Le Parlement, si vous s'il vous plaît

Taking in Ottawa's downtown sights and sounds is always a special treat, especially on a beautiful, sunny summer day! The War Memorial was our first stop, followed by the locks of the Rideau Canal.

Our tour of Parliament included East Block, the House of Commons, the Senate, and riding the elevator to the top of the Peace Tower to take in a bird's-eye view of the city.

Finally, we finished our afternoon off with Beaver Tails in The Market before begining our stroll back down the canal towards our ride home.

Around the Town

We were privileged to have Kelly's brother, Curtis, and girlfriend, Jill, visit us this past week. We had a great time showing them around Ottawa and the surrounding area. First stop for any Trinity Western University graduate: the Laurentian Leadership Centre!

Next, we ventured into Ottawa's countryside for a tour of Canada's Cold War museum, the Diefenbunker. Here are a few pictures from inside -- better yet, underground -- that we had fun taking. A visit back in time, indeed!

Later that evening, we ventured down the river to the small village of Manotick to experience "A Taste of Manotick" which was put on by the town's local restaurants and businesses. What a great time! We tried homemade sweet potato fries from the local chip truck and deep friend Mars bars. Even our local Le Cordon Bleu came out to work their magic for the new butchery in town.

Finally, we finished off a full day with some farming via Carcasonne! This picture perfectly depicts Jill's victory and current reign as Queen of Carcasonne. It's okay Curtis...maybe next time :o)