Ottawa Rideau Canal - Parliament Tours - bike gone

University of Ottawa

Today is a day in downtown Ottawa. We park the truck at Hogs Back Park and bike about 30 minutes along the Rideau Canal into the city center. Along the way we pass the University of Ottawa. It appears to be a really beautiful city with so many trees and so much water. 

Senate of Canada 

Before leaving the RV today I booked us into the tours of the Senate of Canada and The House of Commons @ West Block. We are rushed at arriving for our 12:45 Senate tour but we get the bikes locked up and arrive with 10 minutes to get through security. 

Currently The Senate of Canada is sitting in a temporary building as the actual Parliament Building Center Block has been under construction since 2019 with a projected reopen in 2032...a huge renovation. 

Committee Room 

The Senate of Canada tour is about 30 minutes long and very informative. We go into the Committee Room and learn about Bills-essentially the draft or proposal for a new law and how they get debated and passed by both the Senate and the House of Commons before receiving Royal Assent. These committee rooms are where smaller groups of senators scrutinize proposed legislation and study complex issues. 

Flags of 10 Provinces - 3 Territories 

This beautiful wooden door with provincial and territorial flags carved on it is on display at the temporary Senate of Canada but it will be relocated back to Center Block once the renovation is completed. 

The Red Chamber

Next we see The Red Chamber, or Senate Chamber, which features a red carpet with maple leaves. The maple leaves on the carpet represent the ten native types of maple trees found across Canada. The Red Chamber debates and scrutinizes legislation and national issues plus it's the venue for important ceremonies, including the Speech from the Throne, where bills given Royal Assent are made into laws. On May 27th, King Charles was in this room to open the new session of  Canadian Parliament. His presence was seen as a statement against Trump's 51st state rhetoric. 

Sculptured ceiling in The Senate building

National War Memorial

After The Senate tour, we head out onto the streets of Ottawa and come upon the National War Memorial, which is the site of the annual National Remembrance Day Ceremony on November 11. 

War Hero's

Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the National War Memorial in May 2000. The remains of an unidentified Canadian soldier who died in the First World War were exhumed from Cabaret-Rouge a British Cemetery near Vimy Ridge, France, and brought to Canada for interment in the tomb. This has special meaning for us as we visited the site this soldier was exhumed from in France. 

Parliament Building - Center Block

We walk around the Parliament Building Center Block and it is under full construction. This project is part of a wider effort to preserve, restore and modernize these heritage buildings. 

Centennial Flame

The flame burning outside the Canadian Parliament is the Centennial Flame, a monument on Parliament Hill that commemorates the 100th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 1967. It is a natural gas-fueled, continuous flame symbolizing national unity. 

West Block on Parliament Hill

Our next tour of the House of Commons is again temporarily relocated into the West Block at Parliament Hill. The area is filled with classic, beautiful old buildings. 

Once again through security our tour begins and we see the door and flags where our leaders stand anytime they are making an announcement or being interviewed. 

The House of Commons

Then into the House of Commons where the 343 elected Members of Parliament (MPs) debate and vote on bills, represent concerns and hold the government accountable. It's responsible for forming the government, with the party holding the most seats forming the government and its leader becoming the Prime Minister. The party in power is on the left and the opposition party is on the right. 

Nobody knows why the color green was chosen :)

Alexander Mackenzie

Official portraits of former Canadian prime ministers hang in the halls of the House of Commons. We find one of our favorites, Alexander Mackenzie, who became our Prime Minister but not before he became one of Canada's greatest explorers, the first to cross this country, long before it was a country, the first to make it to the Pacific Ocean by land and water in 1793. Both great men of their times.

Room of Remembrance

The final stop on our tour is the Room of Remembrance where 8 Books of Remembrance contain the names of every Canadian soldier who died in service to our country. Every day there is a page turning ceremony so at least once in a year every soldiers name is displayed. 

After the tours we head back to our bikes to find mine has been stollen...ugh.... We kick ourselves for being rushed earlier to make our tour and not being vigilant about where we chained our bikes. The thieves cut our cables like they were rubber bands. Likely gone in under a minute. Hard lesson learned.

Rideau Canal

Chris bikes the 30 minutes back to fetch our truck then returns to locate me as I walk slowly along the Rideau Canal determined to not let this event take away from what a beautiful city Ottawa is or our trip. With two of our friends and their spouses currently struggling with serious health issues, a stollen bike is immaterial and an easy fix.

Turkish platter - quite tasty

We head out for a bite of Turkish food and discuss options. So much of our trip depends on bikes that we know we have to get another bike quickly. 

MEC bikes - a no go

After dinner we head to MEC and test ride a couple bikes. These are not the ones that will replace my great Trek Roscoe. Will see what tomorrow brings.