Rise and Shine!!! At 3:00 am we piled into the car and headed out for destination Ottawa. The deal is we make the journey as distracting as possible and magically arrive at our destination (some 14 hrs later). Sometimes it works. The drive was smooth and uneventful... with only three/four stops for gas, hot coffee and necessities we made great time. We used the new GPS throughout the trek and enjoyed the security of the information it provided (especially in downtown Ottawa and Montreal).

Upon arrival we quickly checked in and made peace with the surroundings. Jane geared up the kids for a swim and I stepped out to survey the surroundings. Our accommodations were in a perfect location, situated amidst the street vendors, buskers, pubs, eateries and "energy" in the Byward Market. With lots of room, free internet, a pool and access to secure parking we felt we had made a good decision. Further, beyond what seemed like "regulars" on several corners doing some panhandling, the area was very safe.

The bulk of the remainder of the day was spent orienting ourselves to the area. We roamed the Byward Market scoping out places for food and meals. That evening we also watched an interesting group performing in the market which combined dance & martial arts (called capoeira). The young people involved were having a blast. From here we headed for Rideau Street and identified candidate stores for serving breakfast as well as a nearby haunt to grab a bottle of wine.

From here we headed past the Chateau Laurier to Parliament Hill. The bridge over the Rideau Canal here affords an excellent view of the Ottawa Locks area, show casing the nation's last "manually controlled" locks for transporting vessels. Across the street is the stately National War Memorial, which commemorates through granite and statues the hundreds of thousands of Canadians who answered the call to serve. Its an impressive monument and in a very prominent location in the city.

With hopes of touring some of the outside monuments before taking in the Sound and Light show which occurs twice every evening during the summer (9:30-10:30), we continued to Parliament Hill. The grounds were busy with visitors of all ages but we managed to spend some time looking at the many statues which surround Parliament Hill, the Centennial Flame, and the Centre Block. However, we fell short and decided the Sound/Light could wait for another evening as the days driving finally started to take its toll. We hunkered down around 9:00 on the first night and rested up for our first full day of touring in Ottawa.