Lovin The Sights

There has been a storm overnight and the morning is cloudy so we don our raingear before setting out on a walking tour of downtown Ottawa. We walk the length of Rideau Street because it is lined with magnificent building, museums, and statues including the Parliament Buildings, the Supreme Court, the National Archives, and the War Memorial. There are many sightseers who could be from all over the world judging from their dress and the variety of languages we hear, however, they might all be Canadians and part of the great mosaic that is Canada.
We ramble down to the Byward Market, to ogle the outdoor vendors with their overflowing stands of fresh fruit and vegetables, flowers, and crafts; have a bite of lunch; and enjoy the many charming shops. The Byward Market (Byward is the original name of Ottawa) is off George Street on Byward and William Street. Many of the local shoppers have come on their bicycles as Ottawa is known to be cycling friendly and there is even supervised bicycle parking.
Full of sights, smells, and lunch we stroll past the heavily fortified American Embassy along Sussex Drive to the National Gallery of Canada and the Samuel de Champlain statue which has awesome views of the Ottawa river and Parliament Hill. Ottawa is a city where one really needs a week to see all the sights but we have seen many of them on previous trips.