Some time ago, when I read about the shooting in Ottawa’s parliament, it reminded me of a trip my husband and I took to that city a few years ago. When most people think of Eastern Canada’s major cities, cosmopolitan Montreal and culturally diverse Toronto come to mind. Rarely do they think of Ottawa, Canada’s capital. But it has many charms, as interesting a place to visit as the country’s more popular destinations. Dignified with old world qualities, Ottawa is a handsome, stately place that also has a dual personality. It resides across the river from Hull, Quebec, its sister city, highlighting Canada’s bilingual nature of English and French. For me, a Canadian by birth, I’m grateful to have that heritage.

My husband and I are both museum lovers, and the National Gallery is splendid, a world class structure with lots of glass and water and steel. It also has tremendous vistas of Parliament Hill. The parliament buildings, temples to power, look like cathedrals inside and out. The government structures, as well as Ottawa itself, combine elements of Scotland (in particular Edinburgh), England, and parts of Europe, giving the institutions their roots.

At night, all the parliament’s spires are lit up and the eternal flame blazes in the fountain that unites all ten provinces. The site is very moving. When we were there, three Pakistani children sat in front of the fountain, their eyes closed, making a wish before throwing their coins into the water. A young man wearing a t-shirt with Toronto printed on it sat staring into the flame, entranced. Other young people were there, a mix of nationalities and fresh faces. And then there was the French-Canadian Mountie wearing his reds. A group of fellow French Canadians clustered around him.

These memories reassure me that while a moment of craziness can cause bedlam in an otherwise sane place, such actions can’t eliminate the cohesion and stability that binds the country together.