Where's Nifty?! #2

Tessa, I think that you will raise the interest in tourism for Estonia!
Lovely photos, and as Peter said, this is what we love.. viewing a place through the eyes and camera of the people who live there. You are doing a great job of hosting. Thanks for signing up!

Sorry for the lapse in posting photos from Ottawa. Between crummy weather and a little brain blip which had me accidentally taking an outing's worth of shots using the wrong 50mm lens, I haven't had much to post. Rather than continue waiting for the weather gods to give me something pretty to work with, I'll post what I can.

Ottawa isn't Canada's largest city or it's most glamorous. It isn't even the best known. But, it is the country's capital and so we've got all sorts of trappings that come with being the seat of government.

1. Parliament Hill. Canada is a parliamentary democracy and our parliament is housed in this building, the Centre Block. Its landmark tower is called the Peace Tower and honors Canadian war dead. I shot this as a five image panorama and stiched it in Photoshop.

Tessa wrote in post #15639233
For example "hallitus" - in Estonian it means "mold", in Finnish it's the word for "government"...

So essentially the same thing.

Time to find a couple weeks and several thousand dollars for a plane ticket.

Canada is also a constitutional monarchy which means we get to share Great Britian's monarch as well as a lot of pageantry that goes with it. Whether the monarchy should be abolished is continually debated in Canada. Two queens (and no kings) are honoured with statues on the grounds of Parliament Hill.

Her Majesty Elizabeth the Second, by the Grace of God of the United Kingdom, Canada and Her other Realms and Territories Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith It's a bit longish, but that's how Queen Elizabeth II is titled here in Canada. The statue of her on Parliament Hill is rather unique in that the sculptor depicted her on horseback.

Queen Victoria. In 1857, Queen Elizabeth's great-great-grandmother, Queen Victoria chose Ottawa for Canada's permanent national capital. It was considered better defendable against attack from outside and the residents less likely to take part in unruly and violent political protests than some of the other capital choices.

I'm glad you guys like the pictures, I will try to do my best. Nifty isn't the easiest lens to use for travel type photography (if you ever come to Tallinn, bring a wide angle!), but it has definitely been fun.

So, let's move out of the Old Town and into city center.

#1 Just a regular street shot to start things off. Buses, trams and lots of glass.

Parliamentary Library. On the back of the Centre Block of Parliament is the Parliamentary Library. It sits right at the back of the grounds quite close to the high cliff over the Ottawa River.

Tessa, your pictures are a real treat. We learn about European geography at school and so I know where your country is located. Actually Estonia and Latvia are very much connected in my mind as the two small north eastern countries just south of Finland and north of Poland. But to me, as a resident of a rich north western European country and despite the EU, Estonia could just as well have been on the moon, especially during the old Sovjet era. So for me it is absolutely wonderful to have Estonia come to life through your images. Very very nice indeed.
So much history in that old town. Lovely!

AE12XTI you are showing us some wonderful views of Canada! Although most of us know where that is, like the USA there is a lot of territory to discover. Those are some fantastic monuments and buildings. I traveled through Canada in the last century but I'm not sure if I went through Ottawa. It might have been a bit south for my end destination..

Tessa..like I said, it looks like the tourist industry with have a few POTN photographers visiting this coming year!

A couple more shots from Parliament Hill in Ottawa.

Summer Gazebo. This pretty little gazebo always strikes me as a little out of place in the shadow of the Gothic buildings on the Hill.

Tessa, the architecture in your town is fabulous. I'm especially intrigued by the 'cross between the Middle Ages & Star Wars'. It's hard to imagine how/why they decided to do that to that old building.

AE12XTI wrote in post #15641913
Tessa, the architecture in your town is fabulous. I'm especially intrigued by the 'cross between the Middle Ages & Star Wars'.

Thanks. Those were old mill buildings that have been turned into awesome stores, apartments and offices.

I love the Canadian pics you are posting, beautiful architecture. I think I have read about the cat sanctuary somewhere, sounds so familiar.

joayne wrote in post #15641219
Tessa..like I said, it looks like the tourist industry with have a few POTN photographers visiting this coming year!

The more the merrier *grin*

Well, it's 6 AM and I'm heading out for some fun events (yes there will be pictures!), but right now - some sea related stuff.

#1 Cruise ship Silja Europa at Port of Tallinn. This is a very busy port with around 7 million passengers a year, most traveling between Tallinn and Helsinki.

Man, I've really gotta make it to Estonia one day. Looks beautiful!

Also, I love the Estonian language. There's an Estonian folk metal band that I quite like, and even though I have no idea what they're saying, it sounds really awesome!

Tessa, I love the repetition happening in Image #5 and the tilted Olympic symbol in Image #8 is so beautifully reflected.

Last photos from Parliament Hill in Ottawa. Amidst all the staid statues of long-ago politicians, is a multi-piece sculpture recognizing the Famous Five, five women who fought a successful battle in 1929 to have women recognized by law as "persons". This installation depicts their celebration when "The Persons Case" was won.

Glad to know we are "Persons"!
I hope you have the vote! lol