Well team-o supreme-o nothing much happened today in the way of visiting museums, crashing Parliment, or any other such nonsense. Really not even much out-of-the-car-ness happened today. The weather was lookin' rather dismal and I was feelin' rather lazy, so Chris and I just drove around Ottawa and area for a solid 5 or so hours. We stopped briefly at a mall (and there was much rejoicing throughout the land) and stopped briefly to watch a freighter sail/ship/float/technical language down the river. Other than that, it was time well spent with the Man of Steele himself, in his super cool car with New Brunswich plates. Tomorrow I head out to visit my Grand-parents (for they are ever so grand <3) in Windsor area. I probably won't have much for internet in the next couple days so the updates will be few and far between. Then again, I will just be chillin with the fam and there shouldn't be much more to update than that. So mon ami(e) consider yourselves updated.
A special and supremely thankful shout out to Gary and Arlene for housing me in my time of need. You were truly a blessing and it was great to reconnect with you. May God continue to bless you and may you continue to do his work so wonderfully.
Your trundling and loving friend,
Julia
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Day 2 ish...
Well peoples, I am uber le tired tonight. It was another big day so I'm just going to write a brief little note.
Today Arlene took me back downtown and we attempted to get a tour of Parliment but the lines were too long so we gave up. We walked around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and it again reminded me what a great country we have and how many people have given time, money, and even there lives without others understanding their full sacrifice. We also did a more thorough look around in the ByWard Market. I could spend some serious cash there, but thankfully my will power was strong enough and I made it out unscathed. We visited the Canadian Mint, but due to my cheapness and a lack of time we didn't do the full tour. I did however get to hold a 24K gold bar weighing roughly 28 pound. The security guard told me that it was worth about half a million. I wanted to take it home with me as a souvenir but as it was chained to a concrete pedestal and there was a military dude standing right beside me it didn't quite work out.
Around 2 I met up with Chris again and we drove down to see the Prime Minister's house. We almost missed it haha. Thankfully, there was a strong RCMP presence and we were tipped off just in time. We then took in the Canadian War Museum. It is so hard not to be patriotic when surrounded by stories of Canada's contributions in WWI and WWII amongst many other wars, battles, and peace keeping missions. While touring the museum we had the pleasure of talking to a gentleman who served during the Cold War. He volunteers at the museum and wanders around telling people about what he has experienced. I felt so honoured to have someone who put their life on the line for me want to talk to me and ask me questions about my life. After the war museum, we went to the Museum of Civilization. It was a very cool museum with an entire floor that had replica houses, shops, schools, etc from significant periods in Canada's history and from major regions in Canada. It was much like the Western Development Museum but on a much greater scale. Inside of the Museum of Civilization there was a small subsection dedicated to the history of the postal service. It was also very intriguing. The most eye watching area was a room in which stamps from way back through to today were displayed.
The weather was significantly less pleasant today but overall it was a great day. Again, I have learned a lot, seen a lot, and even had some time to just enjoy nature.
Much love and sweet dreams,
Julia
Today Arlene took me back downtown and we attempted to get a tour of Parliment but the lines were too long so we gave up. We walked around the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and it again reminded me what a great country we have and how many people have given time, money, and even there lives without others understanding their full sacrifice. We also did a more thorough look around in the ByWard Market. I could spend some serious cash there, but thankfully my will power was strong enough and I made it out unscathed. We visited the Canadian Mint, but due to my cheapness and a lack of time we didn't do the full tour. I did however get to hold a 24K gold bar weighing roughly 28 pound. The security guard told me that it was worth about half a million. I wanted to take it home with me as a souvenir but as it was chained to a concrete pedestal and there was a military dude standing right beside me it didn't quite work out.
Around 2 I met up with Chris again and we drove down to see the Prime Minister's house. We almost missed it haha. Thankfully, there was a strong RCMP presence and we were tipped off just in time. We then took in the Canadian War Museum. It is so hard not to be patriotic when surrounded by stories of Canada's contributions in WWI and WWII amongst many other wars, battles, and peace keeping missions. While touring the museum we had the pleasure of talking to a gentleman who served during the Cold War. He volunteers at the museum and wanders around telling people about what he has experienced. I felt so honoured to have someone who put their life on the line for me want to talk to me and ask me questions about my life. After the war museum, we went to the Museum of Civilization. It was a very cool museum with an entire floor that had replica houses, shops, schools, etc from significant periods in Canada's history and from major regions in Canada. It was much like the Western Development Museum but on a much greater scale. Inside of the Museum of Civilization there was a small subsection dedicated to the history of the postal service. It was also very intriguing. The most eye watching area was a room in which stamps from way back through to today were displayed.
The weather was significantly less pleasant today but overall it was a great day. Again, I have learned a lot, seen a lot, and even had some time to just enjoy nature.
Much love and sweet dreams,
Julia
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
And so it begins...
Well friends, family, and all other lovely peoples who by chance are reading this, my trip has begun.
This is my first blog ever and I've got to be honest -- it's a little weird. I'm really wondering if people care enough to read this, but I guess this is just as much for me (maybe more) as it is for others. So here we go.
On October 24th, I said goodbye to everyone at Oshea's in Saskatoon. Those of you who came out, you have no idea how much that meant to me. It was great to see each of you and to chat, if only for a short time.
Then on October 26th, I flew out of Saskatoon and embarked on my New Zealand Trip 2010. I was sent off by my parents and a far-too-dry-eyed David Guenther (I mean seriously, you didn't even tear up. Jeepers). My plane was delayed by about an hour, but thankfully I had the ever charming Bardy Banes to chat with. We finally got to boarding, and as I gave my legs one last stretch I noticed that my superbly dedicated parents were still waiting to see that my plane got off safely. (I love you guys so much and it was really touching to know that you were there to watch me disappear into the clouds.) I arrived late in Toronto, but still made my connection to Ottawa in good time (partly owing to the fact that my connection was also delayed, haha). Upon arrival in Ottawa I was very happy to be done flying for a while, but a touch concerned that Chris Steele was no where in sight. Shortly, he and his parents showed up and I was rescued from the tedium of the airport.
October 27th (today) was filled with the sights of downtown Ottawa. It is absolutely beautiful here. The weather was amazing. I wandered around all day in flip-flops and a t-shirt. The architecture of all the buildings is stunning. Saskatchewan has nothing on these buildings. Every building is made of stone and there is castle-like architecture everywhere. These buildings are, to me, the physical manifestation of the history and strength of Canada.
Chris and I wandered through the Parliment grounds, viewed the Rideau Canal, were disgusted by the U.S. Embassy's tank and nuke proof construction, briefly toured ByWard Market, watched a 3D IMAX show called "Arabia" and took in the National Gallery of Canada.
Parliment Hill was much more impressive than I expected it to be. The buildings were huge and there were diplomats and government officials everywhere. I was really struck by the fact that we had full access to the entire grounds and we allowed (though we didn't) to walk freely into all the buildings. This extensive access to the most power-filled area of Canada reminded me again how lucky I am to live in this great free country. This point was driven home even harder when I looked over my shoulder and saw the extensive security of the U.S. Embassy.
(Becky, this next part will interest you) We didn't spend much time in the National Gallery of Canada, but the time we did spend was well fantastic. We toured very briefly through the Canadian Artists wing and then moved on to the Contemporary Art wing. It was so cool to walk in and immediately see a sculpture which I studied in my art summer class. Unfortunately, I can't remember the artist or the name of the piece. It was an installment piece in which straight wires were hung from the ceiling in a rows and columns which formed a perfect cube. At any position, you could look straight through to the other side of the room and yet you could still "see" the form of a cube. I was even more excited as we moved into the next area of the contemporary wing and saw "Shapeshifter" by Brian Jungen. It was one of my favourite works from my art class, and there I was standing in front of it.
(This part is for my Delta peeps). The NGC was featuring an artist who goes by the name General Idea. I was immediately take with his works. One in particular stood out to me. I won't describe it here because I don't want to give away the surprise. So all you Delta folks should google "Perverted Poodles Playing" by General Idea. I promise you will enjoy.
Ok, it's late and I am le tired. Long story short my friends -- today was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better start to my trip. I was reminded about the great country that I will be leaving. I was reminded about the great friends that I have left. And I am ending this day confident that this trip is going to be one of the best experiences of my life.
Love, Julia
This is my first blog ever and I've got to be honest -- it's a little weird. I'm really wondering if people care enough to read this, but I guess this is just as much for me (maybe more) as it is for others. So here we go.
On October 24th, I said goodbye to everyone at Oshea's in Saskatoon. Those of you who came out, you have no idea how much that meant to me. It was great to see each of you and to chat, if only for a short time.
Then on October 26th, I flew out of Saskatoon and embarked on my New Zealand Trip 2010. I was sent off by my parents and a far-too-dry-eyed David Guenther (I mean seriously, you didn't even tear up. Jeepers). My plane was delayed by about an hour, but thankfully I had the ever charming Bardy Banes to chat with. We finally got to boarding, and as I gave my legs one last stretch I noticed that my superbly dedicated parents were still waiting to see that my plane got off safely. (I love you guys so much and it was really touching to know that you were there to watch me disappear into the clouds.) I arrived late in Toronto, but still made my connection to Ottawa in good time (partly owing to the fact that my connection was also delayed, haha). Upon arrival in Ottawa I was very happy to be done flying for a while, but a touch concerned that Chris Steele was no where in sight. Shortly, he and his parents showed up and I was rescued from the tedium of the airport.
October 27th (today) was filled with the sights of downtown Ottawa. It is absolutely beautiful here. The weather was amazing. I wandered around all day in flip-flops and a t-shirt. The architecture of all the buildings is stunning. Saskatchewan has nothing on these buildings. Every building is made of stone and there is castle-like architecture everywhere. These buildings are, to me, the physical manifestation of the history and strength of Canada.
Chris and I wandered through the Parliment grounds, viewed the Rideau Canal, were disgusted by the U.S. Embassy's tank and nuke proof construction, briefly toured ByWard Market, watched a 3D IMAX show called "Arabia" and took in the National Gallery of Canada.
Parliment Hill was much more impressive than I expected it to be. The buildings were huge and there were diplomats and government officials everywhere. I was really struck by the fact that we had full access to the entire grounds and we allowed (though we didn't) to walk freely into all the buildings. This extensive access to the most power-filled area of Canada reminded me again how lucky I am to live in this great free country. This point was driven home even harder when I looked over my shoulder and saw the extensive security of the U.S. Embassy.
(Becky, this next part will interest you) We didn't spend much time in the National Gallery of Canada, but the time we did spend was well fantastic. We toured very briefly through the Canadian Artists wing and then moved on to the Contemporary Art wing. It was so cool to walk in and immediately see a sculpture which I studied in my art summer class. Unfortunately, I can't remember the artist or the name of the piece. It was an installment piece in which straight wires were hung from the ceiling in a rows and columns which formed a perfect cube. At any position, you could look straight through to the other side of the room and yet you could still "see" the form of a cube. I was even more excited as we moved into the next area of the contemporary wing and saw "Shapeshifter" by Brian Jungen. It was one of my favourite works from my art class, and there I was standing in front of it.
(This part is for my Delta peeps). The NGC was featuring an artist who goes by the name General Idea. I was immediately take with his works. One in particular stood out to me. I won't describe it here because I don't want to give away the surprise. So all you Delta folks should google "Perverted Poodles Playing" by General Idea. I promise you will enjoy.
Ok, it's late and I am le tired. Long story short my friends -- today was perfect. I couldn't have asked for a better start to my trip. I was reminded about the great country that I will be leaving. I was reminded about the great friends that I have left. And I am ending this day confident that this trip is going to be one of the best experiences of my life.
Love, Julia
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