Sunday, August 22, 2010

Beauty . . . the excuse for being

Spring it was. And so the season of flowers brings these tulips to a full bloom in Ottawa.




“If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.”


That's from the American poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. It comes to mind as we wandered through new landscape and new territory that our eyes had not set upon.


The long drive we took from Toronto to Ottawa and then to Montreal and back was not quite as scenic if one goes the same distance in California. Again, it's the geography.




The Notre Dame Basilica, the oldest surviving church in Ottawa.

But as soon as one nears the place, as in Ottawa, a whole new world emerges. I felt the same feeling of awe in Montreal. And rather than put them in words, I defer to the pictures because they speak eloquently about what we see.


The basilica's main glory is its painted interior (as shown above).

Ottawa, 428 kilometers northeast of Toronto, is Canada's capital and fourth largest city. The parliament is located there and most of the country's federal offices.


Parliament of Canada on Parliament Hill, Ottawa.
Being in Parliament Hill and in parliament itself was quite an experience. The chamber evokes respect not so much for its solemn appearance as for its noble occupants -- the representatives of the people who make the laws.


And as is true anywhere around the globe, the chance of meeting a compatriot is likely as this picture shows of these young ladies touring Ottawa from other parts of Canada.





Tourists try to keep warm around the eternal flame.