Tuesday, December 2, 2014

Above The Ottawa Locks For The Rideau Canal Festival

This shot is taken from Plaza Bridge on Colonel By Day. The Ottawa Locks, as the last (or first) set of locks on the Rideau Canal are called, descend down towards the Ottawa River, nestled between Parliament Hill and the Chateau. The building at the left along the Canal is the lockmaster station, dating back to the 1880s. Down the hill is the Bytown Museum, which was John By's Commissariat when he was overseeing the building of the Canal from 1826-1832. I've shown you the outside before, and we'll see more of it, both inside and outside, to come.

The Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and Colonel By Day intersects with the final day of the Rideau Canal Festival, marked along the length of the waterway in communities. Here at the Ottawa Locks, as you go along the path down to the river, the day features demonstrations by re-enactors such as blacksmiths and weavers, musical performances on a stage by the Museum, and local history and cultural societies setting up tables with information and items of interest. It's a good way to spend an afternoon getting to know the city's history and heritage, complete with a visit inside the museum.


Compare and contrast the view with one I took from Plaza Bridge in the late summer of 2013, on a quiet day.


43 comments:

  1. My time on the canal (traveling from Ottawa to Montreal) is one of the great journeys of my life. Thank you for awakening those echoes!


    ALOHA from Honolulu
    ComfortSpiral
    =^..^=

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  2. I'm just learning what Ottawais. I know why it was called Bytown, in the beginning (The Colonel By). The Rideau Canal " la plus grande patinoire du monde" etc etc. This is what you are teaching us day after day. Thank you very much for it.

    Tomás.

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  3. The canal looks very beautiful,
    Hugs

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  4. I'm glad to see the monster on the lawn is gone. :-)

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  5. I like both photos, William, great to see those lock from above.
    Must be a wonderful place to sit down for a while and look at passing boats.

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  6. These are some gorgeous shots, William. I would love to visit Ottawa someday, I've heard great things about the city.

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  7. Your second photo is so beautiful!!!

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  8. That's why I love summer. What a contrast!

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  9. @Cloudia: you're welcome!

    @Whisk: indeed.

    @Massimo: it is.

    @Tomas: thank you!

    @Bill: they certainly are.

    @Orvokki: thank you!

    @Marianne: I think it's seven or eight.

    @Revrunner: quite a contrast when he's not lurking about there!

    @Jan: it certainly is.

    @Halcyon: thanks!

    @Optimistic: it's a terrific place to live.

    @Linda: thank you!

    @Jose: in this case, quite a contrast indeed.

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  10. The lighting is so different in both shots William.. different times of the day?

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  11. That is such a beautiful place. It must be lot of fun walking around while enjoying music and demonstration, etc. Both photos look beautiful in different color tones! Especially the blue in second photo is stunning!

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  12. Watching boats go through the locks would be a nice peaceful way to spend some time.

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  13. For a little prairie boy, canals and locks were something I had never seen. I always remember watching these locks with fascination. You bring back good memories.

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  14. @Luis: thanks!

    @Grace: and different weather conditions. The one I took on Colonel By Day was during a humid, hazy day; the second one was perfectly clear. The line of the Gatineau Hills over on the Quebec side of the river is much clearer and defined in the second shot.

    @Tex: thanks!

    @Tamago: I remembered that shot, which was one of the earliest pics I featured on the blog, and thought it was an ideal contrast for the more recent one.

    @Judy: it is, and I've got pics of boats to come.

    @Red: thank you!

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  15. I will stay there for hours, watching the boats going through the locks!

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  16. So wonderful, having history come alive before your very eyes!

    Nice photos!

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  17. It's very beautiful, William. As I've said before that canal is a real treasure. I'd love to walk along side it and share all the goings-on!

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  18. My first time here. Lovely pics. The canal fest sounds interesting.
    Im glad I learnt about one more UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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  19. I'm looking forward to see more of the locks. Here they usually attract a lot of attention when boats are passing through.

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  20. I didn't know it was a heritage site.

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  21. I do like the contrast between the two images. I've always wanted to skate the Rideau but never have. Now that I live within 3 hours of Ottawa, perhaps it might still happen.

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  22. Not a huge difference! You'll find me with VP.

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  23. @VP: it's a good way to spend an afternoon!

    @Cheryl: that's the sort of thing that appeals to me.

    @Lowell: it's a pleasant canal to stroll by.

    @Mumbai: thank you!

    @Marleen: much the same happens here, particularly at these locks.

    @RedPat: yes, it got that designation several years ago.

    @Hilary: I've walked the ice of the Canal every winter, but I don't know how to skate!

    @Anna: thank you!

    @Ciel: you two wouldn't be alone!

    @Norma: thanks!

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  24. Can't wait to see more of the inside of the museum.

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  25. It is fun to see a comparison of that scene in two different weather conditions.

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  26. I'll join the others, hanging out. It looks like a really beautiful spot - the landscape, the buildings, the locks.

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  27. I'm not familiar with this view of the canal! NICE!

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  28. Two very different photos of the same place, interesting how the light works !

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  29. @Stuart: I certainly think so.

    @Mari: thanks!

    @Jack: it is.

    @Randy: definitely.

    @Kay: I enjoy it.

    @Stefan: it is.

    @EG: it's a great spot.

    @Karl: that it is.

    @Krisztina: thanks!

    @Jennifer: indeed!

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