Changing of the Guard

The guards marched from the National Defense Headquarters to Parliament Hill (about 1.2 km).  The guards marched wearing their uniforms in some 30 degree Celsius weather.  Up close, sweat on their face could be seen dripping down.  They marched in playing their instruments.  The soldiers went in formation and each soldier’s attire was inspected to ensure that they were each fit to stand guard.  This process took about 30-45 minutes.  It was cool seeing these guards dressed up in this kind of uniform.  I didn’t even know Canada had these.

Peace Tower

After the show, we went up to the Peace Tower, the clock tower in front of the building.  At the top, we could see pretty much all of the Ottawa-Gatineau area.  Ottawa has a quite even balance of trees, buildings, and water.  I don’t really know how to define it, but the view just seems more interesting that just seeing endless buildings.  I suppose having some green and blue makes the picture more appealing to the eye.  Bridges across the river adds a nice touch.  There also aren’t a lot of tall builds either, which definitely helps in keeping the view clear.

Originally, we wouldn’t have been able to go up the Peace Tower and come back in time for the tour, but my cousin said that when the tour group comes in, they would have to pass through security.  We had already done that to go up the Peace Tower, and so after we came down the tower, we stayed in the secured area and met up with the tour group once they came in through security.

The Memorial Chamber

Just below the Peace Tower was the Memorial Chamber.  In this chamber, there is a war memorial.  The significance of this one is that there is a book that has the list of names 66 655 Canadians who lost their lives during the First World War.  A second book was also added for the Second World War.  Every day at 11am, coinciding with the time that the First World War ended, a page is turned.  This allows for each page in the book to appear at least once during the whole year.

Inscribed on the walls in this chamber is the famous poem In Flanders Fields by John McCrae along with the locations where battles occurred such as Ypres, Passchendaele, Cambrai, Somme, among others.

The House of Commons

The House of Commons is where the elected Members of Parliament go whenever there is a meeting.  This is where major government legislation is introduced.  Whenever there is a meeting, this is the chance for all the elected members representing their political parties get the chance to debate topics such as how government money should be spent.  At the top of the room, there are additional seats for any spectators for whenever parliament is in session.

Library of Parliament

In terms of old libraries, this one is probably as old as it gets in Canada.  This is a key information source for the Canadian Parliament.  Occasionally, MP’s will come here to do research on various subjects.  In 1916, there was a fire that burned down the parliament except this room.  Therefore, this is the oldest part of the entire building (constructed in 1876).  Naturally, architectural style used in this building is a lot different that the newer part of the building.

The Senate

The Senate meet in a separate location within the parliament.  Here, senators examine bills proposed by the Government.   When the senate is in session, senators debate the bills and bills must pass the senate in order to become a law.  A special thing to note about this room is that because reconstruction of the parliament building began in 1916, the general mood of the population was that they were sick of war.  Therefore, much of the artwork in the room revolves around this.  Paintings of the war hang above the seats in the senate.  They are a constant reminder of the horrors of war.

Next Destination…Thousand Islands!

After the tour, we had lunch and then we made our way to a place called Thousand Islands for a boat tour.  I heard that there was an actual castle on one of those islands.  I didn’t even know Canada had actual castles.  I always though castles were a European thing.

More photos here

Parliament Hill

Because of Canada Day, a giant stage had been set up for shows throughout the day.  For Canada Day, many people came out wearing red shirts and so looking at the giant crowds of people, there was a sea of red.  The streets were filled with people taking part in the day’s festivities.  Street vendors sold Canada Day apparel such as mini flags to wave, vuvuzelas (I can’t believe people still buy these things), etc.  When we arrived at Parliament Hill, a ceremonial presentation of the Changing of the Guard was happening.  There was so many people that we couldn’t even get close.  We could only see it on the big screen on the concert stage.  From what I saw, it’s similar to the one that happens at Buckingham Palace in London.  From the events schedule, it said that the Parliament Motorcade would be pulling in at around 12pm.  It was still early at the time, so we continued walking around the city to see more of the sights.

National War Memorial

This memorial is dedicated to all Canadian dead of all wars.  This memorial is located in Confederation Square, and commemorates the First and Second World Wars, as well as the Korean War.  In front of it, is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.  There is also a Ceremonial Guard present at the site.  On top of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, many people showed their respect by placing a mini Canadian paper flag over the tomb.

Rideau Canal

The Rideau Canal is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it connects Ottawa to Kingston.  It’s been around since the early 19th century and people still use it today.  Because of its antiquity, the mechanical system for opening each lock is purely manual.  Students are hired during the summer to open and close them.  Apparently, people use this enough to keep this place in operation.

Parachute Show

As we were leaving Rideau Canal, we happened to see a parachute performance happening.  Soldiers jumped out of a plane and performed tricks on their way down.  I tried my best to take some pictures with my camera, but the zoom just wasn’t good enough.

Parliament Motorcade

As it got closer to 12pm, we went up to the main avenue in front of Parliament Hill to watch the Parliament Motorcade pass by.  Many people were already there waiting for the same thing.  Policemen stood along the side of the road making sure that nobody blocked the streets.  The Prime Minister came in a motorcade of black cars, but the Governor General came in a horse-drawn carriage with the RCMP in traditional attire.  And since I haven’t been keeping up with Canadian politics, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen the Governor General.

ByWard Market and Obama Cookies

ByWard Market is a farmer’s market that is located in Ottawa’s French and Irish communities.  To show its Irishness, there are a lot of Irish pubs present in this district.  On top of that there is a bakery called “Le Moulin De Provence”, that sells something called “Obama Cookies”.  Apparently Barack Obama once stopped by this bakery to buy cookies for his daughter.  And ever since then, there are posters of Obama everywhere in this bakery.

At this point, we were all tired from our lack of sleep the night before, so we decided to rest up a little bit at our cousin’s place.  I got a nice two-hour nap.  Felt pretty refreshed afterward.

Canada Day Concert

In the evening on the concert stage on Parliament Hill, there was a concert.  We went there early to see if we could get some good seats, but then on a day like this, it was pretty difficult.  We lay down our blanket on the grass and just talked until the concert started.  We got a little more caught up among the cousins with what we were all doing (jobs, school, etc. – the usual stuff).  Fishing live grenades from World War II was probably the most memorable thing.

Probably the most note-worthy part of this concert was the fact that Simple Plan played.  I didn’t even know they’re Canadian.  I’m not really a fan of Simple Plan, but it was still cool hearing a famous band play live.  As the concert went on, I felt tired again and somehow fell asleep.  I was so tired that I managed to sleep through the concert music.  I didn’t think it was possible.

At the end of the concert, the fireworks started.

After the fireworks, the crowds left the premises in an orderly fashion.  The parents went back to the hotel, while the younger kids stayed at our cousins house.  The next day, we would tour the inside of the Parliament building.

More photos here