2010 Race 2 Finish travel blog

we caught the tour bus back into town, getting off at the...

this eliminates having to take the whole tour loop again and we...

the Laurier Hotel is putting on some new copper roofing

very flashy when it's new

then it weathers to a rich green patina as it ages

on our way to lunch we passed the War Memorial

a moving monument to courage and sacrifice

the monument is circled with busts and sculpture of Canadian hereos

and heroines - this woman ratted out the American army to the...

the heros are good about posing for pictures with you

Thayenganegea - a Mohawk warrior chief who allied with the British

 

after lunch downtown we caught the next bus for the Civilization Museum...

the museum's Grand Hall

 

the current exhibit is on six west coast First Nation cultures

the first was Salish

inside the recreated lodge were art objects

and other artifacts

the next lodge - but we didn't get the name

there were many fine examples of totem pole art

 

 

 

 

the Kwakiutl were known for their potlatch give-aways

typical items that might be given away in today's potlatches

 

the poles give Madolyn scale!

 

exquisite art

 

combining beauty with utility

 

 

 

 

 

through the windows the National Gallery in the distance

this box is decorated with porcupine quills

there were great exhibits of clothing

functional and decorative

ceremonial both traditional and modern

the art was dazzling

this artist must have had a run in with a porcupine -...

Inuit whalers

 

 

face of an Inuit woman

they used whale bone to frame their lodges

a prehistoric bison skull with wicked big horns

Canada goose decoy

the Horse exhibit

it opened with several recreations of early horse species

 

cave paintings from France that are thousands of years old

 

this one is the earliest and is estimated to be 30,000 years...

horsey statistics

shown here with 'horse's best friend'

except for the heads everything else is pretty much the same

horses used in war

 

'war' of a different sort - for the veddy veddy rich

Chinese terra cotta horse

horses in a classical relief

built for running

this one built for heavy work

surely the cowboy's best friend

an early use of the horse's strength and speed

the exhibit closed with this sculpture

 

we took the bus back to Ottawa and got off at Notre...

where Madolyn took these pictures

 

across the street is the National Gallery with this spider that just...

it's name is "Mother"

because she carries these eggs

you just never know what will come hatching out of an egg

a block away is the American Embassy - four stories above the...

but we can't end on 'creepy' so we'll end with this


The Canadian Museum of Civilization

Thursday afternoon

We spent the afternoon in Gatineau, Quebec, visiting the Canadian Museum of Civilization. We had two hours to see a museum that could keep you entertained for a week. Highlights were their exhibits on First Nation People and Cultures, and a special exhibit devoted to the Horse. It was a day for horses, and the exhibit only added to our admiration for this fantastic animal friend.

We caught the Tour Bus back to Ottawa and ended the day with a visit to Notre Dame Cathedral and a leisurely walk back downtown to catch our shuttle. Two days in Ottawa is just enough to give you a taste for more, and to think that we almost skipped coming here. Toronto, Montreal, Quebec City and Ottawa are so different from each other that it’s hard to compare them, but of the four Ottawa was hard to beat.

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