When we went to the parking lot by the office where we were supposed to meet the Gray Line shuttle, another couple was already there, and we struck up a conversation. They had gone into Ottawa yesterday, so they knew the ropes and gave us some good advice. Our driver, Ron, delivered us to the city center in less than half an hour, and we purchased a three-day pass for the hop-on, hop-off tour for $27 (the senior rate)—a real bargain since it includes the daily shuttle which leaves the campground at 9 a.m. and arrives back before 5:30 p.m.
We decided to take the 10:00 tour and sit on the open upper deck. The first time around, we stayed with the tour, which ran for an hour and forty-five minutes. Rudy, our tour guide, pointed out all the major landmarks and provided some interesting background information. For example, the American Embassy is the largest and most expensive. Its roof is hardened against attack and the four stories aboveground are matched by four underground. It houses not only the embassy but also Homeland Security, FBI, and the CIA. Unfortunately it was cold and rained a bit on and off, so we got pretty cold, but decided to stay outside rather than sit in the enclosed section below, where it was difficult to hear and impossible to see much.
When we returned to the Gray Line kiosk just before noon, we decided to visit the ByWard Market, which is open seven days a week and features locally grown produce, flowers, and some crafts. We stopped for a sandwich at Tim Horton’s before walking to the Parliament Hill to sign up for a tour of the Center Block, the central building which houses the Senate and the House of Commons.
 Parliament--Center Block |  Queen Victoria |
While we waited for the tour to begin, we did a self-guided walking tour of the many statues and memorials on the grounds. A large statue of Queen Victoria was the first stop. This was only the first of several statues and paintings of Queen Victoria we saw today. The monarchy was also represented by a statue of Queen Elizabeth II mounted on her horse.
 Canada loves her monarchs |  Library outside |
A very interesting group of five women is entitled “Women Are Persons,” and they are all looking at a newspaper with that headline. It represents a triumph won by them and others fighting for women to be considered “persons” and therefore eligible to serve as senators in Canada.
We walked to the street in front of Parliament to watch the end the Ottawa Gay Pride parade passing by. A large double decker bus provided music—a very catchy tune. As we walked back up towards the building we noticed a group of visitors which included two men who looked like Buddhist monks.
Before our group could enter the Parliament building, we all had to go through security similar to airport security, except that confiscated items were returned at the end of the tour (Ken got a green ticket in exchange for his little Swiss Army knife. Most of the people on the tour were Canadians, mainly from the nearby provinces. Our tour guide, Steph, was personable and did a good job.
One of the most impressive sights was the Library of Parliament, an extraordinary Victorian Revival building which survived the fire of 1916 mainly because the librarian had the presence of mind to order the heavy metal doors closed between the library and the rest of the Center Block. Steph informed us that we were lucky to see the library, since it is only open to tourists on the weekend. Ordinarily only the Parliamentarians have access to the collection and the services of the library staff and analysts.
 Stunning library |  Victoria reigns! |
Each of the twelve sides of the building boasts a flying buttress outside and holds an alcove filled with three stories of books. The visual impression is of a temple with richly carved woodwork and wrought iron railings. The central area of the room, where the librarians operate, is dominated by a large statue of (who else?) Queen Victoria. Most of the library’s million documents are housed in other locations.
We were impressed by the spirit of peace that seems to characterize Canada’s history. We learned in our earlier travels that Canadians never had “Indian wars” but instead negotiated with the “First Nations” peoples (although all was not entirely congenial in the relationship between immigrants and first peoples). Now we learned that Canada gained its independence from the British through negotiation too (no revolutionary was).
After the tour we climbed the Peace Tower for a birdseye view of the city and surroundings. Then we visited the Memorial Chapel which honors Canadians who have died in armed conflicts.
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