ROAD TRIP! Heading to the capital --- THURSDAY, September 15, 2022

 

ATTENTION:

I APOLOGIZE FOR SUCH A LATE POST. 

THIS TRIP HAPPENED FOUR MONTHS AGO, IN SEPTEMBER 2022. 

BUT HERE IT IS!

We all love road trips! 

Having our niece and nephew here gave us a chance to hit the road and explore Canada. 

First destination: Ottawa, the capital city.

This is only possible thanks to the new car - which can fit 6 people. 

My lovely kids - two borrowed. :)

A little stop in Perth, Ontario, on the way there. I've always heard about it but have never stopped by. 

It's a cute town, just before Ottawa.

"Perth is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Tay River, 83 kilometres southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County." WIKIPEDIA

OTTAWA!!
There it is! 

We arrived in the city just in time to run to the hills and visit the majestic Canadian Parliament. Unfortunately we were not able to get a tour of the buildings because everything was fully booked a couple of weeks before. Still, the kids saw it for the first time. It felt like a school field trip. 

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Parliament Hill (French: Colline du Parlement), colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa Riverin downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their architectural elements of national symbolic importance, is the home of the Parliament of Canada. Parliament Hill attracts approximately three million visitors each year. Law enforcement on Parliament Hill and in the parliamentary precinct is the responsibility of the Parliamentary Protective Service (PPS).

Originally the site of a military base in the 18th and early 19th centuries, development of the area into a governmental precinct began in 1859, after Queen Victoria chose Ottawa as the capital of the Province of Canada. Following several extensions to the parliament and departmental buildings and a fire in 1916 that destroyed the Centre Block, Parliament Hill took on its present form with the completion of the Peace Tower in 1927. Since 2002, an extensive $3 billion renovation and rehabilitation project has been underway throughout all the precinct's buildings; work is not expected to be complete until after 2028.

FROM WIKIPEDIA: The Centennial Flame (French: Flamme du centenaire) is a monument on Parliament Hill commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Canadian Confederation. First lit in January 1967, the Flame worked with natural gas and as of 2021 uses biogas, presenting a fountain that does not freeze in winter. Money thrown into it is a donation for people with disabilities, some of whom have received over $5,000.

Every trip has to have a rare family photo. 

Ottawa is a big city in importance, that feels small when you walk around the downtown court.  

FROM WIKIPEDIA: Maman (1999) is a bronze, stainless steel, and marble sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. The sculpture, which depicts a spider, is among the world's largest, measuring over 30 ft high and over 33 ft wide (927 x 891 x 1024 cm).^] It includes a sac containing 32 marble eggs and its abdomen and thorax are made of ribbed bronze.

The title is the familiar French word for Mother (akin to Mummy). The sculpture was created in 1999 by Bourgeois as a part of her inaugural commission of The Unilever Series (2000), in the Turbine Hall at London's Tate Modern. This original was created in steel, with an edition of six subsequent castings in bronze.

Bourgeois chose the Modern Art Foundry to cast the sculpture because of its reputation and work.

A towering stainless steel tree put down roots in Ottawa in October 2010.

Note to myself: Please come back to really enjoy Ottawa's architecture and art scene. I could tell just walking around that the city has lots of arts option to offer in museums, galleries and outdoors, but two days are NOT enough to really appreciate it. I must come back. Preferentially alone!

The best thing about visiting a different place is to meet locals. Well, they are not from Ottawa but Falice and Ian and so well settled here and it's always a pleasure to meet them. The whole family enjoyed their company and this fun burger join. We love you!

Good night, Ottawa!