Ottawaopia
I was told that Montreal had some impressive architecture. I didn’t see much during my time there. Ottawa on the other hand does have quite a few interesting buildings. Plus they were hosting a BBQ cook-off! Ottawa 1, Montreal 0.
Parliament Funkadelic
Met up with a CouchSurfer in Ottawa today to share some poutine. After lining my gut with this mess of a stomach-bomb, I ventured out on my bike across the city to check out the Parliament building. I managed to talk my way into getting exclusive access WITH photo permissions to document their law library. Normally photos aren’t allowed, but it must have been the poutine on my breath that convinced them I wasn’t a threat to national security. Below is a panorama from the second floor of the library.
Star Wars Identities Exhibition
During my bike tour of Montreal I passed by the Montreal Science Centre and saw an advert for a new Star Wars exhibit. The posters were REALLY cool (you’ll want to look closely at them), and so I decided to pay the entrance fee to check it out. It had all kinds of original drawings of Yoda, Jabba and more, as well as film props such as Han Solo’s carbonite prison, Anakin Skywalker’s full-size podracer, tons of alien models used in the filming, and even costumes worn by Siths, Jedis, Wookies and Princesses. If the exhibit comes to a town near you, I’d recommend checking it out.
Montreal Bike Tour
Hopped on the “Architecture Bike Tour” through Montreal today hoping to see some cool buildings. I saw one. Plus a dome that the American’s (North) left over from the World’s Fair.
Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount-Royal
I don’t think I was supposed to climb all the way up to the top of the dome, but I discovered a door that was left ajar that looked like it would give me a great vantage point of the oratory from above. Never one to leave a stone un-turned I set off to explore. I climbed, and climbed and climbed, and then climbed some more stairs until I found myself at the tippy top. Some really great panoramic views of the city from up there — unfortunately the windows don’t open and were pretty dirty so photos wouldn’t do it justice. I also discovered what appeared to be cellular tower servers of some sort. I guess since it’s one of the taller buildings in the area they lease out the space to telecom companies. Or maybe that’s just how they communicate with God, via text messages.
