Ya leave for a while, (busy, yadda, yadda, yadda) and look what happens, the world changes! Finally, my town of Ottawa in high rez! I can only just throw a few sites out there...there are so many and so little time, and I am sure expats like gbonny would like to trump me.

I will endeavor to take pictures and show you all what these places look like from the side, may have to wait for the summer when I get a break from the wirlwind job!

Just officially opened...the new Canadian National War Museum, on the banks of the Ottawa River. Opened on the 60th anniversary of VE Day, attended by a parade of vets from WWII.

The museum is a work of art that has garnered praise from anyone who has seen it...it looks essentially like a bunker, with not a single straight wall in the place. It features a copper clad spike that is aimed to the Peace Tower. On November 11, at 11:00am, sunlight will illuminate a plaque for the unkown soldier.

I have pictures of the building under construction, and of the ceremony...more to come.

Read about it at the website for the Canadian War Museum

Between the famous Market and Major Hill's Park, (which is across the Ottawa Canal from Parliment Hill) is the Embassy of the United States of America. It is shaped like a boat and is a pretty recent building. All was well till after 9/11 then the concrete barricades and steel caissons went up blocking a couple lanes of traffic, not making the local folk happy.

Embassy of the United States of America

KML is the Dow's Lake end of the World's Longest Skating Rink, the Rideau Canal. Follow the canal north from this lake to get a sense of the length of this 160 year old portion of the 200km canal.. Real fun skating the length of the canal (7.8km rink) in -30 degree weather! The other end of the canal is the locks between Parliment Hill and the Chateau Laurier Hotel. So much history!

World's Longest Skating Rink

No guarantees as I haven't been to Ottawa yet and this place gets very little press -- I believe this is the official residence of our Prime Minister. For the next few weeks anyway, that's Paul Martin!

And here is the British High Commission

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Phil, UK

The Canadian Museum of Civilization presents over 10,000 years of Canada's pre-history, history and culture. The Museum building is an architectural masterpiece -- a symbolic depiction of a land sculpted by winds, waters and glaciers at the end of the Ice Age, when humans first crossed into Canada from Asia.

The National Gallery of Canada is a visual arts museum of international stature. Located in one of the most spectacular sites in Ottawa - along Ottawa�s historic ByWard Market - the National Gallery overlooks the Ottawa River and the Parliament Buildings. Its award-winning architecture, featuring the luminous Great Hall, spacious galleries, and interior gardens and courtyards, is in itself worth the visit.

Just a link to my old, that is, obsolete, overlay of Ottawa, and my earlier posts with homesick personal comments on a few favorite Ottawa spots.

Sorry to be picky but technically a british embassy in a Commonwealth Nation is not an embassy rather it is a British High Commission.