There was so much to love about Ottawa; its historic buildings, colorful pedestrian streets with outdoor eateries for a pint and a bite, walkability, waterfront green spaces, dedicated cycling lanes, and most of all its tributes to Canada’s 150th. In a nonstop 3-day blitz we learned and reacquainted ourselves with many of our country’s seminal moments. (Ottawa area, ON, Aug 6-8)

We had to wake at the crack of dawn to stand in line for 1.5hrs just to earn a place in a tour of two of the trio of buildings on Parliament Hill. The West Block was under scaffolding, leaving the East Block and the Centre Block open for business. What an experience it was to walk between the Centre Block’s hallowed House of Commons, Senate and Library. Not fun fact: In 2018, Parliament’s Centre Block building will be closed for some astounding 10-15 years for rehabilitation. Given the interest in this sight, there will be many disappointed people.

The Senate chambers with its strong elements of red and gold, echoing its ties to British royalty - all of the sovereign’s ceremonial business happens here.

With each chair in the House of Commons representing ~100,000 citizens it’s not clear where new ones will be put – space already seemed limited with the current 338.

When the fire of 1916 consumed the Centre Block, the library with its priceless books and records was the only room left standing. A quick thinking civil servant had made his way there and ordered that the heavy iron entrance doors be closed, sealing it off from the flames. At the time, high ranking officials worked and lived in the Centre Block with their families so some wives and children also lost their lives…it remains a mystery whether the fire was an accident or act of sabotage.

Built in 1859, the East Block building housed the founding fathers. Important rooms were restored to their original state – the office of our first Prime Minister, Sir John A Macdonald, who served for 19 years and next door the one used by every other Prime Minister up until Pierre Trudeau.

Each night a sound and light show - with this summer’s chronicling Canada past and present - played out against Parliament's Centre Block building.  Using the latest technology and a mind-numbing amount of equipment, the display was by far the most sophisticated we've ever seen.  After a rousing half hour of how great the country was, I’m sure we weren’t the only ones feeling emotional as we all stood to sing O Canada.

The Royal Canadian Mint in Ottawa only creates commemorative and investment coins, leaving the day-to-day ones to its Winnipeg location. Here’s a sample sneak peak at the Bank of Canada's upcoming security enhanced bills. Fun fact: As the longest serving monarch in Britain’s history, Queen Elizabeth II has had several decades to appear on our currency and over the years her picture has been updated to include new head wear, from garland to tiara to crown. But more recently, in recognition of Canada’s declining allegiance to the monarchy and the Queen’s sensitivity to that, she decided to no longer be depicted with a crown. We are the only commonwealth country where this is so.

While the city currently goes through the inconvenience of building its first underground transit system, it cleverly created excitement for the project by turning it into a free tech show "Kontiuum" - so popular we had to make advance reservations. Upon entering the subway station, we stepped up to a "personal frequency" reader where a pixelated image of ourselves slowly appeared Star Trek style. After we wound down staircases through flashing lights and effects, our images randomly appeared as part of a futuristic montage projected on screens where subways will eventually run.

A walk across the Ottawa River bridge that straddled Ontario and Quebec brought us to the Jacques-Cartier Park in Gatineau, QC. Each of the provinces and territories were featured in a kilometer-long series of mosaicultures. Above: Mother Nature provided the towering centerpiece.

​The horse’s 'manes' fluttered in the breeze creating an ethereal, almost life-like resemblance.

Supreme Court fun facts: as a nod to Britain’s early grip on Canada, there was originally an even number (six) of justices so that any ties could only be broken through consultation with the old country. Later another member was added and eventually the number was increased to the current 9. Of those, 3 have to be from Quebec – according to our guide, at first as an enticement to join the confederation and now justified because Quebec’s civil law is based on French-heritage civil law.

The War Museum included an exhibit of personal artifacts and memories from the 1917 Battle of Vimy Ridge, an event that put our fledgling confederation on the map as no longer a colonial outpost dependent on Britain, but a strong self-reliant country in its own right.

Patience was the byword as we waited for enough people to clear the area to take this picture outside the National Gallery of Canada.

An interesting ‘art imitates life’ story with this painting in the National Gallery…during WW I this artist was commissioned to oversee the painting of two thousand allied warships with geometric patterns so that it would be difficult for the enemy to discern the front or back of the vessel when trying to determine the direction of travel.

As the Cold War between the US and the USSR escalated in the late 1950s, Canada feared it might be a nuclear bomb target which spurred an initiative to build 30 bunkers across the country with the Diefunbunker (a play on Diefenbaker, the prime minister who initiated the project) being the largest. This tunnel ran from end to end to channel the force of the bomb blast away from the main part of the bunker.

Because at the time a country’s currency was guaranteed with gold reserves, if there was a bomb threat all of the Bank of Canada’s bullion would have to be transferred to the bunker and stored in this vault. Several codes were required to open both the vent latch and the main door – each code was known by only 4 people, so it was critical that at least one in each set of 4 had to make it to safety.

With video equipment everywhere and no good view to the house, it appeared that the Prime Minister's home at 24 Sussex Dr was more elusive than the US's White House.

Nearby sat Rideau Hall at 1 Sussex Dr. Because the Governor General originally held the most prestigious government rank his residence was appropriately the grandest and designed with hosting dignitaries in mind. After seeing so many dark, gilded rooms during this trip, we found the soft colors refreshing: the playful pink and white 'tent room’ most often used for larger official functions and the pale blue ‘ball room’ last used as its namesake decades ago to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s coronation in 1953 - a ball is overdue!

This is our last word on covered bridges, with the longest in the world at 1282 feet built here in 1901. (Hartland, NB, July 30)

Murals throughout the town captured scenes from earlier eras… Above: the poor masses eking out a living in the hinterlands where thick forests had to be hand-felled only to find poor farming soil riddled with rocks. Below: amusements for the one-percenters. (Sussex, NB, July 30)

Puffins were the draw for a boat tour out to rock islands. Our camera lens was no match for the serious photographers on board, but we were able to capture enough to remember these striking birds by. Fun facts: Once adults have mated their bright beak colours fade, hence the more muted markings on the ones above. Chicks that have matured and left the nest will not return to land for 2-3 years. (Bird Islands, NS, July 28)

The cormorants dominated this island.

The view from the top of our hike overlooked the iconic roller-coaster Cabot Trail winding along the perimeter of the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Driving it was part beautiful scenery and part the smell of our overheated brakes. (Skyline Trail, NS, July 27)

Once again, the Trans Canada Trail was impressive - this time in Cape Breton Island. (Judique, NS, July 26)

As a UNESCO world heritage site, Lunenburg had 48 blocks of protected homes and businesses all with a past to tell. Germans and Swiss moved here in the 18th and 19th centuries and brought with them old country superstitions and a propensity for ghost stories – a perfect place to take a haunted night tour. As we stood in the graveyard and looked across at this 1895 academy it looked especially spooky. (Lunenburg, NS, July 23)

Lunenburg’s wealth began with shipbuilding for the trans-Atlantic trade of centuries past and today the beautiful harbour echoed those heady days.

Early Acadian life was commemorated in this living museum. The culture still remained strong in the surrounding area where many residents were descendants of the original French colonists. The site offered popular free summer camps where kids left behind their electronics for the life of early settlers: using washboards they cleaned the staff's period clothes and kitchen linens, collected the eggs, tended to the vegetable garden, baked, cooked and ate much of what the farm produced… funnily enough there was always a wait list for the camp. (West Pubnico, NS, July 21)

For hundreds of years cod, preserved in salt, was a mainstay both in the Maritimes and as an export. We're not sure how old these few specimens were but the shed reeked - it's hard to imagine the stench that must have permeated bygone wharves where the catch was cleaned, salted and laid out on racks (flakes) to air dry before shipping out.

A community initiative transformed the harbour from the usual collection of weathered grey storage shanties into a rainbow of colour. (Parkers Cove, NS, July 19)

Habitation at Port Royal - a recreation of the 1605 French settlement, its first in North America. As the harsh conditions and illness took their toll The Order of Good Cheer was established. It successfully increased morale by each upper-class member taking turns hosting an evening of feasting, drinking and performances. (Port Royal, NS, July 19)

This was the first of four needlepoint panels chronicling the 400 years that Fort Anne has existed. In the early 1600s it was built by the Scots, and because of its strategic position, would go on to become the most contested piece of land in North America. Queen Elizabeth II even contributed a bit of needle-pointing on the panel covering Queen Anne's reign over the fort. (Annapolis Royal, NS, July 19)

Unlike elaborate stone forts we’ve seen elsewhere, this one primarily consisted of a perimeter of steep berms, which were effective for cannonball absorption and visibility. Its modest fortifications may be part of the reason that across thirteen battles it switched hands between the Scots, French and British seven times and changed names along the way.

Heritage homes lined the bay between the Fort Anne and Port Royal historic sites. Although gable decorations were common, these were particularly fanciful. (Annapolis Royal, NS, July 19)

The province’s first legal moonshine stills - the Granny’s Apple Pie sure goes down easy and the perfectly flavoured, gulp worthy Root Beer would have been dangerous to even buy. (Lequille, NS, July 18)

We’ve wondered why so little of the Bay of Fundy’s tidal power was being harnessed and here we learned the reason - all that Maritime red sediment, so good for agriculture, wreaks havoc on the turbines. This station is successful only because it’s situated along a basalt lined inlet. (Annapolis Royal, July 18)

Some good-ole-boy’s times have left their mark. We’ve seen this so often on the PEI and NS back roads that finally Rick had to take a picture. (Vale, NS, July 17)

The Annapolis Valley - the province's breadbasket. (The Lookoff, NS, July 17)

With the Bay of Fundy’s tidal swing unmatched in the world, it offered the rare opportunity to go Tidal Bore Rafting. As the incoming high tide’s waves made their way up the pinch point of the channel they hit the current flowing in the opposite direction. Riding the turbulence, while holding on tight, we only used the camera as the worst of each soak dissipated. (Maitland, NS, July 16)

It’s a good thing we read the fine print and wore our oldest clothes – Rick’s will never return to their original color, but my PEI Dirt Shirt was ideal for the job.

A third-generation commercial clammer told us that within the harvesting season there isn't a limit for him but non-commercial diggers can’t exceed 100 of the bivalves per day. Here, harvesting is done by hand unlike the eco-unfriendly ocean floor dredging we saw in Massachusetts. (Five Islands, July 16)

The annual Summerside Lobster Carnival – 3 days of non-stop country style fun: carnival rides, music, dancing, contests, harness racing and everything you could possibly do with lobster cooking demos. For a mere $20 each we enjoyed a classic lobster supper. (Summerside, PEI, July 13-15)

Duct tape struggled to hold together this fiddler’s Irish step dancing shoes as she vigorously played and tapped through one after the other lively tune.

We learned how to bet, laid down our money and promptly lost a few races.

Boats made of cardboard and duct tape competed in a lighthearted race. After several heats the cleverly named SS Haggis, representing the School of Bagpiping, emerged the winner.

Complete mayhem ensued as all returned to the water for a no holds barred scramble to sink each other's boats.

A short ferry from PEI brought us to this small Nova Scotian town where my grandmother was born in 1918. The harbour showcased a replica of the Ship Hector in honour of the early Scottish immigrants who fled the wars and poverty in the old country to start over with the promise, by the shipping agents, of a year of free provisions and a farm. Gale-force winds delayed their arrival, the housing and free provisions never did materialize, the farm was a forest that had to be hand cleared and they were too late to plant crops – so began their arduous new life. Today, clan tartan flags donned the downtown streetlamps and Mac/Mc names dominated the business signage. Predictably we came across some mouth-watering Mrs MacGregor’s Scottish shortbread. (Pictou, NS, July 11)

One bunk per family – it’s a wonder that no more than 18 of the 189 lives were lost at sea.

Unmanned but complete with the Dewey Decimal System and an honour system sign-out book. (Cardigan, PEI, July 10)

With $300 million dollars worth of lobster hauled in 2016, its no wonder that piles of traps could be seen everywhere. To think that this delicacy was so poorly appreciated in the early 1800s that it was used as fertilizer. Further south in New England the catches have declined as their waters continue to warm up. (Georgetown, PEI, July 9)

Potatoes and churches – ubiquitous sights. Wonder if the island’s particularly high marriage and low divorce rates are related to the latter. (Dundas, PEI, July 9)

Ignoring the “No Jumping” sign, the lifeguard looked on as the daring took the plunge into the chilly water that swiftly swept them out to the ocean. (Basin Head, PEI, July 9)

This stretch of beach was called Singing Sands for the ‘rubber soles squeaking on a tile floor’ sound it made when you walked on it. Not so fun fact: PEI is eroding 28cm/year.

PEI’s tourist map was dotted with scenic “red dirt road” symbols. A rain shower imbued them with an especially rich colour. Days later we heard a soulful Irish ballad about their sad demise. (Glencorradale, PEI, July 8)

During one foray, a farmer ran down her lane to save us from a $170 tow truck. The road was to become narrower and the tree canopy thicker and lower. As it was, turning around was a bit of a challenge. (Green Bay, PEI)

A highland dance competition attracted close to 1,000 entrants from around the world. With a piper providing the only music, the dancers moved through their intricate footwork while jumping impossibly high. (Charlottetown, July 7)

The East Point Lighthouse was perched on the north-east tip of the island. (East Point Lighthouse, PEI, July 7)

A floating boardwalk in the Greenwich Provincial Park. (Greenwich, PEI, July 7)

In the province with the lowest crime rate, it was refreshing to freely wander the Lieutenant Governor's residence and property - no gates or security check. Upstairs was the 3-part suite used for royal visits like William and Kate’s last year. Because the house was built in 1832, modern conveniences like indoor bathrooms were only later added as closet sized rooms – not quite the glamour we associated with royalty. (Charlottetown, PEI, July 6)

During a foodie and history walking tour we learned about the local seafood industry - all shellfish are in a sustainable position: last years lobster bounty was particularly plentiful (~23 million pounds in just the Spring season plus the haul from the smaller Fall season) and oysters and mussels made good candidates for cultivation. Downtown Charlottetown was adorable and lively with several theatrical productions, music venues, local artisan shops and a healthy dose of restaurant/tavern options. The above set were part of a pedestrian only street featuring an array of musicians entertaining all day/evening long during the summer. (Charlottetown, July 6)

Hmmm… could this be payback for all the lobsters we’ve eaten so far. (Charlottetown, July 5)

We took an amphibious vehicle tour of the town and harbour – it was surprisingly agile. As the Hippo drove into the water a hearty version of Gilligan’s Island 3 hour tour theme song was sung. The DUKW (aka The Duck) was first used in WWII, with the Hippo version introduced later. They were only meant to last the duration of the war, but the tourist industry saw a good thing and bought up the survivors. (Charlottetown, July 5)

Anne of Green Gables - The Musical is the world's longest running annual musical production. At 53 years strong they put on a stellar show that stayed very true to the first of the Anne of Green Gables novels. Two evenings later we took in the sequel about Anne and Gilbert falling in love. By now we’ve seen and done everything Anne. (Charlottetown, July 4)

The flat, gorgeously scenic, off-road Confederation Trail that traversed the province owed its existence to its namesake. When PEI was first approached by the rest of Canada to join the Confederacy, the citizens were living the good life at the height of the shipbuilding industry and had no need for the paltry offer. Flush with cash they commissioned the railroad company to build an extensive line, but since the enterprise was paid by the mile an opportunistic zigzagging route ensued and eventually bankrupted the province. Duly humbled, PEI capitulated in exchange for debt relief and joined Canada. About a 100 years later the decrepit railway ties were replaced with the island's contribution to the Trans Canada Trail. (Hunter River, PEI, July 4)

Making the most of all things dirt an enterprising veterinary student decided to make the most of the island wide limestone that kept staining his clothes. Today, PEI Dirt Shirts are an iconic island apparel. Loads of the dirt are delivered to the factory, the rocks are sifted out and water and a secret colourfast ingredient are added to make a mud for the washing machines. Pristine white t-shirts are added for a cycle and then soaked for the remainder of the day in plastic tubs. Once thoroughly colored they’re wrung out and finished off in the dryer. (Cavendish, PEI, July 3)

A good picture that captures the beauty of the rolling hills and their patchwork of crops continues to elude us, but we keep trying. (South Granville, PEI, July 2)

Canada Day was spent in a village where we were able to park the RV literally in the event grounds to make it a comfortable full day outing. After the parade, local performers played the bagpipes, steel banjo and fiddle, we danced on the grass, a couple of ladies treated the crowd to some impromptu Irish Jig and fittingly for this harbour town surrounded by fields of potatoes, the line-up at the fish and chip food truck never ended. (North Rustico, PEI, July 1)

Decorated fishing boats welcomed revellers aboard to parade the bay. It was an emotional moment when one lively crowd sang Oh Canada, their voices traveling across the water.

Happy 150th Canada Day!! For every year we live and kilometre we travel we appreciate you all the more.

With a fresh, pre-cooked 1lb lobster sold steps from the fishing boats at less than the price of a steak, we’re taking advantage of the option. Eating them cold has become my preference, but Rick still opts for them hot. (Malpeque, PEI, June 29)

A rock nicknamed the Teapot. Even though we’d read that the beaches here were very good, we were surprised how soft the sand was. Hardier people than we were out swimming. (French River, PEI, June 29)

Playing with a spin on the photography rule of thirds. (Park Corner, PEI, June 28)

Reading L.M. Montgomery’s “Anne of Green Gables” 8-part series as a young girl, I romanticized the rolling green hills and wildflowers of PEI and have not been disappointed. Rick has gamely joined me in the dark side, listening to the audiobook while we drive around the island. The Cavendish National Park contained the author’s elder cousins’ green gabled home that inspired the novels along with the iconic locations mentioned in them: The Lake of Shining Waters, Haunted Woods and Lover Lane path. Given that Montgomery’s first novel was published in 1908, its amazing that it has continued readership – along with tourists of all ages and from different countries several young girls trouped through the various Anne sites, excitedly telling their parents why this and that was so special, followed by much deliberation over the perfect souvenir in the gift shops. Then I had to push them out of the way to take a turn wearing the Anne hat with braids :) (Cavendish, PEI, June 28)

All the while driving through New Brunswick and PEI colourful lupins have bordered the roads, kept only at bay by the lawnmowers that have been tasked with the annual effort of mowing these invasive weeds into submission. After several attempts to capture their beauty, we finally found a homeowner bucking the effort by allowing his lawn to be overtaken. (Cavendish, PEI, June 27)

Put out to pasture... (Cape Wolf, PEI, June 27)

Given that the island has some of the lowest costs for housing and acreage in the country its no surprise that many of the 150,00 inhabitants seemed to have a good-sized slice of the property pie. We talked to one university student who owned a modest home with waterfront on an income earned by working in a small eatery during the peak summers months and at Tim Hortons during the off-season. (Abram-Village, PEI, June 26)

A playful display of coffins each containing a potato mortally wounded by one of the many possible diseases. According to the Potato Museum: PEI produces 30% of all potatoes grown in Canada - their annual yield equates to 10,000kg/resident, Canadians eat 66 kg per capita annually - more than any other vegetable. The largest one ever recorded was 8kg in Chester England. (O'Leary, PEI, June 26)

Rich red soil makes the island perfect for growing potatoes. Planting this year was delayed by a couple of weeks while the farmers waited for the soil to dry out enough so our plates may see smaller spuds in the Fall. (O’Leary, PEI, June 26)

When Edouard Arsenault received a postcard from his daughter of a ‘bottle castle’ attraction on Vancouver Island, it inspired him to take up a new hobby. He became a familiar sight around town collecting bottles to build a small house. (Cap-Egmont, PEI, June 26)

Over the years the townspeople delivered their bottles to Edouard and 2 more buildings were added - church and tavern. For a playful touch, much of the church was decorated with liquor bottles.

Fields of wildflowers and sweet clover scented the air everywhere – such a bonus during walks and bike rides. (Cap-Egmont, PEI, June 26)

The aptly named Confederation Bridge, honouring its connection to mainland Canada, was an impressive 13km long. (Borden-Carleton, PEI, June 25)

Part of our trip planning includes seeking out photo opportunities and this white birch tree lined boardwalk drew us into town for an afternoon walk. (Sackville, NB, June 25)

Only one in every two million lobsters are blue. A genetic mutation that causes them to produce an excess of a protein creates their unique color. (Alma, NB, June 23)

Forgoing the 17lb granddaddy (!!) in a seafood stores tank, we chose a couple of 2 pounders for our first Maritimes lobster dinner. We ate them cold, dipped in hot garlic butter - the only thing missing was potato salad. Apparently, that would have been the classic trio in this part of the world. Fun fact: Atlantic Canada sells more than half the world’s supply of these crustaceans. (Alma, NB, June 23)

Close to where New Brunswick meets Nova Scotia, sits a kilometre of these sea stacks in the Bay of Fundy. Here they're informally known as the Flowerpots Rocks. (Hopewell Cape, NB, June 23)

The time span between low and high tide was just over 6 hours. Given that the tides reach heights of 46ft, visits to the park had to be carefully timed to catch the sea stacks at their best. Fun fact: If a person stood at the shoreline during the incoming tide they'd be covered toe to head within 30min.

If there was a fire, I'm not sure whether you'd be better off jumping or using the escape slides on this still functioning school. The gnarly metal joints and rivets showed their 113 years. (Riverside-Albert, NB, June 23)

On a foggy day, we sought out one of the 60 historic covered bridges in New Brunswick. It’s too bad our schedule didn’t allow us to visit Hartland, NB which boasted the longest one in the world - 1,282 feet. (Little Lepreau, NB, June 19)

Kayaking with the tide, the sea grass looked artsy. During the return trip, against the tide and into a headwind, we were too busy slogging it to notice such niceties :) (Saint John, NB, June 19)

Fun with firewood in a seaside town - beside it, read a sign "fish stixs". Guess those are the clever things you come up with over the long, cold winters here. (Black's Harbour, NB, June 19)

Producing up to a million pounds a year, this island is the dulse seaweed capital of the world and British Columbia, with its large Asian population, is one of their largest customers. The family we bought our supply from had hand harvested the vegetable then dried it for the day on nets laid out over river rocks spread all over their property. We soon found that out its distinct odor filled our pantry so it’s become a bit of a containment challenge. (Grand Manan Island, NB, June 19)

On a foggy day, the Swallow Tail lighthouse’s booming foghorn was sending out its alerts. A sign said standing too close to it could cause hearing damage. (Grand Manan Island, NB, June 18)

On a rainy day, we visited the sprawling Kingsbrae Gardens and had fun experimenting with a new camera lens. (Saint Andrews, NB, June 17)

The gardens included a few bee hotels. Each little hole in these log stacks provided a shelter for solitary bees. Fun fact: 90% of all bees are solitary and are better pollinators than their colony based counterparts.