Passing Ottawa
October 19th 2008 03:06
Ottawa is clean, spacious, nice, laidback...
I didn't see the change of guards in front of the stately Parliament building; instead I saw a group of protesters in place holding blue balloons and signs, but it was peaceful and quiet like a community meeting. The protest was about disappeared daughters and sons and accused the government for not taking more actions and not "giving a fuck" (according to one speaker) to their loved ones. The high, blinding autumn sun somehow looked like a solace and balm and people were more resigned than emotional.
The scenes along the city canal and the parks in the fall were incredibly beautiful, clear with multicolored fall foliage, and the very air was charged with cool freshness and a transparency penetrated by the clearest sunlight. The paths and parks looked largely empty.
It's a bit surprising to see a large experimental farm, spreading out almost in the middle of the city. Traffic never seemed to be busy. Some streets and neighborhoods not far from the city center had the tranquil charm of small towns. One doesn't see so many monuments standing out everywhere as in DC; even the monument of Her Majesty the Queen on Parliament Hill looked really unpresumptuous...
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