OTTAWA in May is famous for its tulips.
Although we missed the Tulip Festival, there were still plenty to admire with a tad less tourists. It was our first visit to Ottawa together, Mama D and I.
I took the train to Montreal and we took 2 days to visit with family while staying at The Bonaventure Hotel, one of our favorite hotels in Montreal.
We took the train to Ottawa and checked-in the Albert at Bay Hotel. Our room was facing the back as we asked for a quiet room away from the street traffic. It was a large two bedroom suite and it had a small kitchen, dining room and living room.
Day 1
We walked along the Ottawa River that runs between Gatineau, QC and Ottawa, ON. We walked from our hotel to the Ottawa River Pathway then up across the Byward Market and back. We must have walked at least 7-8 km.
Day 2
We took a Canal Boat tour.
Day 3: we visited The Canadian Museum of History in Hull, QC that used to be called The Museum of Civilization. We had our lunch at the cafeteria with amazing views of the river and Parliament.
Day 4
We visited the Royal Canadian Mint, and Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General of Canada who presently is Julie Payette, our famous Astronaut. Our guide at the Residence was a 21 year old who had been to Walt Disney World eleven times, lucky her! her name was Elizabeth and she was so sweet.
Day 5
We visited the Parliament, and the visit was tainted by a baby crying in a stroller relentlessly without the parents doing anything. Thank goodness I had earplugs but even then the echo in the rooms and hallways is huge and the visit was very uncomfortable. My favorite part of the visit was the library that we were lucky to see before it closed to the public for ten years. In the afternoon we visited the Bytown Museum and got to see boats going down the 8 flights of the Lockstation.
The next day we took the train back to Montreal and we got off in Dorval where I spent the night before my flight back home to Moncton, NB.