Wednesday, March 19, 2014

On Parliament Hill After A Snowstorm

A question came up in comments from yesterday. There was a colony of cats on Parliament Hill for years, taken care of by volunteers, housed in some neat shelters on the west side of Centre Block. They had the run of the Hill, and the cats could often be found strolling about. A year or two ago, the decision was made by the volunteers to adopt the remaining cats out to new homes, and the shelter area was removed. I do miss the cats, actually. They were a welcome sight on the Hill, and much more pleasant company than the politicians who infest it most days (except for their very long summer vacations, month and a half long Christmas break, and whatever other time off they take).

Back in December, I posted a number of Christmas pics from inside Centre Block on Parliament Hill. At the time I thought I'd be posting the rest of the tour in January, but things happen, so here we are, better late than never. I'll be taking you inside for a few days now, and it's curious with these first shots about the lighting... I wonder if I'd set the camera to a different setting, giving me a pinkish kind of hue. You might see Christmas decorations inside from time to time. That day I was up on the hill after a snowstorm in the night. The snow was still falling as I came up on the Hill, and the group of visitors I ended up joining were the first visitors into Centre Block that Sunday morning, though the building had been open for an hour or so. 

This building is the Langevin Block, which is on the south side of Wellington, thus being the only Parliament building not actually on the Hill itself. It's been in the background of pics before, behind the sculpture of Terry Fox at that link, and it was in yesterday's post as well. The Prime Minister (aka Darth Harper, Dark Lord of the Sith) has his offices in this block.


The East Block was quiet that day.


So was the Peace Tower.


I snapped a couple of the carvings around the exterior of the main entrance.


Snow dusted the nooks and crannies.


Tomorrow we'll start going inside.




32 comments:

  1. The first pictures, with their strange hue, remind me of old sepia toned postcards.

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  2. You seem to enjoy politicians as much as I do these days...

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  3. I agree. The tint gives the photos a real classic and timeless look.

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  4. There's always something appealing about how snow gathers on carvings.

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  5. Wonderful photos, very atmospheric!

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  6. Hamilton: it had to have been a different setting. Now I wish I could remember what... I like the effect.

    Ciel: I could go on for hours on the PM.

    Stuart: thanks!

    Revrunner: I think so to.

    Denise: the snowstorm helped that along.

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  7. I scowled at the top pic and thought bad thoughts...nah....he's still there.
    Jane x

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  8. beautiful! nooks and crannies make me think of thomas' english muffins haha

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  9. Interesting about the cats, and I love the snow photos.

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  10. wow! what an impressive structure! i like that pinkish hue a lot! other-worldly.

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  11. Very impressive architecture William, hope those cats are all happy in their new homes :) and yes I agree a big BAH to politicians, we have quite a few scumbags :) of our own!

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  12. Sometimes in snow shots I get a bluish hue. But pink gives it an old world charm. I would have been fun to see all the cats roaming around. Very interesting carvings. Speaking of politicians....hmmmm....I need a vacation. LOL
    MB

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  13. I'm in agreement with the hue giving the photos the appearance of nineteenth century pictures.

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  14. Nice buildings and carvings. The light does look pink, but it's rather interesting.

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  15. A big BAH to politicians from me too, I'm so angry!!! I truly despize those greedy liars, well, at least the Portuguese ones who always put their parties ahead of the people's needs. Wonderful building and what lovely photos.

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  16. @Luis: thanks!

    @Tanya: at least til he leaves or gets kicked out of office.

    @Tanya: that's one I wouldn't have thought of!

    @Bibi: thank you!

    @Tex: it does have that effect.

    @Grace: there's no shortage of them.

    @MB: we could all use vacations from them!

    @Mari: it does have that going on.

    @Inna: thanks!

    @Cheryl: I still wonder how it happened.

    @Jose: I think it's a common complaint!

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  17. The colour does make them looks as if they are old postcards! I like the effect.

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  18. They should have let the cats stay and sent Harper off to a shelter!

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  19. Beautiful, down to the smallest architectural details.

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  20. Digital photography is interesting - esp. where the light is low - one can get some strange colors. The pinkish glow is nice, though. I've never been to Ottawa but have always thought the Parliament buildings quite striking and appropos to government business. I shall look forward to your interior shots!

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  21. That's really sad about the cats. I remember they were there when I visited Ottawa. The tours inside the buildings are really fun. I did mine in the summer when the politicians were out of session, so we got to see it all!

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  22. The pink color gives your shots of Parliament Hill a special atmosphere.

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  23. They almost look like antique photos and since the buildings have been around for quite a while, they could be.

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  24. @RedPat: I'll have to experiment and figure out how I had it set at the time...

    @Norma: I wonder if we can have Harper neutered?

    @Tamera: thanks!

    @Lowell: when I was a child, I thought of them as castles.

    @Halcyon: I went in when they were off for Christmas break, so we probably had the same tour, but different guides emphasize different things.

    @Jan: thanks!

    @Sharon: certainly the East Block has been around since the 19th century. From European standards, that's brand new.

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  25. Great photos, William, and thank you so much for your response to my question about the cats. I had heard so much about them. It is good, though, that they got adopted out!

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  26. Whatever this setting, it is beautiful. I love the sepia like effect, it gives a different and still feeling to everything.

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  27. Sorry that our trip to Niagara Falls last fall only allowed time to see parts of Ontario and not any of Ottawa. We certainly will add the city to a future Canadian trip.

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  28. Your second photo looks like an ageless post card of a wintery castle. This is just stunning.

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  29. Loving the photos you have been posting !

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  30. @Linda: my pleasure!

    @LondonLulu: thanks!

    @Beatrice: you should!

    @Genie: thanks!

    @Cindy: thank you.

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