Recently I had the pleasure of taking the long, long, long road from Downtown Ottawa, out to Scotiabank Place to see the Sens take on the Lightning.  Good game, Sens won in overtime and the bar bill could have payed for another trip to Ottawa, gas, tickets and hotel.  Anyway, the treat was that we got to watch it from the Owners Box, which is cool.

Despite the royal treatment at the Sens game though, the real experience ( and treat as always ) was to visit Capital Hill and see the Parliament buildings.  For anyone who has a drop of red Canadian Blood in them, this is probably in the top 10 experiences in Canada, for history and legacy.  For anyone who is a visitor, and is only there for the historical or architectual value, these buildings will forever engrain themselves in your memory, as an impressive icon and meaningful place.

I could spend a week getting lost in it's vaulted halls and haunted corridors, but I had about 2 hours.  These are some of my favourite shots ( of the 400 or so that I took ) and I thought it would be good to share them and hopefully inspire others to make the trek to see them and what Ottawa has to offer.  Enjoy.

-Fitz 

The Main Archway ( aka the front door )

The Rotunda

The Peace Tower ( which you can go up )

The Clock in the Peace Tower.  This is the highest point that the public can go up to.  The Clock is massive and sits right above you.  Impressive also to be able to see the 50 or so bells that hang in the tower, as you take the elevator up.

The Hall of Heroes ( War Memorial Chapel )

The House of Commons

Perhaps the most impressive room in the entire building, and only open to the public on weekends, make note.  Over 1 million books in the Parliamentary Library, and the dome is massive.

Outside the Senate.  Every stained glass panel tells a story of the country and its birth.  Every gargoyle ( there are hundreds, thousands of them perhaps ) represents someone or something, and a lot of the stone was brought from Manitoba, and full of fossils.

The Senate