Rideau Hall, Ottawa.

After spending about 5 days scrubbing and polishing and getting the fiver ready for re-sale, we left it with RV Canada Tuesday afternoon, returned to the apt. we have rented for our final month in Canada,  and crashed out for 2 days.

Today we resurfaced with a visit to Rideau Hall the official residence of The Governor General of Canada.

Walking up the long tree lined drive way to the hall.

The Ballroom.

The Tent Room, used for receptions.

The Library.

Back outside and a close up of the fountain, called the Fountain of Hope in memory of Terry Fox.

A bronze plaque (is it blending into the stone?) The first Four Canadian Governor Generals.  Before 1952 all the GGs. were British going back to 1760 and before that French.

 When this sight line was built it looked straight on to Parliament Hill, the trees have grown a bit since then and obscured the view somewhat.  If you look carefully you can just see the Peace Tower in the gap looking down the site line.  The Peace Tower is Ottawa's Big Ben.

 The Grounds Of Rideau Hall are part of its attraction and specifically the tree plantings.  They have been planting trees here for a long time and now have planted veritable forrest. Just about every Royal and head of state that visits Ottawa plants a tree.  The photo of the plaque above shows Queen Margrethe of Denmark, Nelson Mandela and John F. Kennedy planting trees.

                                                                   

Nelson Mandela's tree today, this must be one of the most visited tree's look how the grass is worn away in front of the plaque.

In 1967 I played cricket here on the Governor Generals pitch.  The teams were made up of Brits. and West Indians and the standard was very high, I lasted 2 games and when I was batting I never evan saw the ball, those West Indians were really fast ballers. Today with all the immigrants from India and Pakistan the standard will probably be even higher.

No we are not back in BC one of the many statues in the gardens

Inushuk, used by the Inuit people of the north to guide your route across the tundra, You see these rough stone statues by the sides of roads all over Canada, as Canadian as the maple leaf and a hockey stick.  

This little fella really enjoying an acorn and behind him a maple leaf already turned colour.