Oh canada, terre de nos aïeux.. this is the national anthem of this country where i’ve spent 2 weeks last november. Here are few samples of my sketchbook : drawings and watercolor of Ottawa in Autumn covered by the red maple leaves. Outdoor sketching was a bit difficult with the “close to zero” temperatures. (Restaurant on Preston Street)
Canada is a very different city compared to the european one. Found in the 1800′s, ans proclaimed capital of canadain 1857, most of the buldings are still standing : a very quiet capital with very few history compare to thoses on the old continent. (Here is a detail of the parliament building).
Another particularity of the city is the huge concentration of massive 19th century chateauesque buldings such as the “Laurier chateau”. (detail on picture), such bulding we can see in bavaria with the Neuschwanstein castel of Ludwig 2). Like a fairy tale except that thethis one is hauted by his owner who drowned with the titanic few days before the opening of the castle).
A common view when you come in the new world are the emergency stairs in all the buildings, so not only in U.s but in Canada as well… wich is‚ not part of the USA. Canada is canada ! Even if the streets are North-South and East-West, people inside are really different : nothing happens in this country : no murder, no crime, et.. the most significative crime over there are driving slightly over the speed limits and the bike theft…. so a bitdifferent compare to thier neighboor.
A view of‚ chinatowon in the afternoon, i did get my favorite lights there : the orange and razing ray of light before thesunset. So chinatown is located in somerset street (on the picture), one of the fourth street with life. Life in a sense that there are some human presence in the streets (Canada is a very quiet country). Many chinese shops and restaurant there.
The rideau Canal (on the picture), the most famous thing in Ottawa because Ottawa exists thanks to this canal, found by mister By. After few years of military use, then commercial use, then touristic use, the ottawa City Council decided few 30 years ago (or more) to make all what was needeed to tranform it into the biggest ice rink in the World… with some 8 Km of length; this worth a view and a try if you are in Ottawa in‚ February. (I had to come back to see that then !)
Another interresting thing in Ottawa is the serie of Locks (on the picture) to make the boats climb some 20 meters of‚ height.A serie of 7 pf them are located just between the laurier chateau and the parliament hill, and boast the oldest building of Ottawa : the house of Mister By, wich originaly call his town by his name : “By town”.
And the last thing i’ve discovered here is the North american Indian culture wich was really huge before Mr Colomb… called the pre-Columbian art. I’ve discovered that most of the things we know about indian is relatively new and did happens after the invasion of america. So, i did get interrest into this not-yet dead civilisation wich is completely amazing.
Now can i read a totem-pole ! This civilisation is still present but you had to go further to the west and reach the British Columbia to get the most of it… another good reason to come back to Canada…
(my colored version of an ancient indian drawing)
