Today was dedicated to exploring central Ottawa, especially the area around Parliament Hill and Byward Market. We drove downtown to that area and found pay-parking suprisingly easily for $3 per hour (max 2 hours).
That allowed us to go arrange a parliament tour, explore the Parliament Hill a little, walk around Rideau Canal before lunching at Byward Market. Our parking time was up and we had over two hours to kill, so we drove out of town to the Canada Aviation & Space Museum. Kim enjoyed the exhibits at the museum greatly.
Back in town, our parliamentary tour started at 1420 with security checks. Our guide Surya took us through the corridors of power to the House of Representatives chamber, then to the Senate chamber before dropping us at the Memorial Chamber which was also the location for the elevator to the top of Peace Tower.
It was interesting for me to learn more about the one-chamber parliament as New Zealand only has a one-chamber system. So, the role of the Senate or upper house was a bit of a mystery to me. Despite Canada being quite like the US, the political system is more like the UK and Australia.
We drove back for a rest. Kim was feeling a little fatigued and fell asleep. He woke all groggy and wasn’t in the best frame of mind when we walked to the Shawarma Palace for an awesome dinner of two sandwiches and a salad.
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- Parliament Hill; Centre block with East block on the right of the picture.
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- Parliament Hill; Centre Block.
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- Inside the House of Representatives.
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- Inside the LIbrary.
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- Stained glass with Queen Victoria.
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- Inside the Senate.
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- View from Peace Tower.
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- View from Peace Tower.
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- East Block of Parliament Hill.
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- Rideau Canal with locks.
