Ottawa: a few more pics

Here are a few other photos from our tour of the Parliament Buildings...


This is the gorgeous ceiling of the Parliament library...

Some really cool window panes at the bottom of the Peace Tower...

Groovy architecture...OK...I know this one is kinda blurry...not my normal style, but I kinda like it...It's me walking across a crosswalk (crossing a busy street so I had to walk fast) while trying to take a picture of myself in front of the Parliament Buildings.

Ottawa: Part 2

We awoke the next day to sunny skys and hot weather. Started the day off right with a delicious bagel from our bagel shop in the By Ward Market and headed off to see about catching a tour of the Parliament Buildings. We arrived at Parliament Hill shortly after the changing of the guards and as a result, the tour which we had hoped to go on was already full. So we took a ticket for a later tour, and headed to a coffee shop near the Sparks Street Mall (where the BBQ cookoff was taking place). The Bridgehead Coffee shop became one of our haunts while in Ottawa. Delicious!

The tour of the Parliament Buildings was quite interesting. Because we were in Ottawa a few days before Canada Day, there was a giant black stage which was being set up right in front of theParliament Buildings, making it impossible for us to get that perfect shot. A bit frustrating, but we snapped lots of pictures anyway. To start the tour off, we all had to go through security. I had my trusty backpack with me full of all sorts of treasures which the security guards weren't so sure about. Once they decided that my mini tripod was indeed a mini tripod, they finally let me join Colette who had breezed through the metal detector.

I was amazed by the number of gargoyles and carved faces which cover almost every surface inside and outside of the Parliament Buildings. For some reason, it wasn't was I expected.

Colette also has some great pictures of gargoyles posted on her blog, which can be viewed at:
http://lapagedecolette.blogspot.com/2006/07/capital-city-critters.html

I was also quite impressed with the architectural details in the Parliament Buildings, particularly the library ceiling.

Ottawa: Part 1

So my work decided to send me and a few coworkers to a conference in Ottawa during the last week of June. So, I thought I'd take advantage of the airline ticket provided by my employeres and spent some tourist time before the conference exploring the city. My coworker Colette decided to go with me.

We arrived late in the afternoon on June 24 and got settled in our dorm room! To save some pennies, we decided to stay in the residence at the University of Ottawa. The room wasn't back but the bus traffic outside our second story window was terrible! Not a lot of sleep was had during our stay there. However, it was close to downtown, just a 10 to 15 minute walk from our morning bagel place and to the parliament buildings.

Once we were settled, we ventured in to town to see if we could find something for dinner. Our original goal had been to find the BBQ cookoff contest which was on. However, we got the location wrong so settled for a noodle shop for dinner. Later in the evening we did find the BBQ contest, so had to try a few ribs. Yum. Tasty but a bit salty...we decided we'd have to return the next day to try ribs from another competitor.

We finished up our day listening to a bit of the jazz festival while overlooking the Rideau Canal.

Tonsilectomy

As some of you may or may not know, I've been having trouble with my tonsils since I returned from Korea. I had tonsillitis for about a month while I was there, but I didn't want to undergo surgery (Yikes!). In any case, I finally had them removed last Friday. The whole ordeal was a bit scary as I've never undergone surgery before, but I survived. My recovery has had it's ups and downs, and my slippers have been very bored with me lounging around the house. My friend Beth, my sister Ginny and my mom have been very good to me while I've been recovering...waiting on me hand and foot. Anyway, no more tonsils for me!!!!