Ottawa, Ontario - Parliament, the Supreme Court, and the national emblem

Many Canadian cities, including Ottawa, participate in an annual event known as Doors Open. These events originated in Scotland, where the public was invited to come to buildings of historical and/or architectural significance - often places where they normally aren't permitted entry, and take part in tours, presentations, etc. to learn about the heritage of their city. Click here for some more background on the Doors Open concept if you're curious.

This weekend is Doors Open Ottawa, and there are 108 locations - far too many to see in one weekend so you have to pick and choose. We chose Parliament and the Supreme Court.

Reflection of some Parliamentary office buildings


The Supreme Court of Canada


In the entryway


Where the big decisions get made


What the Supreme Court Justices wear. Yes, there's lots of pomp and circumstance left over from being associated with the British for so long. (Pardon the odd camera angle; it's the only one where light from the windows wasn't reflecting back into the camera.)


The Centre Block of Parliament. The tower in the middle is called the Peace Tower.


The East Block. There's a West Block too but I didn't snap a pic of that. The rooftops of all the Parliament Buildings, incidentally, are green because they are made out of copper.


Mountie and me. Mountie is short for Royal Canadian Mounted Police, or RCMP. It's Canada's answer to the USA's FBI. The fountain behind us has national and provincial symbols on it and the Centennial Flame in the middle. In the far background is the Centre Block and Peace Tower.


I know I'm really supposed to be looking at the statue of former Prime Minister John A. Macdonald above, but this statue underneath him really caught my eye. It's so graceful and majestic.


The detail is incredible. This photo doesn't do it justice.


View of the Ottawa River from Parliament Hill


The Library of Parliament


Inside the Centre Block - the architecture is stunning.




View from inside the Peace Tower


A Mari usque ad Mare ("From Sea to Sea"), Canada's motto, was derived from Psalm 72:8 in the Bible. The beaver is an emblem of Canada, and has had a greater impact on the history and exploration of Canada than any other animal or plant species. (more)


Speak of the devil...

Despite having previously lived in Beaverton, Oregon - a town named for the once-plentiful beavers in that area, we never saw even one until we came to Canada. Here, they're everywhere - from wilderness to public parks to large lawns in the middle of town.

Here, a mother beaver brings some food for her babies, to their home right on the Parliament lawn. This was a lucky shot - she was running fast.


She has some beautiful babies.


3 babies


Mom comes out to investigate us. Look how she uses her little hands to eat.




Uh-oh. Mom is really gonna check me out, now.


I was crouching to take their pictures. She got about a foot or so from me, and would have gotten even closer, but her sudden dash in my direction startled me and I almost fell backward. (Do these things bite?) What a beautiful creature she is.

Ottawa, Ontario - Wild rabbit

If you like wildlife, Canada is for you. The population is tiny in comparison to the huge land mass, so you're never far from the bush. In addition, Canadian cities seem to be much better planned than most American cities, with greenbelts and parkland distributed around town to make nature even more accessible. So even if you are in a metropolitan area, it's still common to see animals around. We've seen beavers, rabbits, Canada Geese, ducks, ospreys, robins, bluejays, lots of other birds, and tons of squirrels - all in metro areas.

This beautiful wild rabbit was in the greenbelt only about 4 metres (12 feet) from a major thoroughfare. Unfortunately I only had my camera phone with me, so these aren't the best quality, but worth sharing nonetheless.

Ottawa, Ontario - Richard Stallman speaks at Parliament Hill

If you don't know who Richard M. Stallman (a.k.a. RMS) is, and why I was so thrilled to meet him and hear him speak at Parliament Hill today, it's worth checking out what he's all about. In short, he is a champion of free computer software (free as in freedom) and he fights for computer users' rights. He also wrote the GNU General Public License, commonly known as the GPL. If you are used to using proprietary software like Microsoft Windows, Microsoft Office, Internet Explorer, and Adobe Photoshop, to name a few examples, you may not even realize the rights you've signed away in order to use them and the way it can cause big problems later on. Here are a few websites on the subject:

What is free software and why is is so important for society?

The philosophy behind free software

Free Software Foundation - Founded by Richard Stallman, the FSF fights for essential rights for computer users

GNU - used with the Linux kernel to make a completely free operating system

On to my pics:

Stallman (at left) prepares for his speech


Speaking on the steps of Parliament


Stallman's tongue-in-cheek persona: a saint in the Church of Emacs---Saint IGNUcius. This is his way of not taking himself too seriously. It's actually pretty cute. (There's a better pic here. More about this character here.)


All this, and I didn't even get an autograph. {mentally kicking self} Oh well, next time.