Ottawa, in pictures.

I have been living in Ottawa for several months now, and have possession of one of those new-fangled "mobile phone" contraptions the youngsters use nowadays to annoy other travellers on trains and take photos with when kicking people into a coma. I, however, have not used it for such anti-social purposes, but have contented myself with photographing the city and making occasional calls to family and friends. Some of the results follow.

Ottawa being in Canada, pictures of snow are pretty much obligatory. In the winter months the temperature frequently dropped to 20 below, and the city looked like this:





Springtime in Ottawa is a slight improvement. Here is a picture of an early April blizzard:



...ok, ok. That was just a freak spring snowstorm. It can actually get quite nice. This is Sussex street in the early evening, taken using the panoramic picture function (which splices together 3 photos):



On the same evening, the view from the steps of the Notre Dame Basilica (click for larger version). Note the symbolism: the spider, representing Satan, advances in the centre, flanked by the seat of the worldly power he promised Christ (the Canadian parliament, on the left) and the empty vanities of the world (the national arts centre, on the right). Such are the powers arraigned against the Church, and against the believer who seeks her refuge.



More panoramic images - Rideau street:



And, at night, the view from MacKenzie-King Bridge:




In fact, even King Edward street can look nice at night - this is the view from the upper stories of the Quality Hotel:



(By day, the MacKenzie-King bridge looks like this:



King Edward St., however, looks considerably grimmer.)


Now, Ottawa is not as lively and cultured as, say, Montreal, where the air seems to veritably vibrate with art and beauty and frenchness. Nevertheless, interesting things do happen here. For instance, eating my shreddies in the morning, I find:



No, your eyes do not deceive you. That is a four-fold shreddie. Truly, this is a city of wonders.

But the curiosities do not end there. The other day, I went to use the toilets in our institute, and what did I see?



A refridgerator. Relieving itself.



Obstruction of the toilets may be forgiven this fridge, however, as it showed a commendable and chivalrous concern for the weaker and more vulnerable in society. Witness:



On the wildlife front, here is a dog, staring out of an SUV:



I am unsure what this bird is. I initially suspected it of being a Canada Goose, that infamous and spiteful avian which recently brought down a passenger aircraft over Houston, but a quick consultation with Wikipedia indicated that Canada Geese look totally different.



For now, this is all. Perhaps more may follow.