Playing tourists
Trip Start
Oct 18, 2009
1
Trip End
Oct 18, 2009
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Sunday, October 18, 2009
The other day, as I passed in front of Parliament Hill, I noticed a lot of tourists visiting the place.
Having traveled to a lot of countries and taken thousands and thousands of pictures, somehow just seeing all these tourists around, made me realized that right here in Ottawa, in the National Capital city of Canada, there is this treasure and that I didn't even have any pictures of the place! In other words, I was way overdue in revisiting the Parliament buildings!
So, today, here I am playing tourist for the day, on this beautiful sunny day of October 2009.
Our starting point was at the corner of Kent Street and Wellington. From there, we proceeded walking down Wellington Street way up to the Capital Hill taking pictures along the way. The trees were a beautiful yellow and golden colour that blended quite well with the blue sky and historic buildings. From the top of several Parliament buildings, the Canadian flag could be seen waving proudly under the wind's soft whisper.
Around us, other "real" tourists were also enjoying their day by admiring and snapping pictures of themselves in front of the landscape. We proceeded walking behind the Parliament buildings, making several stops along the way to admire the historical library, the statues, the colourful trees and the beautiful river.
The view of the Ottawa river was spectacular. In the background, the Alexandra bridge could be seen as well as the Museum of Civilization. The river was calm and had a shinning glow under the rays of the bright yellow sun.
We then proceeded in making our way right next to the Ottawa locks. These magnificent flight of 8 locks are framed by the beautiful Chateau Laurier hotel on one side and Canada's Parliament buildings on the other side. These locks were built in the early 19th century and connects the Ottawa River to the Rideau Canal. Right next to them is the Bytown Museum which is the oldest surviving building in Ottawa and was built in 1827.
Afterwards, we walked through a lovely park on Sussex Street, which is right next to the Chateau Laurier, admiring once again the multicolour trees and landscape. In the park, several gigantic art sculptures were erected along the interlocked paths while richly fall coloured trees decorated the surroundings. As we made our way through it, a few people were sitting on benches simply relaxing while others, having a snack. The place had a really pleasant serene atmosphere.
Next in line, one couldn't help but notice across the street, the beautiful church called The Cathedral Basilica of Notre Dame which was built in 1839. It has twin soaring spires which had a shinning glow under the sun's glare.
We made our way to the beautiful National Art Gallery building. It has been opened in its present location since 1988 and is the country's finest art museum and the permanent home of some of the world's most famous artists. In front of it, a giant spider structure stands guard. Being afraid of spiders, well, this one I wasn't. I even touched it and it was a huge one! :)
On our way back, we passed in front of the Parliament building. This time, under a more microscopic eye, the architectural structure of the tower was admired as well as the listening of the bell as it started echoing the hour of the day. I can see why so many tourists are visiting the Parliament Buildings and its surroundings. They are part of Ottawa's history and attractions.
My journey to Capital Hill brought back lots of memories having visited the Parliament Buildings quite often as a youngster with my parents. I was happy that I had taken the time to revisit part of Canada's history.
Thankful for "Déjà Vu".
Mo
Comments
Beautiful places right here in Ottawa
Hi Mo,
Just looked at your visit of the 'oh so far' Ottawa. Very nice. We sometime forget that beauty is right in front of our eyes.
Thanks for the beautiful pictures. I enjoyed them.
Sab
Absolutely right about Ottawa
Glad you enjoyed the pictures. I had a wonderful time doing it.