The River, The Library, And The Bell

Continuing on the west side of Centre Block, we come across this view of the Ottawa River separating the city from Gatineau. If you look very closely, you might see a tree in the midst of the river- there's an island down there. When I took this shot, all one could see of the island was the tree. The water had washed over everything else.

A pleasant view of the Library of Parliament's exterior can be found here.

Also present here, in a circle, is the original bell from the clock tower destroyed in the 1916 fire. A plaque accompanies it.

The path carries on beyond. You get great views from up here. The National Gallery can be seen in the background.

A Pleasant Place To Take A Seat

The main entrance at the base of the Peace Tower is always interesting to photograph.

The work of the stone masons here draws me right in.

Over on the west side of Centre Block, on the same hilltop that features the Queen Victoria monument is this monument to Prime Minister Lester Pearson. You can learn more about him right here. The Confederation and Justice buildings, which I showed you a couple of days ago, linger in the background beyond him.

He was an extraordinary Prime Minister, perhaps the best we ever had. And this is my favourite statue on the Hill. It's not at a great height like so many others, but much more human in having him sit, relaxed. His shoe tends to gleam from being touched by so many passersby.

Stone, Iron, And Wood

The main gates at Parliament Hill are only opened for ceremonial arrivals; pedestrians can access on either side. It does make for a pleasant way to frame Centre Block. Though you have to be taking this shot on a quiet day- I was standing on Wellington Street.

And the ironwork itself is good to use for framing the Peace Tower.

Along the west side of Centre Block, this door in an arched entrance is an entry for Members of Parliament.

I like the pattern of the metal against the wood.

Above the doors, the stonemasons have left one of their peculiar faces in the carvings.

This view is from the west side of the entrance, taking in the arch around it, and also framing the bottom of the Peace Tower beyond it.

Parliamentary Blocks

I'm spending a few days on Parliament Hill, with photos I've taken at various points during spring and summer.

There has been a great deal of work going on here in the last number of years, and it will be continuing well into the next decade. Restoration work must be done, and it will take awhile. Most of the emphasis in recent years has been on the West Block, which will from what I've heard include a temporary House of Commons while the Centre Block is worked on. Here the back side of the building is slowly emerging from beneath the scaffolding, with sandblasting having had done remarkable work on the stone.

The windows that are normally in place have yet to be reset, but that'll come.

Beyond the West Block, on the highest point of Parliament Hill, I took this shot of the two westernmost blocks on the Hill, the Confederation Building and the Justice Building. From here they look like a single building, but it's a pair. The two buildings date back to the 1920s and 1930s, and share the general Gothic style of the other buildings on the Hill.

I leave off with this arch, set on the East Block, which could use some sandblasting.

City Randomness

The building demolition went off yesterday- I slept right through it- and you can view footage if you like right here. Also, in reference to a question from yesterday, the artist James Hart comes from the Haida tribe in British Columbia.

I have a bit of a mixed bag of shots today, taken at assorted times and places. This was from May, with a monster truck driving through the Glebe. I don't understand the monster truck culture. I'd rather step into the Marble Slab there beyond it for some ice cream.

Also from May, this was on Victoria Day. The military trucks behind Centre Block on Parliament Hill had dropped off the Howitzers that were used to salute Queen Victoria.

The flag of St. George, a nod to the English team, was up during the World Cup at this pub in the Glebe.

On Doors Open weekend in June while I was on Sparks Street, a series of antique and sports cars were parked on the pedestrian mall.

The bagpiper below could be heard from a long way off, here at the intersection of Bank and Sparks Street.

Here where Plaza Bridge becomes Elgin Street are a series of flagpoles with the national, provincial, and territorial flags.

Close by is this statue of Brigadier Andrew Gault. Compare it to the last time I featured it.

A recent shot of the National Arts Centre; this pair of large billboards on the west wall features two different programs coming up in the fall, one music and one theatre.

The Neighbours

In regards to the Carling building that I pointed out yesterday, the structure was deemed to have reached the end of its useful life. I don't know if anything will replace it- there are low rise government buildings in the vicinity, but that area is the Experimental Farm, so it's not likely that we'll see an office tower there.

I thought I would highlight three views from around the National Gallery. This sculpture sits between the Gallery and Major's Hill Park. Parliament can be seen in the background. It's called The Three Watchmen, by James Hart, and is part of the Gallery collection.

These two were taken the same day as yesterday's shots, from the same location. The Maman sculpture stands across from Notre Dame, and it was Victoria Day- hence the Union Jack fluttering in the breeze alongside the Maple Leaf. I wanted both the church and the flags- without the obstruction of construction going on this spring and summer on Sussex Drive.

No way to avoid the construction here, just across the street where the Gallery's entrance lies. The Embassy of Kuwait stands there, with Elizabeth Bruyere Hospital beyond it. The embassy has Middle Eastern influences, and yet seems perfectly at home here.

Arachnophobia

If you have a look at the header image above, that building you see at the upper right won't be standing much longer. The Sir John Carling building housed offices for the Agricultural Ministry for many years, but was vacated some years ago, and at seven AM Sunday morning is scheduled for implosion. I wonder if I'll be awakened by the sound.

This very large sculpture called Maman stands outside the National Gallery. It is of course a spider, and having people in the shots gives it a sense of scale. It is the work of Louise Bourgeois, and is a bronze, one of several copies by the artist at locations around the world.

This last shot takes in the view south, to the Peacekeeper's Monument and the American embassy. The spider looms above everything, of course. We're going to need John Goodman and Jeff Daniels to take care of this one.

Goose Capone

A few days ago I posted shots of the Rideau River. These shots below were taken at the same time that I took the bulk of those shots. This Canada Goose was happily having a bite to eat on the grass between the drive and the bike path. For no reason in particular, I thought I'd subtitle the pics with Robert De Niro's dialogue from The Untouchables. I might do this more often when I have animal pics.

"I'm gonna tell you something. Somebody messes with me, I'm gonna mess with with him. Somebody steals from me, I'm gonna say you stole. Not talk to him for spitting on the sidewalk. Understand?"

"Now, I have done nothing to harm these people but they are angered with me, so what do they do, doctor up some income tax, for which they have no case."

"To speak to me like me, no, to harass a peaceful man. I pray to God if I ever had a grievance I'd have a little more self respect."

"One more thing, you have an all out prize fight, you wait until the fight is over, one guy is left standing. And that's how you know who won." 

An Enduring Tree

I have shown you this large tree before, during the winter. It stands along the Rideau Canal on the east side of the Glebe.

I was passing by in mid-May while looking for tulip beds when I decided to stop by and take some shots of the tree.

This included a closeup of the bark. 

The view of the Canal here is lovely.

This look back at the tree is from the other side of Patterson Creek, which enters the Canal here.

With Glowing Hearts

Major's Hill Park was one of the busiest spots on Canada Day. This view of the park is from inside the National Gallery.

This looks down the ramp at the National Gallery, just before one heads into the collections. I will be taking pics in here soon- the Gallery finally dropped the no photos policy recently. I had a chat with a staff member while we were looking at a Bernini.

Turning around, this is the view from the base of the glass tower in the Gallery. Parliament Hill looks good from here.

From here we set out across the Alexandria Bridge to the Gatineau side of the Ottawa River. Canada Day is the only day this portion of the bridge opens up to pedestrians. I like the lines of the steel.

I'm finishing up with a view of the Museum of Civilization, aka the Museum of History, decorated for the day. This terrace is on the curatorial wing, featuring the provincial and territorial flags. The two in the picture are for the Northwest Territories and Nunavut.