Gatineau Murals

I mentioned yesterday that I took a walk into Gatineau. This was in the second half of September, and done to get my shots for this month's theme day. I decided to take some more shots on my way to that spot, coming across the river on the Portage Bridge. Near that bridge is a series of official buildings of federal, provincial, and municipal government use. The Portage complex, the provincial courthouse, and Gatineau's City Hall are clustered around each other. There's also a colourful series of murals here of animals gracing the wall as one comes around City Hall to the park behind it.

Rainbows

A reminder to members of City Daily Photo: for the first of November, the theme is Great Big Mess. 

I have some odds and ends shots today, taken over the last few weeks. Late one afternoon, close to home, a rainbow was appearing in the eastern sky.

On another day, coming back from the Alexandra Bridge, I photographed this sculpture, Dialogues, which neatly frames Parliament Hill.

A short walk away, this view of Notre Dame Basilica is taken beside the National Gallery. Maman is visible at right.

On another day, and on a walk I'll start showing you tomorrow, I was returning from Gatineau on the Alexandra Bridge. This view looks back at the Museum of History, with a tour boat heading downstream on the Ottawa River.

A look back to the Ottawa shoreline gives us the familiar landmarks of the Hill and the Chateau Laurier.

And a little while later brought me to the other side of that view, with the Rideau Canal crossing beneath the Mackenzie King Bridge. The National Arts Centre accompanies Parliament Hill on the left bank, while the Government Conference Centre accompanies the Chateau on right. I love photographing this stretch of water.

A few days later, one morning in the Glebe, I noticed another rainbow shortly after dawn.

These last two include Fourth Avenue Baptist Church.

Canada

Today I finish up my tour at the Canadian Museum of History, starting with two more of the large photographs lining the way out from the third of the galleries in the Canadian History Hall.

Departing from the Hall, one goes down the corridor leading past more of the imagery that is a mix of mirror with white overlay to create the image. This first one is of the Louis Riel Monument in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

This is the polar bear shaped license plate of the Northwest Territories.

A statue of the greatest hockey player to ever play the game, Wayne Gretsky, can be found in Edmonton, Alberta, where his best years were played with the Oilers.

Province House is in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island.

Cape Spear, Newfoundland and Labrador, is the furthest eastern point in Canada.

The Hartland Covered Bridge in New Brunswick is the world's longest covered bridge at 391 metres in length.

The McAdam Railway Station is found in New Brunswick.

The Confederation Bridge links Prince Edward Island to New Brunswick.

And lastly, this is the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France, site of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Sacred ground for Canadians. I hope you have enjoyed this tour of the Museum.

Canada

Departing from the last of the galleries, the path takes us to this overlook of St. Onuphrius.

The path is lined by several large scale photographs from across the country, both people and places.

That includes this interaction of a Canadian soldier with Afghan children during the Afghan War. Given what's now happened to the country, one wonders what will become of these children, living in a country now controlled by a group of men whose world view begins and ends in the 6th century.

More of these.

One more view of the church. We'll wrap up this tour tomorrow.

Initiative

Continuing on where we left off yesterday, this is a photograph and panel of the Peacekeeping Monument, which lies in the downtown, across from the National Gallery and Notre Dame.

The struggle against apartheid in South Africa was undertaken by Canadian governments in succession. Some of that is explored here. 

The government under John Diefenbaker, seen here among other Commonwealth leaders with the Queen, opposed South Africa's continued presence in the Commonwealth because of the apartheid policy. This carried on through the Mulroney government of the 1980s and early 1990s, which stood strongly for sanctions (even if it wasn't the way being advocated by Reagan and Thatcher) against South Africa, until apartheid was finally abandoned.

Nelson Mandela never forgot Canada's opposition to apartheid, and he was made an honourary citizen of the country in a ceremony held in the Museum's Grand Hall.

This is the robe of a prosecutor in the war crimes tribunals that followed the Yugoslavian wars. Canadian judge Louise Arbour was the chief prosecutor against war crimes in the Hague.

Two last images from this area. A smiling Mountie says it all.