The Museum

The Canadian War Museum tells the story of Canada's experience in warfare, at home and abroad. Since 2005 it has been headquartered west of the downtown core, at Lebreton Flats, in a building that evokes a gigantic bomber from some angles, or a massive bunker from others. It fits its subject perfectly. I paid a visit earlier this month in the lead up to Remembrance Day.

I first headed up onto the roof path, where much of the roof is occupied by long grasses, and the view looks towards the spires of Parliament Hill in the distance.

Appropriately, the path feels like a trench.

On the far side of the Museum, the view looks out over the nearby Ottawa River, with Gatineau on the far shore. Islands and the Chaudiere Falls lie between here and there, and on this particular morning, the rise of the Gatineau Hills was indistinct.

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A side of the Museum I rarely photograph, but on this side it certainly feels more like a bunker.

I headed over onto the open bridge. This is one of the channels of the Ottawa River, with Parliament Hill directly ahead from here.

A view upstream. The water looks calm, but that's deceptive. When I was standing here the flow of the river was obvious.

Glancing back towards the Museum. There was just enough cloud in the sky to render the sun's presence in these shots an unusual one.

It was time to head in.