my encounter with the nation's capital

last weekend, i went to ottawa for the first time. i was surprised by two things, the size of the city (i was expecting it to be larger and later found out it is tied with calgary as the fourth largest city in canada) and how clean the city is! i got to see a lot of ottawa in two days. on saturday, i went on a grayline bus tour of the city. it was quite the adventure. the plan was to take a double decker bus tour, but it happened that this was the weekend they decided to take the buses to the shop for maintenance. instead, we were escorted around on a huge air conditioned coach line bus. the bus made a stop at rideau hall and i decided to stop there, tour the grounds and see where the governor general lives. unfortunately, the next bus, which was supposed to come and pick everyone up at this stop, broke down and left us stranded at rideau hall for an hour. after finally returning to downtown ottawa, i wandered around the grounds of parliament hill, reading about the several monuments (i.e. queen victoria, laurier, queen elizabeth, etc). then it was off to the byward market, to do some more adventuring and get some dinner. i really enjoyed the farmer's market and all the little shops scattered along the streets. on sunday, i made a stop at the national art gallery. there was an modernist photographs exhibit that i wanted to see, plus i had heard that there was a large contemporary art section in the gallery. the national art gallery is massive. not only that, the architecture of the building, both inside and out, is impressive. most of the time i was not only astonished by the works of art, but at the design of the rooms they were in. after the national art gallery, i went on a tour of the parliament buildings. my favourite room was the library. it left me in awe. i was able to go up to the top of the peace tower, where you have great of ottawa and hull.

here are the links to the photos i took:
downtown venues: ottawa (part I)
downtown venues: ottawa (part II)
downtown venues: ottawa (part III)
inside+out: parliament (part I)
inside+out: parliament (part II)

around centre-ville

today i went to the musee des beaux-arts to check out two exhibtions - one on the work of emily carr and another entitled american streamlined design, which featured modern design in the american home (everything being streamline). items included radios, kitchen items, tools, and furniture. it was interesting to see the progression of design through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

on the way to the museum, i noticed another exhibition on university street. all down the sidewalk, there was a series of themed photographs mounted. for each theme, there was a photograph taken during the first half of the 20th century and a complementary photograph from the second half of the 20th century. below is my favourite, from the 'at home' theme.



also, i came across some a billboard and sculpture that i liked.

la fete nationale

this weekend is a holiday in quebec to celebrate and honour st-jean baptiste on june 23rd and 24th.

vieux-montreal

when wandering the streets of old montreal, i found this written on the wall of a building.

golden

feelgood by numbers

they have come back from the dead!!

pile of gold

summer in the city

visiting friends

last week, my friend allison came to visit me. she got to see a lot in four days. we went to chinatown, old montreal, the old port, mont-royal park, st-viateur bagels and downtown on st-catherine & crescent. we didn't make it up mont-royal or to any of the markets. the grand prix was going on while she was here and st-laurent (the street by my house) was blocked off to cars and full of people thursday, friday, and saturday. it was very busy.



click here for more photos

bonne fete

it seems that june is the month of birthdays. on wednesday is my roommate's birthday and thursday is her best friend's birthday. then at the end of the month there is my birthday. we had a party on saturday for the birthday girls. chat got in on the celebration.

elusive signs

on the weekend i went to the musee d'art contemporain. currently, there is an exhibition by bruce nauman which features neon sculptures and light installations. the pieces were both amazing feats and very witty. i never thought i would see neon signage used as an art medium. i have included some photos of pieces that were part of the exhibit.

my favourite piece (the first image below) was entitled "one hundred live and die" - a huge wall covered in life and death phrases, which lit up one phrase at a time and then in each section. it was mesmerizing to watch.

rainbow silhouette

my favourite building in montreal. the whole side of the building is mutli-coloured panes of glass.