Winterlude Activities

 More today from Winterlude 2014. Stilt walkers are not unheard of, such as these heading towards Confederation Park.

In the park, activities of the past are demonstrated.

Like branding wooden plaques with the irons.

Or music around the campfire.

And maple syrup candy, poured into bins of fresh snow.

Winterlude has its own mascots: the ice hogs, a groundhog based bunch that go from site to site.

Across the river in Gatineau, Jacques Cartier Park is the biggest site for Winterlude.

Activities include zip lining.

And snow sculptures. We'll pick up here tomorrow.

Lit Up In The Night

More today from  Winterlude 2014. The small one block sculptures were beautifully lit, lined up around the fountain in the park.

Here we have a stand alone sculpture.

The competitive sculptures, whether by one or two carvers, are generally sheltered. This keeps them out of the wind and out of the sun. This is helpful in preserving them, because for all their beauty and craftsmanship, ice sculptures are very fragile. Here we have some of the pairs sculptures.

Just Mesmerizing

I left off yesterday with this large ice sculpture commemorating the centennial of the beginning of the First World War. Here it is lit up. Spotlights slowly shift colours on ice sculptures at night, creating a magical effect.

 

Each year mermaids are a common theme for ice sculptors. Here we've got two of them lit up in shifting colours.

Close by, other sculptures bathed in light.

Even the small ones outside got lit up. We'll pick up here tomorrow with this look back at 2014.

Large And Small

 More from where I left off yesterday with this look back at Winterlude 2014. This large standalone sculpture was in Confederation Park.

Nearby, a team of sculptors were working on a large project. It was one marking the centennial of the beginning of World War One.

Typically at these festivals you'd find a fireplace or two, with Muskoka chairs gathered around it.

This being an unusual version.

Hotels would be official sponsors, and some would have ice sculptures at their entrances. This pair were at the Chateau Laurier.

And this pair at the Lord Elgin Hotel. Note the clarity in these compared to above. This spot has an eastern exposure, and so doesn't see too much sun during the day. The spot above has a southern exposure and so gets more sunlight. It has an effect on the ice.

Across the street and back into Confederation Park.

Here we have the finished sculpture the group were working on. It was very much a farewell theme, with husbands, fathers, sons, and brothers heading off to war. Tomorrow I'll show you what it looked like all lit up.

Cold And Hot

Two more of the snow sculptures in the Byward Market that were set up in 2014 during Winterlude with a nod to the Winter Olympics.

Near them lies Beavertails- the prime location of a Canadian company, owned locally, that makes fried pastry treats in the shape of a beaver tail. They're open all year, but do big business during Winterlude, both here and the various locations along the Canal.

This is one of them, with cinnamon and sugar being my choice. There are other flavours on the menu too.

And another Canadian food icon: poutine. This is at Dunn's, an eatery in the Byward Market. At its basic form, it's fries covered with gravy and cheese curds. Just the thing for a cold day.

The Rideau Canal again, in a different spot. This is below the Bank Street Bridge where it crosses the Canal.

Here's one of the arches of the bridge itself, taken that year.

And just east of the bridge, this view looking to the other side, where a former convent looms above the slope, now playing host to the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons.

Skaters downtown. Here we're below the Mackenzie King Bridge, with the Laurier Avenue Bridge in the background.

The view from above. Confederation Park lies to the right, with the Cartier Square Drill Hall beyond the Laurier Bridge in the background.

And in early evening.