The sculpture, "Maman" is by Canadian artist Louise Bourgeois. Strangely, it is said to be a tribute to her mother, and in the art world embodies fertility and motherhood. To the non-art people, it is a really cool giant spider that resembles no ones mother, because that would be weird, but it looks gothic and awesome. Maman has travelled, and spent some time outside Rockefeller Center in New York, in London, and St. Petersburg, Russia. "You and your fact finding missions," came the reply. There are indeed 6 bronzes made of this sculpture, and one is currently in Doha, Qatar, just as awesomely creepy as ever.
My fact finding mission took me back in to my external hard drive, to 2008 (not 2007 as I incorrectly stated earlier, although I was in Ottawa 2007 as well but didn't make the tour circuit...sadly the facts often prove my memory wrong.). This got me thinking that I have never blogged about Ottawa. So many friends from Bermuda visit Toronto and ask me what to do there. I can't be of much help there, but I always tell them how close they are to Ottawa and to make the jaunt over there if they can;
Why Ottawa? If you want iconic Canadian touristy stuff, this has a few of the must sees on the list.
1. Parliament. This is where the peaceful melodrama of Canadian politics takes place. After 5 years in Bermuda where everything is politics and you cannot escape publicity of the warring political parties, I really like and appreciate the quieter Canadian political front. The Senate and House of Commons are housed here, and the tower is known as the Peace Tower, commemorating Canadians who have died in armed conflicts. The flame out front? Canada's Centennial Flame, lit in 1967 to recognize the 100th year anniversary of the Confederation and still burning bright.
And out back, the beautiful gothic architecture of the Parliamentary Library (with snow falling in this particular picture)
2. The Prime Minister's home, 24 Sussex Drive.
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| 24 and a maple leaf |
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| Home Sweet Home for whoever is the current leader of Canada |
3. The National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This monument will bring you to respectful silence. It's towering, cold granite arches and graphic bronze statues depict very acutely some of the horrors and suffering of war. I believe it is impossible to stand beneath it and not feel moved...but maybe that's just the patriot in me.
Just beyond the base of the War Memorial lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In Vimy Ridge, France, stand 1603 marked graves of Canadian Soldiers. The dead were lain to rest, the location marked, but their identities were either unknown or unrecorded. They are lost to their families and their homeland forever, a final insult of war. In 2000, Grave 7 in Row E of Plot 8 was selected from Vimy Ridge. Those remains were exhumed and ceremoniously returned to Canada and buried at the foot of the War Memorial. This soldier could be any soldier. A son for sure, beloved no doubt. A brother, a husband, a father? The gesture honors all who could not come home. The site reminds us of thousands of other Canadian sons who lie in fields abroad. In 2014, a tragedy befell the site, killing Corporal Nathan Cirillo who was providing honor guard to the tomb. The cowards responsible don't merit any further mention, but you might want to swing by Parliament and congratulate Kevin Vickers, the Canadian Sargeant-At-Arms who shot the lowlife perpetrator dead.
4. The National Art Gallery. The exterior you saw at the beginning of the post, with the giant spider. Inside you will be treated to the works of art from centuries past....
....and a few more contemporary pieces. I am not artistically inclined, and from this view, I did not see a piece of art, but rather of piece of work who was explaining to his girlfriend why a black canvas with a yellow stripe was art.
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| The interior of the National Art Gallery |
5. The War Museum. I didn't take any pictures. I was feeling a little in awe and a lot respectful after the War Memorial and all I had seen in the Capital. This is a must see while in Ottawa. The museum covers the history of conflicts Canada has been involved with, and ranges from dioramas on the French and English wars, to tactile displays on WWI and WWII, to videos memorials of soldiers killed most recently in Afghanistan. A sobering but very important museum to visit/
6. The Museum of Civilization. Technically you leave Ottawa to see this, but you probably won't even know you did it. On one side of the river is Ottawa, crossing the river to get to the museum you are suddenly in Hull, Quebec, which is actually just the oldest part of the current city of Gatineau, Quebec. The river separating the two cities, and two provinces....The Gatineau of course.
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| Totem poles in a stunning lobby |
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| I really didn't intend for this photo to look quite like this |
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| The Gatineau...dividing two cities |
7. The Canals. Pretty to look at year round, they are popular ice skating paths in the winter.
8. The Markets. Which I have no picture of because I never went, but tourists love markets!
9. And because it's one of the places in Canada where you can lose a small dog in the pile of red maple leafs on the jogging trail. I didn't have my camera for that, but did take a photo of a few red leaves on the ground, as the type of trees we have out west mostly go yellow and fall rather than red
10. To find all the stuff I missed seeing while I was in meetings :)
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