Closet Canuck's Great Big Canadian Train Adventure DAY SEVEN: Exploring Ottawa's cats and cookies!

It was a beautiful weekday morning in Ottawa to walk around Parliament Hill, located just across the Rideau Canal from the Fairmont Chateau Laurier where I was staying. Pictured above are the Canadian Parliamentary Cats, which live within meowing distance of the iconic buildings of Parliament Hill. The so-called Cat Sanctuary was developed in the 1970s by Irene Desormeaux and is funded by personal donations.

Ottawa's Byward Market, which opened in 1826, is Canada's oldest continuously running farmers' market. The four-block square area includes restaurants, clubs, boutiques, galleries and open air stalls with fresh produce, flowers and handcrafted items. Plus sweets like these custom Canadian Christmas cookies at a market bakery.

In the late afternoon, I reboarded VIA Rail for the trip between Ottawa to Toronto. Here the sun begins to set during the five-hour ride, which included views out to Lake Ontario and no shortage of photo-friendly sky.

After checking into The Fairmont Royal York in Toronto for a two-night stay, I headed out for dinner at this Japanese restaurant, located just a few blocks from the hotel. Tomorrow's itinerary: explore Toronto and see Jersey Boys!

Photos by Sue Frause

Day 8 - Toronto's Frank Gehry and The Jersey Boys