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. 

Crowds On Canada Day

Today and tomorrow I have some shots from the National Capital from Canada Day. The core was busy all day, and when my friends and I passed by in the afternoon, Parliament Hill still had a lot of people around after the noon time concert.

The Langevin Block across the street was also decorated with flags. I wonder if Darth Harper's office was blocked by that very large flag.

This view is from a bridge at the Rideau Centre mall, looking west towards the crowds on Wellington Street. The Chateau Laurier is there on the right. Streets downtown get pretty much taken over by pedestrian traffic all day on Canada Day.

We went into several museums in Ottawa and Gatineau. I will be returning to each before summer's end- the Museum of Nature in particular was insanely busy- but I thought I would leave off with this item at the Canadian War Museum. There are a series of plaster casts on display here that were the original scale models by Walter Allward, for the sculptures that adorn the Vimy Ridge Memorial in France.

The Embassy Of Croatia

Toller House was built in 1875 in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood, just up the street from Laurier House. It is named after one of its residents, an auditor general of the 1880s named Frederic Toller- also a member of St. Andrew's Presbyterian, I found out on Canada Day. Today Toller House serves as the embassy for Croatia.

The home is a mix of Croatian culture and the carefully restored architectural details of a domestic Gothic Revival house. This wall of art can be found close to the entrance.

This humidifier is unique- it dates back to the 1880s, and is a customized design that still works perfectly well.

I like how bright and airy the rooms are. The first floor tends to get used more for reception space, so you're struck upon entering how little furniture is in here. The real work of the embassy gets done upstairs.

Aside from art, the walls here have mounted photographs of various places in Croatia.  Embassy staff were on hand to answer questions.

One mentioned she has been in Canada only since March. She's wondering what next winter will be like. Below, two more pics from Croatia...and who's that ne'er do well scoundrel reflected in one of them?

One last shot from inside Toller House, and it's this lovely fireplace and mirror. I'd like to see Croatia for myself someday.

And here we come to an end of my tour of Doors Open for this year in Ottawa. It's been enjoyable to show these places to you. I will be doing this again next year when the weekend rolls around, rest assured. 

St. Paul's Lutheran Church

St. Paul's Lutheran Church can be found downtown in Sandy Hill. The church as we see it today was erected in 1887, replacing an earlier form. It is in the Gothic Revival style.

The church is more austere, but lovely inside. A lot of light gets into the interior.

This is another one of the places that felt the touch of architect W.E. Noffke, who has been a common theme  this year for Doors Open. He oversaw renovations in the mid-twentieth century. From the front, facing down the length of the sanctuary, the glass wall separating the pews from the narthex is more recent. 

The windows are less detailed than in other denominations, but I like them, and they really let in the light.

This angel carved into wood  makes for a good lectern.

I was told that this was the original altarpiece in the sanctuary before the current one was put in. Because of the beauty of the work, the decision was made to keep it in the church. It stands off to the side at the front of the church.

This is the current front altarpiece. The church tends to decorate the sanctuary differently for various occasions, such as Pentecost Sunday, when I took this shot, but also Christmas and Easter. I will have to return here again for photoblog opportunities around that time.

A Home For Prime Ministers

Laurier House is a National Historic Site in Sandy Hill, a neighbourhood east of the University of Ottawa. It was home to two of our Prime Ministers, Wilfred Laurier and William Lyon MacKenzie King. It took part in Doors Open once again this year, though it is open to the public throughout the year. However, photographs inside are not permitted; more's the pity.

The house dates back to 1878, and was the residence for Laurier and his wife Zoe from 1897 until their deaths. It was willed to Mackenzie King, who left the house in his will to the nation upon his death. The house is managed by Parks Canada, and contains rooms decorated with personal items and furnishings from the residents, in the fashion of the time.

There are all sorts of unusual things to be found inside, including one of those pianos that plays itself, and a plaster casting of the hands and face of Abraham Lincoln, done in 1860. It's peculiar to look at that face all this time later. One of the staff explained that the casting is one of three copies in the world; another copy is in the Smithsonian, while the last is in a private collection in the United States.

The wraparound porch outside is an ideal place to sit for a spell. In their time, I imagine the Lauriers and Mackenzie King would have made good use of it.

The Guards And Highlanders

It is Independence Day today; Happy Fourth of July to my American readers! As I did a couple of days back for Canada Day, I do an annual nod to the day at my writer's blog. Head on over and take a look.

Next to City Hall stands the Cartier Square Drill Hall. It was finished in 1879, and was part of the trend to build armouries at the time. It was one of the participants for Doors Open again this year.

Today it houses two military units, the Governor General's Foot Guards and elements of the Cameron Highlanders Regiment. During summer, the Changing Of The Guard ceremonies start here each day as the Ceremonial Guard marches from here to Parliament Hill.

The Highlanders crest can be found along the main entrance.

The interior is spacious. That structure at the end houses museum space for both units.

Inside, mementos and items of significance can be found. These two shots were from the Highlanders regiment section.

And this week I'm co-hosting with Hilary her Friday Fill In feature. She puts together four sentences with a fill in the blank in each. I contributed a pair this week. You can find Hilary right here and check out her answers.

1. _______ is my favourite thing about ______.

2. ______ tastes like _______.

3. When in doubt, ______.

4. Is _______ the secret of life?

My answers:

1. Fireworks are my favourite thing about Canada Day.

2. Chocolate tastes like heaven.

3. When in doubt, pin the blame on your idiot ex-brother-in-law.

4. Is mountain climbing the secret of life?

Within The Corridors Of City Hall

I'm returning into Doors Open posts today. City Hall and the Heritage Building were part of the festivities. The buildings are linked, and they are very different. For an earlier view of the Heritage Building, look right here. And for a view of the more modern portion of the City Hall complex, check this link.

Stepping into the main entrance of the Heritage Building, this display of local athletes who went on to big things could be found.

The Heritage Building dates back to 1875. It is designed in High Victorian style, and once served as a school. As the story goes, these halls are haunted. A teacher is thought to have left something of herself behind. Perhaps she's still trying to find that devious student that always got the better of her.

Portraits of former mayors of the city can be found in these hallways.

Up on the second floor, we come up towards the reception area for the mayor's office.

Here we have the mayor's office. Unlike the drug addled clown who likes to think he's a mayor down in Toronto, our mayor is nice, polite, and professional.

This last shot features several paintings of local landmarks by a resident artist in the city. They can be found in the modern building.

Swift Whitewaters Of The Rideau River At Carleton

One afternoon in May I went to the shore of the Rideau River at Carleton University. The waters are wild and fast, still carrying the energy of Hog's Back Falls upstream. They pass beneath the railway bridge that carries the commuter O-Train through campus. Compare these views to a post from winter.

This last shot is from a few days ago, taken from on board the O-Train as it passes over the river. I have taken this view before in the winter.

City Daily Photo Theme Day: Celebrating Summer

The first of each month is City Daily Photo Theme Day. For the first of July, the theme is Celebrating Summer. You can find other takes on this month's theme by clicking at this link.

Summers here tend to bring out the motorbikes on our roads. This government office parking lot down in Little Italy is one that I've shown you before in the winter, and this time of year, motorbikes can be found on it, including this three wheeled Spyder.

Most of the motorbikes are in the same area on this lot.

The Hello Kitty decal is a nice touch on the one in the foreground below.

The motorbike in that link above is also here, below, being driven in the proper season, still with the sidecar attached.

There was a small paddle attached to the sidecar, with a rather peculiar set of words inscribed on it. It's readable, I assume, if you click on it.

Now then, today is also Canada Day here in Ottawa. I will be downtown through much of the day among a horde of crazy Canucks, so I'll have to play catchup tomorrow. Have a look at my writer's blog for my annual Canada Day post- I have it scheduled to go live at the same time this one does. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a picture fitting for the day. This is taken on the east side of the Rideau Canal, with the War Memorial, Parliament Hill, and Plaza Bridge all before us. Happy Canada Day!