Ottawa, Canada's Capital

I only had one rainy afternoon to see Ottawa.  I am not really a museums-and-galleries kind of guy...though people tell me Ottawa is full of great museums.  So I decided to hit the pavement and get all wet. 

Ottawa didn't have a "capital" feel to it.  It didn't have the hustle and bustle of a super metropolis. I remember that's how I felt about Amsterdam too...another lovely city!

But it did seem like every other building was under renovation of some sort! 

A mix of modern glass buildings and venerable structures.

Downtown was pretty sedate...

...or maybe that was just because of the rain?  

I take what I said back.  The moment I walked along Wellington St., it felt like a capital city.

All the revered institutions were there, housed in magnificent and imposing edifices.  

The Confederation Building...cornerstone laid in 1927, opened 1931.

And of course, the Parliament.

I went up the clock tower.  Here's what I saw...

Just kidding... Up on the 9th storey, you get a good view of the Ottawa River.  Across, that's Gatineau, Quebec.

Here's what the ceiling looked like inside the Parliament building.  Very Gothic!

Outside was the Centennial Flame...lit in 1967--Canada's 100th anniversary.  It's probably the only fountain that does not freeze up in the winter! :-)

You must be pictured out by now.  I'll end with a pic of the most unassuming of all the government buildings...BUT, probably one of the most important (in my opinion anyway!)  Can you guess which one is it?  :-)

A~nd the correct answer is....