Hop on hop off in Ottawa with cruise on Ottawa River

We finally succumbed, yesterday (Thursday), to the lure of hopping on and off a bus to see more of Ottawa than we have seen so far and we were really pleased we did. The tour guide was very informative with a great sense of humour which we all appreciated. However, photo opportunities were few. While we sat on the bus awaiting departure we had another opportunity to see the Ceremonial Guards parading after the Changing of the Guards. However, it was tainted by the thought of the young man who was so seriously injured the day before.

This is the Old Town Hall on which a fortune was spent refurbishing it and which was then closed. The metal structure in the background was to be a Bell Tower but it was never completed!

24 Sussex - the residence of the Prime Minister.

We did a tour of Rockcliffe Park, the most prestigious part of Ottawa, where modest houses could cost upwards of three and a half million dollars - Jim and I should get one each! On the way there, we passed Embassy Valley. We didn't see the Irish Embassy but there was a house for sale - maybe that could be it! On our journey on the Rockcliffe highway there is a wonderful view of the Ottawa River. Seemingly, on one of the Queen's visits, she voiced a desire to travel along here. Authorities realised that there were no restrooms available en route in case the Queen would have need of one. One was built at the cost of a quarter of a million but, in the end up, the Queen didn't spend a penny at the royal flush!

This is a spider structure, outside the National Gallery of Canada, called "Maman" (Mother) created by Louise Bourgeois (now nicknamed the Spiderwoman!) which cost three and a half million. The city of Ottawa has laws which prevent the placing of works of modern art outdoors within the city. As this is a Federal Building the city law is overruled and the spider remains!

These are the silver spires of Notre Dame Basilica (Cathedral) which is the most chosen place to have your marriage ceremony. However you have to wait more than 3 years to get a date - first you choose your date, then you find a mate!This cathedral is opposite the Art Gallery. So you wait 3 years to get married, then you come out the door and the first thing you see is a black widow. Not a great omen!




Following the hop on hop off tour, during which we hopped on and then hopped off, and lunch, we hopped on to the boat for our cruise of the River Ottawa. It was nice to see the landmarks from the water especially Parliament Hill.

Nepean Point with its statue of French Explorer Samuel de Champlain holding his Astrolabe upside down.

Samuel de Champlain a bit closer!

The National Art Gallery.

View of Ottawa from the river.

The Museum of Civilisation.

And again!

The Rideau Falls.

And closer!

And even closer again!

The Lady Dive Tour on water - Canadian Splash!

Parliament Hill from the river.

Tehe Fairmont Chateau Laurier beside the 8 canal locks.

Each lock takes 15 minutes so it must take a total of  2 hours to get from the river into the Rideau Canal. The Rideau Canal is open to boaters from mid-May to mid-October. In mid-October the canal is drained almost completely into Rideau Lake and when it freezes it becomes the longest ice-skating area in the world.






All-in-all a great day! We have discovered the main foodie areas in Ottawa so will make them part of our Canada Day outing on Sunday.

Museum of Civilisation Part 2

The exhibition in the First People's Hall is absolutely fascinating and our first real opportunity to learn something about the Aborigines and their place in today's world. Aspects of cultural identity are explored through four themes: the diversity of Aboriginal cultural expression; how the Aboriginal presence manifests itself within present-day Canada; the adaptation of traditional lifestyles to different environments across Canada; and the impact of the arrival and settlement of Europeans over the last 500 years. It seems to me that there has been a resurgence of pride in being members of the First Peoples and a resurgence of traditions and of native art transformed with a modern eye.

In this painting of Parliament Hill from the River Ottawa the artist has added a tipi with Aboriginal People where they would have camped.

I enjoyed this about the origin of place names.

I really enjoyed reading the different traditional stories of creation told by the varying tribes and especially Mi'kmaq Hereditary Chief Stephen Augustine who recounted the beginning of the world in the Creation Stories Theatre film.

Sky Woman -  part of the Iroquois Creating legend.

The Turtle -  part of the Iroquois Creation legend.

The birth of good and evil.

The story of Sky Woman's descent to earth continues with the birth of Sky Woman's daughter. Sky Woman's daughter gives birth to twin sons.

Even prior to their birth, these two sons are in conflict. The good twin is born in the natural way, while his evil brother, jealous of his sibling's being born first, pushes himself out his mother's side. The birth of the twins marks the beginning of the battle of good and evil on earth. The brothers grow quickly and begin to fill the world with their creations. One creates all that is good and useful to humans, while the other is destructive, and creates all that is bad. Eventually the good twin defeats his evil brother, and banishes him to a pit under the earth. From this pit the evil twin sends emissaries that continue to bring evil into the world.

A tipi made of bark.

A tipi made of hide.

Items traded at trading posts.

At the river end of the Grand Hall of the Canadian Museum of Civilization is a dome rising seven stories above the granite floor. Nineteen metres (62 feet) in diameter, the dome is adorned with the striking abstract painting Morning Star, the work of Dene Suline artist Alex Janvier. With the assistance of his son Dean, Janvier began painting in June 1993 and finished in September the same year. Morning Star covers 418 square metres (4,500 square feet). Janvier spent almost 4 months flat on his back doing this.

The title Morning Star refers to the morning star as a guide or a means of finding direction. Janvier explains:

"My people had used the morning star as a guide light in the early mornings of the winter hours. They would leave camp... maybe 4 o'clock in the morning and head in some direction... According to the stars in the sky, and especially that one, they pretty well have an idea the direction that they are going to."

Of Morning Star, and of his work in general, Janvier has said, "I am painting and I am also telling the story of the way things happened to me and to my tribe and to my people and it's a true story."

Morning Star - It is absolutely beautiful!

As part of the celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee there is a display of the Queen's Beasts - 10 heraldic figures representing the Queen's genealogy.

There is an absolutely fabulous Children's Museum in Canada's Museum of Civilisation. It has been developed around a central theme - The Great Adventure - and gives children the opportunity to travel the world. It is a really hands-on, inquiry-based learning experience.

I got the opportunity to role-play being an Ulster Bank official!

Canada Hall occupies most of the Museum's third level. It is presented as a "streetscape" and invites the visitor to stroll through hundreds of years of Canadian history beginning with the arrival of the Vikings, the first non-aboriginal people known to have set foot on what is now Canadian soil. The journey starts on the East Coast around 1000AD and then moves westward through time, following Canada's development from coast to coast. Along the way we learn about the various waves of immigration that arrived in Canada, the resources and opportunities that drew the newcomers, the discrimination and hardship that some encountered and the contributio all immigrants have made to their new country.

It was absolutely amazing - you would really believe that you were outside exploring a town.

There was also an exhibition on the Maya and several other special exhibitions but we gave them a miss because we wanted to explore outside which is also very beautiful with great views. It was then we noticed that a Gatineau School was having its prom and the meal was in the hall with the totems. It was all done up like a wedding. Proms seem to be the same everywhere - lots of very excited young people making lots of noise, girls tottering on heels that are too high, dressed in almost nothing to full length, boys looking a bit self-conscious in their formal attire, lots of proud parents taking photos of their little dears and generally smiles and laughter. To get a look about outside we had to make our way through the crowds - looking rather out of place in our holiday shorts.

A view of Parliament Hill from Canada's Museum of Civilisation.

Alexandra Bridge.

Part of the museum from outside.

A boat tour on the River Ottawa.

The Zen Garden at the museum.

A simulated waterfall.

Waterfall from the other side.

We had a fantastic time at Canada's Museum of Civilisation - it is possibly the best museum I have ever been in apart, I suppose, from Te Papa in Wellington and of course The Galeries of Justice in Nottingham where the costumed interpreters are so good!!

Museum of Civilisation

The Museum of Civilisation is absolutely fantastic! We spent Wednesday afternoon there after doing Parliament Hill and we could have spent many more hours but lacked the stamina! The Grand Hall explores the rich cultural heritage of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada's west coast. For us this was a return to Vancouver Island and Alaska and the totems and  house facades. It houses an exhibition of 6 Pacific coast Indian house facades connected by a shoreline and boardwalk.

We expected an old woman on a crutch and three cute small children to come out and dance for us here - remember Ketchikan!

Have no idea why the font has changed - computers do very strange things - like last night (i.e. Wed.) my curser froze (sorry, cursor, my curser never freezes!) in the lower right hand corner of the screen where I couldn't get at it and I spent hours trying to unfreeze it with Ctrl Alt and Delete and and even pressings of the spacebar. No luck! Tried to unfreeze it by turning notepad on its side and shaking violently to get the cursor to come back to a controllable position. No luck! Question on Dave's computer - what do you do if your cursor freezes and the touchpad refuses to unfreeze it. Lots of answers because lots of people have the same problem it seems. One answer is to double tap on the little light. I double tapped on any little light I could see, to no avail. Too late, Brian was in bed!! More pressings of the above, more violent shaking, more cursing.  Then tried turning the notepad off but it wouldn't oblige. Closed the lid for 10 minutes, then opened it and no change. Decided that another answer to my question - it's a hardware problem! - was the problem. Closed the lid again because seeing the situation was too hard to bear - my photos were grinning at me and I couldn't post them on the blog! Turned my attention to a very late dinner but couldn't eat - is that me I'm talking about? I must have been very upset! Later on Jim was talking to our next door neighbour, trying to solve another problem that affected appetites too but that will be revealed later! Dusko (pronounced Dooshko) from Kosova, works in IT. He put his magic finger on the power button, turned off the notepad and started it again working perfectly! I felt like a huge ass but now I am a little behind in my blog!! Museum of Civilisation, visited yesterday (Wednesday) will be resumed tomorrow (Friday) when I hope to get some time to tell you about our exploits on Thursday.

Ceremonial guardsman impaled by bayonet!

An addendum to the post about the Changing of the Guard. At the end of the Changing of the Guard we watched the bands and guards parade back down Parliament Hill. Jim commented that he thought there was some sloppy marching. We then went to tour Parliament Hill and this was when we saw the soldier on the ground (we were not very near but could see the red uniform and the gun on the ground). As I said in the last post, we thought he had fainted. But it was something much more horrific!. We read in this morning's paper that a 20 year old ceremonial guardsman had slipped on a manhole cover and suffered a severe stab wound from his rifle-mounted bayonet after falling during the parade. He suffered serious blood loss and is in a serious, but stable condition. And the parade had to go on - no wonder there was some sloppy marching!

Parliament Hill

Weather forecast good today (Wednesday) so we headed to Ottawa early to see the Changing of the Guard at Parliament Buildings. We positioned ourselves at the War Memorial as from there we would have a great view of the soldiers marching to Parliament Hill and then we could follow them to the area where the ceremony takes place. This ceremony takes place only in summer and today was the first day. We were the usual King early so I sat and admired the 2 soldiers guarding the War Memorial (actually students in a summer job dressed and acting as soldiers). Every ten minutes or so they had to stretch their legs by doing a little highstepping march to the side and back again. Then they stood motionless and devoid of expression.

Meanwhile Jim amused himself taking many photos (on HER camera!) of an oriental lady with camera but no companions. Had she designs on him or he on her, I wonder! Finally, at 9.40am I heard the sound of bagpipes but it was coming from the direction of Parliament Hill which was not what I expected. It turned out that it was the retiring guards putting on a performance for the people who thought they were stealing a march on us by positioning themselves at the area where the Changing of the Guards takes place. We got the benefit of the whole thing! The new guards marched up and around the War Memorial preceded by the army brass band who were really good.

It's really serious business you know marching with furs like that on your head in temperatures in the 20s. In fact after the 45 minute ceremony was over, we noticed that one of them had succumbed to the heat or something, dropped his/her weapon and was prone and attended by ambulance officials.





We raced from the War Memorial across the street to Parliament Hill (a nice policeman stopped the traffic for the Irish visitors!) and managed to get quite a good position to view the Changing of the Guard. Now this is not your usual "Right boys, we'll take over now. Off you go and get some kip!" It took a full 30 minutes for the Commander (not sure what the title is) to be satisfied that the Guards who were taking over were suitably attired with weapons, and other bits and pieces that I didn't recognise, in working order. This took place with the brass band playing and sometimes the bagpipers joining in. Meanwhile the Standard-Bearer (the fella who carries the flag) and a companion stroll-marched past the band. There were lots of shouted instructions and much raising of feet and weapons and even some shuffling which I believe is part of the whole process. When the Commander was satisfied, he then proceeded to check out the Guards who were retiring and finally the whole lot of them marched off preceded by the brass band.

Exhaused after a long night guarding Parliament Buildings!

Exhausted after a long night piping to keep the spirits of the troops up!

Are they planning to shoot?

Off they go!

 It was great to see once but we wouldn't have the stamina to do it again!

Parliament Hill is the heart of Canada's democratic system of government, its towering Gothic-Revival architecture an iconic image associated with Ottawa.

A view of the Centre Block  with the Peace Tower

This is home to the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament. There is a lot of construction/renovation going on on Parliament Hill as well as the erecting of a stage which will be in use on Sunday, Canada Day.

My sentiments exactly!

We did a self-guided walking tour of Parliament Hill starting with the monument called "Women are Persons!" This monument celebrates the joint efforts of five women who won a legal challenge to have women considered "persons" under the British North America Act, making them eligible for appointment to the Senate. This was a landmark step (1929) in Canadian women's struggle for equality, helping to pave the way for women to participate fully in all aspects of public life.

I had a nice cup of tea with Emily Murphy, Henrietta Muir Edwards, Louise Mc Kinney, Nellie Mc Clung and Irene Parlby as they rejoiced.

I was beginning to feel a bit Japanese so I had a little sit to recover!

Parliament Hill is where people can explore figures, events and achievements that have shaped Canada's past, and continue to influence its present and future.

Queen Elizabeth II - Canada's reigning monarch. Quite a good likeness!

Thomas D'Arcy McGee (1825-1868) who used his eloquent words and inspirational speeches to help forge Confederation in Canada. The figure at the foot of the monument is an allegorical figure representing Memory.

The Victoria Bell.

In February 1916 the Centre Block became engulfed in fire which raged fiercely for hours. "The main tower was not touched until about 11pm and one of the most pathetic incidents of the night, which moved spectators, was the striking of the mid-night hour by the old tower clock. There seemed almost a human touch as its familiar tones boomed out from the mass of flames." (The Deputy Minister of Public Works, 1916) Shortly after striking midnight on the morning of Feb. 4, 1916 the Victoria Bell came crashing down into the inferno which had engulfed the Centre Block. The Victoria Bell was later recovered from the ruins and put on display. Restored in 2001, the bell is now mounted on an angle to symbolise the position it was in when it came crashing down.

8th Prime Minister of Canada 1911-1920.

13th Prime Minister 1957-1963

A Father of Confederation, editor and politician

George Brown (1818-1880) fought for the ideals which, to this day, help to define Canada: "government by the people, free institutions, religious liberty and equality, unity, and progress of Confederation".

William Lyon MacKenzie King (1874-1950) 10th Prime Minister 1921-1926, 1926-1930, 1935-1948

Sir George-Etienne Cartier (1814-1873) A Father of Confederation

In this monument, Cartier gestures to a document inscribed with words from a speech he delivered in Quebec in which he says that "the government is of the opinion that Confederation is necessary". This was the first monument erected on Parliament Hill in 1885.

Lester B. Pearson (1897-1972) 14th Prime Minister 1963-1968

Canada's image as a peaceful and compassionate nation was fostered at home and abroad by Lester B. Pearson. This monument captures Pearson's casual and friendly nature. His left shoe is shinier than his right because everyone rubs his left shoe for luck. We did too!

This is a monument to Henry Albert Harper, a friend of the future Prime Minister, William Lyon MacKenzie King. On December 6 1901, Harper was attending a skating party held on the frozen Ottawa River by the Earl of Minto. Andrew George Blair's daughter Bessie, and Alex Creelman, fell through a patch of weak ice - though CReelman pulled himself to safety. Harper dived (they say dove here!) into the river to save Bessie but both ultimately drowned. People say that he quoted Galahad's famous phrase "If I lose myself, I save myself" before jumping into the water.

Queen Victoria (1819-1901) Reigned 1837-1901.

Allegorical figures adorn many of the monuments found on Parliament Hill. These figures represent abstract ideas related to the achievements, character or principles of the person whom the monument commemorates. At the monument to Queen Victoria, a young woman with windswept hair presents a laurel wreath. Upon her head is a crown bearing the coats of arms of the provinces. This allegorical figure symbolises the fledgling country of Canada. The figure of the lion standing next to her was included by the sculptor, Louis-Philippe Hebert, as a symbol of strength, guarding Canada, the flag and Canadian national honour.

This is the Cat Sanctuary on Parliament Hill. Through the kindness of volunteers and the generosity of public donations the "cat sanctuary" has cared for the animals opf Parliament Hill since the 1970s. Today it is home to cats, raccoons, groundhogs, squirrels, pigeons, chickadees and sparrows. When I get home, I am going to bag up all the stray cats in our garden and send them to Parliament Hill in Ottawa where they will be very happy!

As you can see, the cats have their own facebook page! I hope it is more used than mine which, accidentally got created!!

From the outset, Parliament Hill was designed not just as a workplace for parliamentarians, but also as a place where everyone could come to meet, talk or just relax in a beautiful setting. It has a scenic promenade that follows the shoreline of the Ottawa River.

 All views from Parliament Hill.

The Centennial Flame.

Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson ignited the Centennial Flame at the stroke of midnight on January 1, 1967, to commemorate Canada's 100th anniversary of Confederation. Its light is a symbolic guide for the country, leading it into a second full century of nationhood. Alberta natural gas feeds the flame, which dances above the flowing water. Divided into 12 segments, the Centennial Flame includes bronze shields of each of the provinces and territories that existed in 1967, as well as their floral symbol and the date that the province or territory joined the Confederation.