1000 Places To See IN THE USA AND CANADA Before You Die

The Civic Heart of Canada


PARLIAMENT HILL

Ottawa, Ontario

Before a stalwart stone hall, regiments of red-coated ceremonial guards present arms and march in stiff formation to their posts, accompanied by the beat of the drums and the blast of bagpipes. You are forgiven a moment of spatial disorientation, but you're not in London. The Changing of the Guard at Ottawa's Parliament Hill is a colorful reminder of Canada's continuing place in the British commonwealth.

Ottawa has come a ways since 1857, when Queen Victoria named the muddy lumber town as capital of the new and united Province of Canada, which joined the former colonies of French-speaking lower Canada (now Quebec) and English-speaking Upper Canada (now mostly Ontario).

Today, Ottawa is a vital, fascinating city, full of the pomp and beauty of a world capital. High on a bluff above the Ottawa River, Parliament Hill is the political epicenter of Canada. Rising above manicured grounds are three massive, castlelike buildings surmounted by towers and steep, verdigris copper roofs. The Centre Block, containing the chambers of the House of Commons and the Senate, is the largest, with a single campanile rising high above the structure's two wings. Known as the Peace Tower, the campanile stands over 300 feet tall, and was completed in 1927 to commemorate Canada's 60,000 dead in WW1; it's now dedicated to all Canadians who have given their lives for their country. The tower houses a carillon, a set of 53 bells sounded from a keyboard. An elevator runs to the Peace Tower's observation deck, with fantastic views over the parliamentary precinct and the Ottawa River. Free guided tours of the Centre Block are offered daily (though not all areas may be available when Parliament is in session).

Flanking the Centre Block are the oldest buildings on Parliament Hill--the East and West Blocks, built in the 1860s in High Victorian Gothic style. The East Block first housed the offices of the British governor general and the Privy Council, and later, the Canadian prime minister. The West Block, containing parliamentary offices, is closed to the public.

VISITOR INFO: www.parl.gc.ca CHANGING OF THE GUARD: 10-10:30 A.M. daily, late June-late Aug (weather permitting).