Ottawa Part Deux

After our lovely jaunt to Montreal we headed back to Ottawa to visit with Carlynne for a few days whilst Dan was off chasing (and eventually hunting) deer. We went to Parliament two days in a row, on the first day we went to Question Period and listened to a very lively discussion about h1n1. I remarked to Marc that I would never take a class there because afterwards when I asked them to be respectful they could come back with, "But in question period all the MP's texted on their cell phone . . . In question period all the MP's talked to eachother and didn't listen . . . But in question period the MP's all insulted each other. . . " Yes the list goes on and on but it was definitely interesting nonetheless.

Enjoying tea at the statues celebrating women's suffrage

Marc showing a deep respect for all the women who fought so hard to get the vote

On day two of our parliament adventure, we biked to Parliament from Carlynne's. Marc took this photo to trace our route. I am not really sure where we went but we covered a lot of these streets.

We took a tour of Parliament and went into the library. It was surprisingly bright with warm colours and beautifully carved wood. (Sorry no pictures allowed in the library! I had to find one on the net.)

Afterwards we went and watched the Senate, it was a refreshing change after the chaos that was question period. Thoughtful questions and reasoned answers!

When we were leaving there was a beautiful light hitting the hallowed halls (actually walls) of our governmental centre.

The library from the outside

On our way home we stopped for the quintessential Canadian snack - a beaver tail!

A paparazzi view of Stephen Harper's house

We also celebrated Halloween with Carlynne and went for a walk on a beautiful day.

Some of the many very small and cute trick or treaters that came to the door:

Afterwards some very big and cute chefs came to the door demanding candy. We gave them none, but they graciously gave us a ride to their friends house to play Beatles Rock Band.

All in all a lovely trip and a great restful time away! We picked up Niko in Revelstoke as soon as we got back and here he is with three of his walking buddies. Getting this picture of them all sitting and smiling was no small feat, so enjoy!! :)