Architecture In The Mist

The formal part of the tour ends with the Senate, and the guide escorted the group to the entrance for the Peace Tower and Memorial Chamber. This area lies one floor up from Confederation Hall, the central point of Centre Block. You can see decorations for the holidays arranged among the pillars and arches below. The arches allow for good photo ops of the space.

Turning around, I photographed this view of the window, with frosted glass.

Carvings are found throughout the buildings, including this one near that window.

Carvings are on the walls flanking the short corridor leading from the balcony towards the Memorial Chamber.

An antechamber is found before one goes into the Memorial Chamber, which includes the elevator to go up the Peace Tower. The elevator takes the visitor to the observation deck. The Peace Tower rises to a height of 92.2 metres (302 feet 6 inches). It replaced the 55 metre Victoria Tower, which was destroyed in the 1916 fire. An observation deck is situated beneath the clocks facing each direction. As I pointed out in the first post of this series, it was a foggy day. All the more so when you looked out the windows. I've been up here on sunny days and overcast, but never in a fog like this. Each section of window has upper and lower views looking out- the lower being ideal for children or someone in a wheelchair. This is a lower view, typified by the angles of the stone at left and right. I'm looking over the east side of Centre Block here. The East Block is barely visible in the upper right.

A bit further along this side, I photographed to the northeast direction over Centre Block. The Rideau Canal and the Ottawa River meet somewhere in that fog beyond, but they were invisible.

Beside me was this panel, one of several up here. The Peace Tower includes a carillon, a percussion instrument played from a keyboard instrument. It includes 53 bronze bells arranged below the deck, and is played by a musician, often around the noon hour.

This view looked up from this spot.

I came around to the south windows. This was the view looking out over the great lawn, snow covered in the fog. The Centennial Flame is down there at the far end of the path, but lost in the mist.

For today I finish with this view of the southwest corner. One of the grotesques on the tower is glimpsed looking out. I have more from here tomorrow.