Visiting our Nation's Capital over Civic Holiday weekend and a little Shopping Too ....

I have some family in Ottawa and whenever we visit, it is to see them and I never go out and about.  This past weekend I played tourist in Ottawa and had a great time.  Of course we saw family but I finally got to the much mentioned Byward Market.  So much to see and so many great restaurants.  As I mentioned in a previous facebook post I had to hit some Home Decor shops and poor hubby already knew it was in the cards.  He is used to it and lucky for him there were kitchen things and he loves those as he is a fantastic chef.  I stopped into Zone and ....... which had really interesting products.

I also hit The Modern Shop

Of course I took a few pics of our Parliament Buildings. Unfortunately we couldn't get into a tour of the Parliament as they were always full and I do not rise at 6 am when on a vacay even if to see these great buildings.  The guides said it was the most crowded even for a holiday weekend that they had seen so I will return on a regular weekend and do the tour.

Looking at where the three rivers meet behind the Parliament Buildings
















We did however visit he residence of our Governor General for a tour.  We couldn't take photos but I found this one on line.  It is quite beautiful and it was interesting to hear about the history associated with it and to see a model of how the different phases of it grew over time into what it is today. The grounds were amazing.

The Room above is known as 'The Tent Room' and was originally built in 1876 as an indoor tennis court that could also serve as a large dining or reception hall. For important events, striped canvas was draped over the bare walls and ceiling, creating the look of a tent. Today, the room retains its tent-like decor, and is used to host formal events such as artistic performances and literary celebrations — all under the watchful eyes of the portraits of Queen Victoria and former governors general.