Onwards to Ottawa

Our last morning in Montreal was spent wandering through the picturesque parkland on Mont Royale, a large hill that sits behind Downtown Montreal. An expansive lookout on the hill's summit offers visitors a stunning view of the city and the majestic St Lawrence River.

However, it wasn't the view that left a lasting impression on my parents. Instead the park's friendly squirrels provided the day's highlight. At one point we found ourselves surrounded by almost half a dozen of these surprisingly tame creatures.

Each animal gave us its best begging pose before a fight broke out between two of the most active attention seekers. This left us with just one squirrel to finish his food enticing act. His routine climaxed with a run up my Mother's leg where he clung, looking expectantly into her eyes. Full credit to Mum. She didn't bat an eyelid.

We left Montreal shortly after lunch and made our way to Ottawa. We got off the freeway and followed the Ottawa River through villages and farmland as far as the outskirts of Ottawa itself. The scenery was spectacular.

We're now camped out in a serviced apartment hotel in the central city. The hotel upgraded us and so we've found ourselves sitting in the penthouse on the top floor with views stretching out across the nation's capital.

· Posted from my iPhone