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The ceremonial music of bagpipes approaches with the heavy thumps of measured footsteps. Sidewalk spectators lean in to get a better look at the men in red coats and tall bearskin caps marching up the grand boulevard. As the neat rows of guardsmen pass, you notice they are being trailed by a loose group of ordinary people, faces beaming with delight. Spontaneously, you defect from your position on the sidelines and join them as they follow the guards up the Hill. An excited throng greets you when you reach the emerald lawns of Parliament. You've never been prouder to bring up the rear.
Hidden just across the river, away from the pubs, patios, museums, and government workers, you discover a wonderland of rolling hills and serene lakes. The Gatineaus. It just seems to fit.
Behind all the pomp and circumstance, the national capital of Ottawa is a place where everyday citizens can feel at home, where nature is never far away, and all are invited to celebrate the values that make Canada great.
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