Day 1 (May 28, 2022): A quick visit to the 'Center of the Universe' (a.k.a. '16 square km surrounded by reality')

"Sixteen square kilometers surrounded by reality" is how a boss earlier in my career described the National Capital Region.  The truth of the matter, however, is that even if we choose to berate Ottawa a little for elevating its importance on the pan-Canadian scene, it really is a beautiful city and something for us all to be proud of.

We are here for a quick weekend getaway.  Having left Halifax after work on Friday, we have 48 hours to see people and places that are important to us.  Today started out a little cloudy, but the sun burst out in full force by noon, giving a perfect Saturday.

Here is the way our day went down...

The day started out meeting my truly great boss, Julie, at Starbucks.  A little shop talk, and a lot of laughs!

Next up: the trail along the Ottawa River, on the back of the Parliament Buildings - our favourite in Ottawa. This public art installation by Al McWilliams ("Trepanier Baer") is one of the first things you see along the route.  It reminds me of the monolith in the opening sequence of "2001: A Space Odyssey", which appears out of nowhere on the African savannah, to the complete angst of a pack of apes.  You'd have to see the film to understand. :-)

It truly is a wonderful trail.

The National Gallery of Canada in the distance.

A daunting set of steps, for those brave enough to take them, ascends to Parliament Hill.

The Museum of History, across the Ottawa River, in Gatineau.

We wondered why so many Canada geese have found Ottawa.  Do they get a tax break if they choose to roost in the national capital?

The first lock on the Rideau Canal.

The Rideau Canal and the historic Fairmont Chateau Laurier.

Et voila - out popped the sun! The Rideau Canal, this time looking down at it, from Wellington Street.

Pam seems tiny, in comparison to MacKenzie King, our longest-serving Prime Minister.

Colonel John By watches over Major's Hill Park.

The Parliament Buildings from Major's Hill Park.

Public art (and the Pamster!) in Major's Hill Park.

My favourite thing about Ottawa has always been this larger-than-life spider, protecting the National Gallery of Canada from would-be thieves!

One of the coolest features of the National Gallery is the hallway ascending to the ticket counters.

Gigantic pill capsules float in the glass dome rotunda at the National Gallery of Canada.

A flock of Javex bottles-turned-peace-doves fly in an alcove at the National Gallery.

And now for a few of our favourite works (and a couple that just shocked us) from the collection of the National Gallery...

"Lifting Fog" (1913) by Maurice Cullen is part of a special exhibition on Canadian Impressionist artists.  Cullen was born in Newfoundland and, for that reason, caught our eye.

 

"The Jack Pine" is perhaps Tom Thompson's most famous work.  We were taken by it when the National Gallery did a special exhibition on Thompson in the 1990s, which we saw.

Part of the Group of Seven collection.

"Voice of Fire" was purchased by the National Gallery in 1989 for the paltry sum of $1.8 million.  It rocked the country with controversy at the time.  I mean, the value of art lies in the eye of the beholder.  But $1.8M for three stripes?  Hmmm...

This modern art installation recalls the boundary at Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin.

And talk about shock value.  I do not want to know how much the taxpayers of Canada paid for this wooden stick painted green and called "Untitled".

You have to wear a sticker inside the Gallery to show you've paid.  Here's where many of them end up afterwards.

The silver-domed basilica adjacent to the National Gallery of Canada is a work of art unto itself.

The Peacekeeping Monument opened in 1992 when we lived in Ottawa.

This is a relatively new addition to Ottawa's commemorative public art scene - it commemorates the Suffragettes.  The Senate of Canada (formerly the Ottawa train station) is the building in the background.

The Rideau Canal looking south from Wellington Street, with the Senate of Canada to the left. 


Our national monument to our war heroes.

Parliament Hill was the scene of a protest by Tunisians today.

The snazzy West Block was looking oh-so-good after a reno and cleaning that took years.

The Centre Block has just installed wifi antennae to ensure Canadians coast-to-coast-to-coast get free wifi.  Brilliant idea, don't you think?  (Just goofin' around!)

The Bank of Canada.  I've always loved the way they incorporated the original structure into the expanded mirrored-glass building.  Old and new come together in a neat way!

The Supreme Court of Canada.

Rideau Falls, adjacent to the French Embassy, on the Ottawa River.

Monument to international soldiers who died in defense of Canada.

Hog's Back Falls, which we had never seen before today, despite having lived in Ottawa for almost two years. Very impressive.

And, of course, a major highlight was chicken at Saint Hubert, with spicey piri piri sauce. We don't have Saint Hubert in Nova Scotia, so it was a must-have on this weekend visit to Ottawa.

So so so proud of our niece, Serena Knight, for finishing the Ottawa 10KM race in an hour!  Great to see Pam’s brother, Ken, and our sister-in-law, Mandy, at the Ottawa City Hall finish line area, too.

The post-10KM race party at Ottawa City Hall (National DND Headquarters in the background).