The drive to "Hottawa" was hot and uncomfortable. The dreaded Central Canada hot, muggy summer weather caught up with us despite our decision to wait until the late summer / early fall to visit Southern Ontario.
Showers were the first thing on our minds when we reached our host, Anna Marie Langlois. For supper, we went to an all you can eat sushi place, surprisingly good!
The next day, Anna Marie played tour guide and drove us around many of Ottawa's attractions, namely the Parliament buildings, the Rideau Canal and others. Surrinder was amazed at what the cameras don't show when they feature Parliament ... the picturesque river valley and the Rotunda in the Centre Block.
The next day we parked the vehicle and explored some of downtown on foot and watched the sun set over the beautiful Ottawa River.
We stayed for Mosaika, the sound and light show actually projected on the Parliament buildings, which summarizes the story of Canada!
A bit hokey in Shamir's view, but the effects were well done. Though we saw the buildings from the outside, we never actually did set foot inside the Houses of Parliament ... Surrinder claimed she couldn't go in, since she's so disgusted with what goes on inside.
One funny little highlight for Shamir was seeing "56 Sparks Street, Ottawa 4" -- those with long memories might remember the sometime ubiquitous TV ad for the Unitarian Service Committee, narrated by its founder, Lotta Hitschmanova.
One of the highlights of the trip was visiting the official residence of the Governor General, Rideau Hall and the wonderful grounds with trees planted by various celebrities, including JFK and Jackie Kennedy, Nelson Mandela and Queen Elizabeth to name a few.
A special highlight for Shamir was visiting his namesake, Shamir Kanji, his wife Fatima and their sons Aidan and Kiyan. Shamir Kanji was actually named after Shamir B ... Shamir K's dad used to babysit Shamir in Uganda, and when he had a son, it seemed only natural to call him Shamir! We went to "The Works", a gourmet burger place we would love to go back to!!!
Another highlight for Shamir was visiting the Delegation of the Ismaili Imamat - a secular building which houses the Aga Khan Development Network "for building relationships, enabling quiet diplomacy, disseminating knowledge and information, while reflecting the wide-ranging humanistic agenda of the AKDN" (per their website). Indeed, there was a quiet dignity throughout the building.
Among the other surprises Ottawa held was the giant research farm well within the city, with many many different crops, including different strains of wheat, corn, etc.!
Showers were the first thing on our minds when we reached our host, Anna Marie Langlois. For supper, we went to an all you can eat sushi place, surprisingly good!
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| The Rideau Canal, showing some of its many locks |
The next day we parked the vehicle and explored some of downtown on foot and watched the sun set over the beautiful Ottawa River.
We stayed for Mosaika, the sound and light show actually projected on the Parliament buildings, which summarizes the story of Canada!
A bit hokey in Shamir's view, but the effects were well done. Though we saw the buildings from the outside, we never actually did set foot inside the Houses of Parliament ... Surrinder claimed she couldn't go in, since she's so disgusted with what goes on inside.
One funny little highlight for Shamir was seeing "56 Sparks Street, Ottawa 4" -- those with long memories might remember the sometime ubiquitous TV ad for the Unitarian Service Committee, narrated by its founder, Lotta Hitschmanova.
A special highlight for Shamir was visiting his namesake, Shamir Kanji, his wife Fatima and their sons Aidan and Kiyan. Shamir Kanji was actually named after Shamir B ... Shamir K's dad used to babysit Shamir in Uganda, and when he had a son, it seemed only natural to call him Shamir! We went to "The Works", a gourmet burger place we would love to go back to!!!
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| Shamir and Shamir!! |
Among the other surprises Ottawa held was the giant research farm well within the city, with many many different crops, including different strains of wheat, corn, etc.!
Public art was evident throughout Ottawa ...
We agreed we could easily visit Ottawa again and still have many highlights remaining for future visits.
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