byward Market for a few photos, then headed out of the city returning back to Gananoque.  Ottawa is a beautiful city but due to construction it was difficult to capture it’s full beauty in a photograph.  It will be even better next year when most of the work will be done in time for the celebration of the 150^th birthday of Canada