When the cavalcade finally arrived, everyone was audibly disappointed when Harper stepped out of the car, rather than Will & Kate. But then the landau appeared, at precisely noon, and there they were (on the large screens anyway, there were so many people, and I am short, so I didn't see anyone until they were up on stage and I stood on tip-toe).
It was an absolutely perfect day for sitting on the lawn of Parliament. Sun, blue sky, a few clouds. It was definitely hot (uncomfortably so at times), but it could have been worse, and there was the occasional nice breeze. We stood for a while, then lounged on blankets to enjoy the various performers.
Then we went back to the house and napped and read on blankets and pillows under the shady trees in the backyard. Like an impressionist tableau. Perfectly relaxing. Then Mark made us all some scrumptious Canada-Day-themed pizza: pepperoni, tomatoes, chicken, smoked gouda, white cheddar and grana padana (with a bit of green: spinach).
After a restful afternoon, it was back downtown for the fireworks. We found a nice spot between the bike path and the river, overlooking the show on Major's Hill with a view of the National Gallery and Notre-Dame. There were some new and fantastic pyrotechnic advancements this year—one that exploded, then briefly disappeared before reappearing again. Very impressive. And the bus back was not nearly as time-consuming as I thought it would be—I thought we would have to wait in a line for a bus, but we managed to squeeze onto the first one, and though there was some gridlock leaving downtown, taking the bus was a much better option than driving.
A great day, celebrating our awesome country!
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