Tuesday, July 11, 2017

Birthday For The Nation

I'm starting off a series on Canada Day weekend today. I can tell you that I took more pictures in one day than ever before- over 560 of them. 200 of those were fireworks, and I took additional shots the following day. I won't quite be doing things in chronological order, so we'll have a bit of jumping around.

I'm starting in a church. St. Peter and St. Paul's Anglican Church is downtown, a few blocks south of Parliament Hill on Metcalfe Street. The church was open on Canada Day, with bottles of water being handed out to passersby. While coming up from the Museum of Nature, I took the opportunity to step inside, where the church was broadcasting the CBC programming from Parliament Hill and across the country, using a projector to show the image on the wall in the sanctuary. The church was originally St. George's Methodist Episcopal, and in 1885 became an Anglican church. Its stained glass windows are a beautiful sight.


Heading up the street towards Parliament Hill, I stopped at the World Exchange Plaza, an office complex a couple of blocks south of the Hill. People were pausing on the outside steps. Here at Queen Street was the closest I got to the Parliamentary precinct that day- I never go onto the Hill on Canada Day; it's much too packed.

32 comments:

  1. That's a lot of pix in one day, William! Lovely church.

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  2. Happy Canada Day William! Greetings from the Philippines!

    Steven

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  3. Nice series of photos of the festivities!

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  4. ..and I thought I was making a lot of photos. 560 in one day, phew! :)

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  5. The stained glass window with the cross is very powerful.

    Janis
    GDP

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  6. Hello, the church is beautiful. I always love the stained glass windows, gorgeous. Happy Tuesday, have a great day!

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  7. The church is really beautiful and the stained glass windows are gorgeous.

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  8. @Kay: I had a solar charger with me, so I was able to take shots right through the fireworks.

    @Steven: it was quite a day.

    @Linda: thank you!

    @Francisco: thanks!

    @Marianne: I had fun!

    @Marleen: there was a lot to cover.

    @Tom: I just wonder how long the series will go!

    @Janis: I agree.

    @Eileen: I was in there once years ago, and hadn't had a camera.

    @Orvokki: thank you!

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  9. Happy Birthday to Canada! Beautiful church, both exterior and interior!

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  10. Nice looking church that William. The Hill & street looked busy

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  11. The church has wonderful stained glass windows William.. good to see so many people out and about enjoying the celebrations. The weather looks perfect!

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  12. Someone I know went up to Ottawa for the weekend and they did the huge waiting line to get onto the hill. I would not have done it! Too crowded!

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  13. I love that last photo with all the people crossing the street!

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  14. @Nancy: it certainly is!

    @Bill: it was exceedingly busy, but the only tight spot I had all day was a block east of that intersection. Took about ten minutes to cross Elgin.

    @Grace: it was better by that point in the day. It had rained in the morning, but the rain had stopped by the time I was finished in the War Museum. That was the bulk of it for the day.

    @RedPat: I was on the Hill some years back during the afternoon, when there was a lull between the noon concert and the evening concerts. It was still busy at that time, but more navigable. Still, knowing how packed things are, I have refrained from trying to attend events on the Hill now for Canada Day, especially with the heightened security.

    @Sharon: I did too. I took several instances of crowd shots through the day.

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  15. Stained glass windows make it well worth while to visit this church.

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  16. oh all that stained glass is just beautiful! it is nice to see everyone out having a good time!

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  17. Wow, the stained glass windows are gorgeous!
    Even some blocks away from the Hill, streets look quite packed!

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  18. gorgeous stain glass ... love the crosses! i can not imagine ... going through all those pics... do u keep them on file or just get rid of a few? ( ;

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  19. I like that church, it's got beautiful light through the stained glass windows.

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  20. Lovely photos William. The church's stained glass window are gorgeous. The street was very crowded in the last photo, the result of a great turnout.

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  21. @Red: they were impressive.

    @Tanya: it was quite a day to take in.

    @Tamago: it was seriously packed on Wellington.

    @Beth: I tend to put them into email files or an external hard drive. That said, a lot of that number are doubles, or display tags for items in museums that end up getting discarded.

    @Jan: it certainly does.

    @Bill: thank you!

    @Revrunner: yes, and a Lt. Colonel at that.

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  22. Wow lots of people. I am not much of a people person so I tend to stay way from functions like this.
    The Church is beautiful---well the stained glass is. Old too==Wow.
    MB

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  23. Such a beautiful church with such beautiful, impressive stained glass. Yes, lots of people, but no comparison to the church.

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  24. I like the simplicity of the interior of the first photo and the window that pleases me the most is the slim rectangular one with the red cross at the top. Beautiful windows overall.

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  25. Beautiful captures of the church.

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  26. Oh my ... those stained glass windows are amazing.

    All the best Jan

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  27. @MB: it's not a phobia for me, though I do admit that I've had occasions in the past where I've felt not at ease in crowds.

    @Mari: it is quite a lovely church. I've attended a Good Friday service there, which in the Anglican church is done somewhat differently from what I've been used to.

    @Kate: me too.

    @Norma: I do too.

    @Klara: thank you.

    @Jan: that they are.

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