Sunday, December 9, 2018

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.

40 comments:

  1. Oh my! Such dense fog!
    I do love that second shot (of the windows).

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  2. I never saw Ottawa in the fog. It is strange to see...or not see, really.

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  3. It looks as if the place to be was definitely inside within that lovely architecture along with its pretty fairy lights. I didn't realise that you already had some snow.

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  4. I like those misty shots of Ottawa. From a photographic point of view, the fog gives the photos some extras

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  5. ...quite a difference between the bright colors of the first one and the subdued last ones.

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  6. Hello, that is some thick fog. I love the carvings and the Christmas lights. Enjoy your day, have a great new week ahead.

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  7. Hello William!
    Great shots and beautiful images of the fog!
    Like the carvings and the preety lights!
    Enjoy your day!
    Dimi...

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  8. That was a great capture of the weather, which was somewhat unfortunate in trying for vistas, but has its own sense of cozy romanticism. My favorite was the carved stone lion over the crest (?) with what looks like a dragon on it.

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  9. I like the lighting on the pillar. It's very festive!

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  10. Very nice pictures ! Sitting in the Egyptian sunshine, fog is far away !

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  11. @Linda: thanks!

    @Marie: it was weird stepping out of the elevator and seeing a wall of white.

    @Joan: fog is rare for us.

    @Rosemary: we have had snow on the ground for the better part of a month.

    @Jan: I think so too.

    @Tom: indeed!

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Dimi: I have to come back soon on a clear day.

    @Barbara: the lions are both formidable.

    @Jeanie: yes it is.

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  12. That really was a foggy day. I think that is what the Brits call pea-soup fog.

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  13. Much different view in the fog. I imagine a tourist with one day in Ottawa would be very disappointed.

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  14. Always enjoy your tours about the architecture. In this set the fog just makes it wonderful.

    cheers, parsnip and badger

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  15. love the Christmas-y items so much. that fog is so mysterious ... way cool. ( ;

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  16. Spooky fog and the gargoyles fit right in
    MB

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  17. @Gattina: fog here usually lifts after an hour or two of daylight. This one didn't.

    @Sharon: it really was!

    @Red: yes, for me, no big deal, I can come back.

    @Sandi: it was quite different.

    @Parsnip: thank you!

    @Beth: it is indeed.

    @MB: they do!

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  18. Im Nebel ist alles sehr geheimnisvoll.

    Noke

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  19. I like how they decorated that pillar for Christmas.

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  20. These are fabulous, William! Really wonderful shots that might be shown in a gallery or enjoyed in a home.

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  21. Lots of great photos. Like the pillar of lights.

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  22. Interesting shots.....and very thick fog!

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  23. A very dense fog, but it makes for a pretty scene. Thanks for the tour. :-)

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  24. A wonderful series of photos, William. I like the carvings and the Christmas lights on the pillar.

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  25. @Noke: thanks!

    @Marleen: so do I. They do it each year.

    @Cloudia: thank you!

    @Happyone: so do I. More of that to come.

    @Janey: very thick!

    @DJan: you're welcome.

    @Bill: thanks, so do I.

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  26. Wow! A *very* foggy day in Ottawa.

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  27. Fog adds such a sense of mystery!

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  28. I love those interior details. And the fog looks like it wrapped everything up in a good, thick chill.

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  29. The first carving face reminds me of Santa.

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  30. What a lovely idea to decorate the pillars and arches with lights. Looks beautiful! I always love the architectural features in these places. Great photos always!

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  31. Creative photos despite the fog and wonderful Xmas tree and carvings and more ~ great place ~ ^_^

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  32. The decoration around the arches is lovely and I like the carvings and grotesque on the information panels:)

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  33. Goodness, that is thick fog!
    Lovely to see the carvings and I like the Christmas lights.

    All the best Jan

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  34. I love the lights. The carvings, wow.

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  35. @Catalyst: foggy indeed.

    @RedPat: it does, yes.

    @Kay: true!

    @Maywyn: I can see that!

    @Denise: thank you.

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  36. @Carol: thank you!

    @Klara: very thick!

    @Rosie: so do I.

    @Jan: it was pea soup kind of fog.

    @Jennifer: so do I.

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