We'd been informed by many that there's not much to do in the capital city but against their judgment, we decided to visit anyway.... Like how can you not visit, right!

Firstly, chasing the sun does not seem so romantic when the humidity makes it feel like 42 degrees. You don't have the energy for very much, even walking is effortful. Taking pictures, where normally trigger happy, has resorted to a slow snap here and there. But it'll take more than that to deter us from exploring. So sticking to the shade, with caps on, sunscreen coated, water bottles and flannel in hand.... We ventured out for a free guided tour of the Parliament building which we were happy to find was air conditioned! We couldn't help compare the level of access to the building to that of our own Parliament back home in the UK. Although there was airport like security checks, we were quite 'free' to rome around and even go up to the clock (peace) tower. Our guide was exceptional, chirpy and enthusiastic, like doing the tour for the first time. The history was interesting, and the wooden library, having survived a fire in 1916, was very pretty and resembled a set out of the Harry Potter movies.

If you have the energy there are other things worth visiting, we only managed the Terry Fox monument, the Supreme Court and a couple of Queen Elizabeth II monuments. Instead we laid under a tree in the park for a good while... Buddha would have been proud! We would definitely recommend a couple of days here. The place in general, has a VERY laid back feel and is not what you would expect a capital city to be like.

We ate at the ZenKitchen, a renowned vegan restaurant. NB: don't go without a reservation, luckily for us they had room at the bar. S's cesar salad was a bit lettuce full for her liking, a bit of a disappointment as she was comparing cuisine to Montreal's dinners. K's ravioli and chocolate cheesecake did not disappoint.

Ottawa Backpackers Inn on York Road, held potential from the outside. Pretty yellow painted house with a lovely wooden veranda. However, the inside told a different kind of story. If you are looking for crammed & hot conditions to sleep in, a cluttered and dirty kitchen, queuing for the bathroom (shower pressure was good though), a big dirty looking cat.... This is the place for you! This hostel asked that shoes to be removed on entry, which would have been welcome had the carpet not been so..... ewww icky!! Not a place for the faint hearted!