A Vacation Within A Vacation!

James had a business trip in Chicago so the girls and I took a little trip to Ottawa to drop him off at the airport and see the sites.  We had a wonderful time.  Out hotel was within walking distance of Parliament Hill.  We toured the Parliament building and visited all the historic statues on the grounds.  We learned a lot about how the government works in Canada and even got to see the chair that Queen Elizabeth sits in when she comes to visit the Senate.  We visited the war memorial with the tomb of the unknown being guarded by soldiers.  We even got to see the changing of the guard, what great luck! 

 As we were looking at one of the statues a police officer came up to me.  At first I worried there was something wrong, but he just wanted to tell us about the statue and point out that it was a whispering wall.  You can sit at one end and whisper and a person at the other end can hear you as if you are sitting next to each other.  We had such a nice visit with him and he let us take a picture of him.  He even pointed out the US Embassy across the river and sang The Star Spangled Banner with us.  It was a lot of fun. 

  Later we met a Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer.  She did not have her horse with her since they were doing construction around the Hill and it spooked the horses.  She invited us to come to the RCMP Stables the next morning for a private tour of the stables and to meet her horse.  It was a very cool opportunity and the girls were in heaven to see all the horses and even see some of the officers practicing the Musical Ride that they are famous for.  In downtown Ottawa they have a city block full of shops and vendors called the Byward Market.  All the folks we met said it was a must visit location and we are so glad we listened.  The market offers lots of cute shops, farmers selling produce, cheese and butcher shops, jewelry, crafts and other fabulous things.  James bought me two beautiful silk scarves and some earrings and a necklace.  We also enjoyed a local treat called Beaver Tail.  It is fry bread with cinnamon sugar and lemon juice on it.  It was delicious.  

For dinner we stopped at another Canadian only restaurant called The Works.  They offer 100 different ways to have a hamburger.  We opted for a burger with peanut butter, bananas and bacon on it - FABULOUS!!! And another with pineapple, egg, cheese, caramelized onions and a beet - FANTASTIC!!!  If you ever have the chance, I highly recommend The Works.