Showing posts with label Ottawa. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Ottawa. Show all posts

Saturday, 6 October 2012

Ottawa - Part 2

Of course the Parliament is not the only interesting spot in Ottawa but it is a nice starting point for a walk in the city. From the top of the Peace Tower you can see a very nice panorama of the city.


Next to the Parliament building you will see the Centennial Flame. It commemorates Canada’s 100th anniversary as a Confederation.


If you think that this flame is a proof that Canadians are fed up with being a consistutional monarchy you are wrong. During my stay I saw all over the city flags commemorating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elisabeth II.


If you move a bit further from the Hill, you will see Château Laurier. Yes, yes, you guessed it right, this is yet another hotel. But looks nice, doesn't it?



 What you surely noticed on this first picture is the river. Actually, it is not a river, it is a canal - the Rideau Canal. It is the oldest canal system in America and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2007.



On the canal you can see some equipment that facilitates the navigation ...


... and some nice boats too.


 And here the Canal in the direction of Ontario.


Time to move further then!

Saturday, 29 September 2012

Ottawa - Part 1

Our next stop was Ottawa, the capital city of Canada. We started our visit at the Parliament Hill.


As you correctly guessed, the main attraction of the Hill is the Parliament building.


The most known part of it is the Peace Tower, i.e., a clock tower that you will find on the 20-dollar bill and the 50-dollar bill. Until early 1970s it was the highest point in Ottawa.


Behind the main building you will the the building of the Library, which in turn can be seen on the 10-dollar bill. It is the last part of the original building that survived until our days, after the terrible fire in 1916.


Finally, we went to see the inside chambers. We entered by the Rotunda.


Here you can see the House of Commons ...


... and the Senate.


On our way out of the Parliament we admired the changing of guards.


Canadian Guards are known for their nice red uniforms and hats. Most of the girsl are crazy about them. But this time it was the opposite - the guards were so charmed by Aleksandra that they asked me to take a picture of them together.


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And here a little a bonus - a backstage picture.