Sunday, March 23, 2014

In The Hall Of Honour

Though the Canal has been closed since the March break, winter is still upon us in the Ottawa Valley. Yesterday we had more snow in the morning. At times you couldn't see more than two city blocks. Carrying on with our travels in the halls of Parliament today, I was back up in Centre Block earlier this month for a trip up to the observation deck, and snapped a couple of shots in Confederation Hall.


The detail of the carvings in the hall always impress me.


Back in December, the place still had the Christmas decorations lining various spots, including here at the point where the Hall of Honour begins. This is the passage leading down to the Library of Parliament.


Our guide is on the left.



Before heading into the Library, bas-relief sculptures can be found on the walls here in the Hall.



33 comments:

  1. I love the architecture and ornate details.

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  2. I really like all the arches. I would love to have a home with some arches inside. Oh well. I enjoy your blog. MB

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  3. Such beautiful architecture and lovely intricate carvings! I always enjoy seeing buildings like these. Having lived on the West Coast and in Alaska all my life, I am always impressed with the beautiful buildings we see when we venture to the East.

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  4. Wow, those bas-relief sculptures are fantastic !

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  5. Beautiful architecture and great details of the carvings in the hall.
    Have a nice Sunday, William!

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  6. Magnificent to the point of breath-taking!

    BTW, you can be very diplomatic if you wish! "Nice church" indeed! :)

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  7. The shots of the architecture are very good ones.

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  8. A beautiful building..thanks for the tour.
    Jane x

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  9. Linda: it draws me in too.

    MB: a home with arches would be lovely.

    Elaine: there are places in Alaska I would love to see.

    Stuart: I thought so!

    Karl: thank you!

    Lowell: wait til you see the library.

    Abraham: thank you!

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  10. Oh my I'm in arch heaven William, fab series of interior shots.

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  11. Beautiful structure. With the arches and carvings it really is more like a cathedral. Love the canal shot. I suppose the ice is starting to break up and is unsafe. In the lower right of the frame, what is that guy sitting/skating on?

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  12. Even I have removed my wreaths, brown as they are.

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  13. Sorry to hear that you've been sucked into more winter weather.
    This is such a beautiful place.

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  14. Not bad. Really not bad! But to me this looks surprisingly like a religious building because I associate this kind of architecture with churches, abbeys, cathedrals! It's beautiful!

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  15. A wonderful place - love all the carvings!

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  16. @Jane and Chris: you're welcome!

    @Norma: a feature all over these buildings, I love it.

    @Luis: thanks!

    @Tex: just wait til tomorrow...

    @Grace: thanks!

    @Barbara: visually the ice still looks solid, but by now it's probably not safe to step across anymore. And that's a sledge... either he uses it for a different kind of skating or he's somewhat disabled in the legs- perhaps needing a cane.

    @Birdman: I still see some around!

    @Denise: thank you!

    @Sharon: but winter weather's a good thing!

    @Ciel: it's Gothic Revival in style, which tends to have a lot in common with churches.

    @RedPat: I just noticed one carving in a photo that I've looked at many times and didn't see it- a dolphin.

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  17. That's a very impressive building, William. I specially like the photos of that long passage and the bas-relief sculptures.

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  18. Nice place, and the pictures are better today.

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  19. So beautiful. My goodness.

    PS: I went to bed last night wishing we'd get one last big snow storm but no such luck. What a bummer.

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  20. Nice floor. Gleaming! Wonder how thats done? Reminds me of how coach always warned us about wearing street shoes on the basketball floor. ;-)

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  21. That is so amazing. Such beautiful architecture.

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  22. @Jan: thanks!

    @Inna: thanks for your approval.

    @Whisk: I'm not sure if we'll see another storm like that last one...

    @Revrunner: I assume it's waxed quite regularly.

    @Krisztina: and unfortunately it gets infested with politicians!

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  23. I know you must be ready for the snow to end. These are such beautiful pictures and I just love all those gothic arches. So impressive!

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  24. This place has a grandeur appropriate to one of the province's most significant bodies. Well shot, William.

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  25. Breathtakingly beautiful. At least you have amazing places to go when the weather is bad!

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  26. I'm sure the cathedral-like look is deliberate. It should command respect but not worship.

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  27. Wonderful images! Love the golden light.

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  28. What a great building! Love the arches and carvings!

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  29. @Lois: oh, I love the snow.

    @Jack: thank you.

    @Janis: thanks!

    @Bob: it does.

    @Linda: so do I.

    @Cheryl: as do I.

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