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July 25, 2011

Parliament Hill

If you were wondering why it has been so quiet here, it's because we were out of town for a while. A dear friend of mine was getting married and we were past due for a family visit so - after our visit to Vancouver for Jade's EEG and time with my new niece and her family - we boarded a plane for Ottawa.

Although I've been back to Ottawa several times since I moved from there (fleeing the oppressive humidity, smog, traffic, and line-ups) it had been over a decade since I'd visited Parliament Hill. I wanted to take a walk down memory land and I wanted the kids to see it, too.


Guards from the War Memorial.


Fawn in front of the Chateau Laurier. (Did you know that the original furniture for the Chateau Laurier went down with the Titanic?)


The kids in front of the not-always-eternal Eternal (Centennial) Flame.

My parents came to pick up the girls later in the afternoon, freeing Fawn and me to visit with friends.  We met up with some in-town and out-of-town friends at a pub in the Byward Market and later took a evening stroll toward the Parliament Buildings, stopping at the Peacekeeping Monument along the way.



The cooling evening was a pleasant reprieve from the heat and humidity of the day.  As we looked over Major's Hill Park and the Ottawa Locks of the Rideau Canal, we could hear music and see lights emanating from the Parliament Buildings.



Spotlights forced their way up into the humid night sky...





... while bugs sizzled and smoked on the lights themselves.



I wanted to visit the "Cat House".  No, I'm not referring to a brother.  Nor am I referring to the House of Commons.

It's one of the Hill's best unkept secrets that, to the west of the Centre Block, there is a house for stray cats.  The cats have a long history on Parliament Hill.


Windows on the west side of the Centre Block.

The cat house doesn't just house cats, though.  Other visitor are common.


We made our way back to the front of the Centre Block where a fantastic light show was taking place.  Lights projected from the Capital Info Centre on Wellington danced across the stone face of the Centre Block.




It was a good night and a nice way to be welcomed back to Ottawa.

More Ottawa entries to follow.

1 comment:

The Niece's Mom said...

"My new niece and her family." Well, I see where we rate. Guess we should get used to it. ;) Great pictures. Pictures like that do make me miss Ottawa, humidity and all.