Today was earmarked for visiting the places on my List of Venues Not to Be Missed. We began “before the tour buses” at Rideau Hall, the residence of the Governor General. In UK terms it’s a good, tasteful large mansion house, but it has scarcity value here and is larded with tradition. They changed the guard noisily and with much stamping and bagpipe screeching, including some impenetrable slamming of the Official Clipboard into sentry box walls. The Rideau Falls are well-named and accessibly managed and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stables where they train for the Musical Ride is staffed, as everywhere, by charming, obliging, fiercely patriotic Canadians. As it says above the bar in Pier 21, “Be Nice, Or Leave.” It should be the national motto. The young guide even gave me a photocopy of her personal ‘Horse’s Prayer’ when I talked to her about Flora and her equine obsession. Laurier House, a Victorian town house purchased by Liberal donations for their new PM, who bequeathed it to his successor, Mackenzie King, who gave it to the nation, is a lovely, well-proportioned, oak-panelled house, meticulously maintained by the Parks people – usual exemplary staffing. Laurier was largely responsible for the social services and sense of nationhood Canada now enjoys. He was a Good Man. After a foray for a lightweight waterproof, we visited the Museum of Contemporary Photography, where we were impressed by the work of David Birch, who melds photographic prints and oil paint. The startling rain made the visit to St Patrick’s Cathedral doubly worthwhile, and we watched with amusement the ‘rush hour’ in the centre of town from the Elephant & Castle Bar. Once again, delightful staff, knowledgeable and attentive but in La Baie department store, they were uniformly dumb. How can this be? Management. Packing was a bit chaotic, but we dined well with local wines at Domus, where the fish was excellent. We bade farewell to Chantal and the “son with no name” and declared our stay in Ottawa a delight. Breakfast was ready for us in the fridge, and the alarm was set. Sweet Dreams!