A visit of Ottawa's Peace Tower | Correr Es Mi Destino

Woman On Top

28 January 2008 28 Comments

… On top of the city, of course. What else were you thinking, seriously? I know I’m French, but still!

On Saturday, I took a walk on Parliament Hill, downtown Ottawa, and decided to go up in the Peace Tower. At 300 feet (almost 100 m) tall, the tower was built to commemorate the end of WW1.

I usually go visit the Parliament once or twice a year, more if I bring my students there. I like the place: the brain of the country and also a beautiful heritage building. Despite the post 9/11 extensive security, visits are still free, including regular guided tours in both French and English. As long as they go through security scanning, visitors can also choose to visit the Parliament by themselves. I find that great. I love the fact that everyone can have free and clear access to a symbol of democracy. I appreciate that Ottawa refused to live in a state of fear.

The Hill is home to concerts, show, ceremonies and a daily flurry of MP’s. This Saturday was pretty quiet though, mostly because it was way below 0C. After a 5 minutes security check, I climbed a few stairs and arrived in front of the elevator’s door to go up.

The Peace Tower is quite majestic. Once up there, if you look up you can see the big clock (built in the US!) on top of the tower.

Here are a few views of Ottawa: the National Art Galleries and the numerous bridges to Quebec, and the Museum Of Civilization on Quebec’s side.

The US Embassy and the National Art Galleries area.

Some Parliament buildings and a view of Ottawa’s business district.

I spent about an hour up there, admiring the clear view. Isn’t it nice?

Just curious… can you visit your own Parliament, wherever you live? In France, the Élysée Palace isn’t open to public…

28 Comments »

The Locks At Dusk | Correr Es Mi Destino said:

[...] what the heck the capital looks like. The city is busier than usual as groups gather in front of the Parliament, around the Byward Market or nearby the Rideau [...]

# 28 June 2009 at 12:13 pm

Graham said:

Your photographs are beautiful. You always manage to capture the perfect pictures.

In England, you can visit Parliament at Westminster. I have been several times and leant over the balcony to listen to the debates. However, it takes soooooo long to geth through the security checks before you can get in…lol!

Thanks for sharing the wonderful building with us
Graham’s last blog post..An Introduction to One Man’s Travel Blog

# 7 February 2008 at 6:47 pm

Zhu (author) said:

Johnada: if you go on my Flickr album, you’ll see a bigger picture and you can spot the spider. It’s big enough
Deadpoolite: hey soldier, shot anyone yet? You probably don’t need to visit your Parliament, so many others nice building is Greece… I mean, I think the Parliament is one the oldest stuff we have around, unlike you and your Parthenon!

Jay Cam: it does, by Parliament I meant any place of power… Apparently, it’s US visits only though.

Rudy: yeah, snow is pretty much a part of the lanscape for 6 months a year!

JoAnn: thank you! I know quite a lot of people here now, I have been there for a few years. People are really friendly too, it helps! Have you ever been to visit your cousin?

Alexander: thank you!

RennyBA: oh oh, I think I know what you’re talking about… I’ll be over in a sec!