Before we left Montreal for the 2-hr drive to Ottawa, there was just one final item on the checklist – a church… and not just any church!
- We checked out of the hotel at 8:30, loaded the bags in the car and left it in the parking garage for the next hour or so. Then we hopped the subway back into the Westmount neighborhood to see the church that was closed on our first day arriving (Monday).
- Saint Leon de Westmount is widely considered to be Guido Nincheri’s finest masterpiece… and I would have to agree. Not a huge church compared to others we have seen here but making up for it with magnificence. I almost went to the floor when we walked in. And we had it all to ourselves at 9 o’clock in the morning. The glass! The murals!! I was so thankful to see this. Nincheri also painted himself (self portrait) as one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse: famine.
- Subway back to get the car and away we went. Monica navigated us safely out of Montreal and into Ottawa to our hotel Cartier Place Suites Hotel.
- We arrived before check-in time so we parked the car and strolled the downtown sector for a couple of hours.
- First stop was to see Saint Patrick’s Basilica. Gorgeous stained glass throughout, some of it by Nincheri including the rose window.
- Lunch at 3 Brewers on Sparks Street. The sushi bowl is excellent!
- We strolled past Parliament Hill as a light rain drizzled down and then headed back to the hotel to check in, enjoying the street art and other interesting spectacles along the way.
- The rest of the day was spent relaxing, bloging and enjoying a nice Cabernet Franc. Dinner was left-overs that we brought with us from Montreal 😃 complimented with Pinot Grigio 😀.
Here are the day’s photos: Montreal to Ottawa
nellyglass studio 