Ottawa

This weekend we had the opportunity to spend some time in Ottawa in the early morning (read not so many tourists lol).

Looking up at the Peace Tower of the Center Block of Parliament

Brianna standing under the archway of the Peace Tower

The Cats of Parliament Hill. This cat sanctuary is on the Parliament grounds.  6 (fixed) male and female cats reside on Parliament Hill and are taken care of by volunteers. Brianna got some lovings from Fluffy, the cat in the center of this picture. **As it turns out, I'm especially glad that we made this trip as the Cats have all been adopted and the Cat Sanctuary is being torn down. As sad time on Parliament Hill**

The Centennial Flame. It was lit with Prime Minister Lester B. Person on Jan 1st, 1967 for the event of Canada's 100 year anniversary as a Confederation. Around the flame is the shields from 12 of Canada's provinces and territories (Nunavut is not included as it only became a territory in 1999) and along the bench is the date each province/territory joined Confederation and their official flower. Brianna thought it was great that even though it was freezing out, the water from the fountain was warm.

Brianna was just over the moon to see the Terry Fox monument that we talked about while studying Terry Fox in September. We spent a lot more time on Parliament Hill than with this monument but yet it's the one she talks about the most!

The National War Memorial. This memorial was originally build in remembrance for World War  I. However, it was  completed in October 1938 and officially unveiled by King George VI on May 21, 1939, just months before World War II started. It was later rededicated to include WWII and the Korean War. In 2000, the Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was added to the base of the monument.

The Canadian Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This soldier originally died and was buried in France during WWI. The remains were exhumed  in 2000 and flown to Ottawa. The honoured soldier had a full funeral procession to the National War Memorial. Then, with appropriate ceremony, the body of the unknown soldier was re-interred in a sarcophagus in front of the War Memorial. You can see in this pic the first of what will be a sea of poppies placed there by passer-by in honour of the Unknown Soldier.

Brianna loved seeing all the cool stuff in just a small 2 block area. Because Ottawa is Canada's Capital, it would take weeks or even months to be able to see everything Ottawa has to offer, but at least we got a good little start!