Sunday, July 15, 2012                       

75°38.509’ W

45°28.568’ N

Marina Kitchissipi de Gatineau (just before Ottawa)

Gatineau, Quebec, Canada

Today the six of us took a taxi into Ottawa to take a Gray Line Tour of the City.  We walked to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier while waiting for the bus tour to begin and from there to Parliament to see the changing of the guard. The changing of the guard is a very colorful and fitting ceremony. The whole ceremony lasted about 45 minutes from the beginning to the end when the bag pipers marched off the parade ground.

Another short walk and we hopped on our double-decker bus for a tour of the city. Once in the area of the city where there was restaurants everywhere we hopped of our bus and had lunch. A short time later we border another bus and having selected a location everyone wanted to see we were delivered to the Canadian Museum of Civilization. Our timing was perfect to get off of the open deck of the bus as it began to rain as soon as we walked inside the museum. The museum is a show piece of Canadian pride and I would highly recommend it if visiting Ottawa. We stayed to the end of the day and called for another taxi to return us to the marina.

We had a light dinner in the restaurant at the marina and Barb did a couple loads of laundry before calling it a day.

Tonight friends of Stan and Colleen will arrive and travel with them for the length of the Rideau Canal.

Tomorrow after departing the marina, we will ride the flight of 8 locks from the Ottawa River rising 80 feet to the Rideau Canal!