We met Deb, Martin and Chris for breakfast in their lovely backyard. Then, together, we looked at the weather for George and Ashley flight towards Winnipeg. It seemed that they would be able to fly to Chapleau before weather would get in their way. It was time to separate. Martin took George and Ashley back to the Rockcliffe Airport while Chris drove me to the international airport to pick up my rental car.

Saying goodbye is hard to do. My co-adventurers, George and Ashley, are two of most interesting and decent human beings I have ever met. It was an honor to get to know them and watch them apply wisdom, character and intelligence to all the decisions they made during the last few weeks. Our team was based on respect and consideration for each other. As we grew closer over the days, it was not unusual for me to address George in French because he felt like family to me. Of course, that resulted in a raised eyebrow on his face every time. George will soon be a commercial pilot. When you fly on an airline in the future, if you hear “Your captain today is George Gavrailoff”, seat back and relax. You will be in good hands.

Well, time to explore Ottawa, the capital of Canada. After checking in my hotel downtown, I walked to Parliament Hill, the heart of Canada’s political pulse. Ottawa is a beautiful, structured city. On my way to the hill, I passed by many historical buildings including the Bank of Montreal building which was the last commercial building facing the Parliament Building until 2005. The grounds around the Parliament Building are seeded with sculptures of key figures of the Canadian political history. The Parliament Building sits with his back to the Ottawa River. However, the circular Library of Parliament takes in the views from all angles.

Heading east towards the famed Byward market, I walked along the Rideau Canal locks, a UNESCO world heritage site. The locks are still in working order and still used to this day. Then, I climbed up the stairs and on to the bridge overlooking the locks.

Near the bridge, flags of each province and territory of Canada were waving in the wind together under the watchful eye of the red and white maple leaf flag. After passing the bridge and a quick look at the Art Center building and the Saint Patrick cathedral, I entered the colorful and animated Byward market. The Byward market was recently made internationally famous when President Obama decided to stop by to buy pastries there before returning to USA. The Moulin de Provence, a French pastry, proudly displays photos of his visit to their store.

On the way back to the hotel, I took a short cut using the Sparks Mall Street, a pedestrian street lined with boutiques.

The next morning, I decided to attend the change of guards on Parliament Hill and visit the center block of the Parliament Building. At 10 AM sharp, the guards walked onto the Parliament Hill lawn. The music they played was uplifting and the ceremony was beautiful. As it ended, I hurried to start the guided tour of the Parliament building.

We visited the Commons and Senate chambers as well as a caucus room. After the visit ended, I took an elevator up to the viewing area in the Peace Tower. It was 11:30 AM when I walked out of the Parliament Building listening to the Carillon concert. The theme that day was children songs.

It was time to rush to the hotel and get into my rental car. I had promised to arrive in Bancroft, a 3-hour drive from Ottawa, where I would visit one of my past GPS students, Karen, by 3:30 PM. Karen lives on a 600-acre farm on the edge of the Algonquin National Park near the Bancroft Airport, a picturesque airport nestled in the tree-covered valley. This is where she keeps her Cessna 180 which she has flown everywhere in Canada. Last year, she flew it to Yukon. She has also flew to the Baffin Island some years ago. She has a lot of aviation wisdom to share.

The next morning, her companion and I went on an ATV ride through the farm’s trails before I jumped back in my rental car to catch my flight back to Vancouver at 2 PM.