Saturday, July 19, 2014

Walking In The Footsteps Of History


There is a beautiful summer pavilion here on Parliament Hill, giving grand views of both Ottawa and Gatineau.


This is where I took yesterday's shot of the river from.


This statue is of a Prime Minister, Robert Borden; he steered the country through the First World War. You can find more on him at this link. The statue was moved in recent years here; it previously stood on the west side of the West Block.


Near him stands another Prime Minister, John Diefenbaker,  PM from 1957-1963. There's more information on his life here for those who are curious. For those of you who might have seen the television show Due South, this is the fellow they named the Mountie's wolf after.


And this last statue is one of our Fathers of Confederation, Thomas D'Arcy McGee. He was a friend of Prime Minister John A. Macdonald, a key player in bringing about Confederation, and was assassinated in the prime of his life. There is more about him at this link.


I complete this series with a detail view of the Library of Parliament. I'll be moving onto other things tomorrow, but I always enjoy coming back to the Hill for photo opportunities. The trick is in ignoring the politicians who are still active.




34 comments:

  1. Now I know where the deaf wolf in Due South got his name--Diefenbaker!

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  2. You have some marvelous architecture in Ottawa! I am amazed you have active politicians in Canada--ours here in the US seem to revel in inactivity.

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  3. Building a nation requires these elements, so well done, as shown in your posts, W



    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^= <3

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  4. Thank you for teaching us canadian history.

    Tomás.

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  5. Thanks for jogging my mind on Canada's great history.

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  6. I love that pavilion! It's gorgeous!

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  7. you have the greatest buildings to explore. so gorgeous!! ( :
    have a lovely weekend!!

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  8. I'm so behind in visiting my blog buddies, wonderful photos
    I think you should change your photo. You look so deadly serious, but come across as a friendly, personable guy! :-)
    (ツ) from Cottage Country Ontario , ON, Canada!

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  9. I bet that area is so nice, especially with the river there.

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  10. @Norma: good name for a wolf!

    @Linda: thank you!

    @Elaine: there are times they're too active, but this time of year they're all off on the barbecue circut.

    @Cloudia: thanks!

    @Stuart: I've always thought that about it.

    @Tomas: you're welcome.

    @Andy: no problem at all!

    @Sharon: it's such a nice addition to the Hill.

    @Beth: thank you!

    @Jennifer: well, you do have the grandkids around, so it's understandable! And it occurs to me how rare it is for me to show up in pictures.

    @Greensboro: it really is.

    @Tex: thanks!

    @Birdman: they should be ignored.

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  11. Ha! I laughed when I read that some of our current politicians are "active." Well, I guess they are. Sort of. Grilling hamburgers and hotdogs. ;)

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  12. Some truly outstanding buildings, Will.

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  13. Delightful shots! Love the stonework in the last one, and the statue with the female below it is intriguing.
    Wait! Is she talking on a cell phone?

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  14. William, what a wonderful set of images!

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  15. The pavilion looks so inviting!

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  16. @EG: makes you wonder if they're tired of grilled burgers by summer's end.

    @Revrunner: thank you!

    @Linda: well she certainly looks like she is!

    @Luis: thank you!

    @Marleen: it's a nice place to sit during a breezy day.

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  17. Statues and history are passions of mine, so I can really enjoy this place. The only regret is my ignorance of Canadian history: I have to do something about that!

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  18. Wonderful photos ! Thanks for sharing , Have good day !

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  19. The library is equally beautiful up close, and the summer pavilion looks like it's in a truly prime spot. The building itself looks like a combination of Asian and Victorian styles, if that's possible.

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  20. I knew two of the names. One I would read in the newspapers (a few decades ago) and one from the history books.

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  21. I just love that pavilion. I can hear the band play and see the dancing. Also I learned more history today than I ever did in school---I think. MB

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  22. The summer pavilion looks like a building of another century. If it has been restored, bravo! If it is recent construction, it is a beautiful replica! Thank you for the history of Ottawa.

    Bises,
    Genie

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  23. I love that summer pavilion, jt's beautiful.

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  24. Yep. Ignoring current politicians is always a problem. Like the pavilion, though!

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  25. It is easy to see why you have spent time at this impressive place. The pavilion is handsome. And Canada's political past is standing nobly in front of you.

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  26. To me the architecture style looks Asian. Nice.

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  27. @RedPat: so do I.

    @VP: we have a lot of history.

    @Country Gal: thanks!

    @Kay: I can see that.

    @Mari: that doesn't surprise me.

    @MB: thank you!

    @Hamilton: it is.

    @Genie: you're welcome.

    @Nathalie: that it is.

    @Cheryl: fortunately the PM from that time is gone and out of office, and good riddance to him.

    @Jack: I enjoy it up here, though right now these scenes aren't quite as easy to photograph.

    @Gunn: the pavilion certainly does.

    @Jose: that it is.

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