Summer of 2021 - Part 1

I stayed within Canada this summer, but did do some travelling.  I had thought of visiting another country, but decided to wait another year.  I’ve been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 since early April, but the ongoing pandemic still makes travelling a hassle.  The more people get vaccinated, the better the situation gets.  So, get stabbed everyone!  To the anti-vaxxers who may be reading this: seek immediate medical attention.

Source: Limited Run Games.

I rested the first few days.  Upon regaining my strength, I immediately opened a package that had been waiting for me since last October.  I ordered it in March 2020.  The product inside was the Command & Conquer: Remastered Collection - 25^th Anniversary Edition Collector’s Box.  The box, made by Limited Run Games (LRGs), contains many amazing collectibles a diehard C&C fan would enjoy: manuals, pins, soundtracks, artbook, posters, and much more.  A Steam code is included for you to download the remastered games onto your computer.  You can view my (first) unboxing video here.

Source: YouTube - Zoom3000

Command & Conquer is a real-time strategy (RTS) video game series that started in the mid-1990s.  I’ve been a fan from the beginning and own all the main PC titles.  When Electronic Arts announced that Petroglyph Games and Lemon Sky Studios were remastering the first two titles, I was super excited.  When I saw an ad for the physical edition made by LRG, I immediately submitted an order because only a limited number would be produced.  The collectibles are awesome and I will cherish them for as long as I live.  I’ve downloaded the games onto my Steam account; now I just have to find the time to play them.

On June 19, I photographed the newly renovated Canada Science and Technology Museum (CSTM).  I didn’t go inside because the facility has been closed since the start of the pandemic.  I’m hoping it will reopen next year, because I want to see the new exhibits. 

The museum was originally built in 1967 as part of a Centennial project.  I visited the museum several times as a child, but by the early 2000s, the museum appeared dated, old, and starting to crack.  The powers that be finally saw it that way too, and the museum was closed in 2014 to undergo repairs.  Most of the original structure had to be demolished and rebuilt because it was infested with mold and the roof was in danger of collapse.  The newly completed & renovated museum opened in 2017.  The only original exhibits that were kept are the Hall of Trains and the “Crazy Kitchen”.  If the latter hadn’t been saved, there would have been riots in the streets.  The “Crazy Kitchen” is a sacred place in the hearts of Ottawans.

A major addition to the museum is the Ingenium Centre.  Ingenium – Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation is a crown corporation that manages the museum, as well as, the Canada Agriculture and Food Museum, and the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.  One of the biggest problems with the original CSTM was that it wasn’t large enough to house the thousands of artifacts the museum had collected.  The new Ingenium Centre was built to house the entire collection.  The building looks nice & colourful on the outside.

I spent about 30 minutes walking around and taking pictures.  I approve of the renovations.  The place is no longer an eyesore. 

I devoted a considerable amount of time collecting, packing, labelling, and delivering everything I wanted to put on the annual sealift.  I had until June 30 to get everything I needed for the next year to the shipping company in Ottawa.  They would transport all my goods to a port in Montreal where it would be crated and placed on an NSSI ship.  Half of my stuff came from Loblaws.  That was a big help because the grocer delivered the goods I ordered on my behalf.  My sealift items were categorized as: school supplies, cadets, liquids, dry goods, and cleaners.

I delivered everything on time.  The next time I would see my stuff would be in Arctic Bay.

July 1 is Canada Day.  This year, the country is 154 years old.  I travelled to Parliament Hill to see the Residential Schools Memorial (RSM) and film the Snowbirds flying around downtown.  I travelled by public bus and light rail for free. 

The RSM consisted of two parts: stuffed toys & dolls around the Centennial Flame, and pairs of shoes arranged in rows & columns along the main walkway leading to the Centre Block building.  The toys, dolls, & shoes represent the children who went to residential schools and didn’t come back.  The RSM is also a response to the recent discoveries of many unmarked graves at the former Kamloops and Brandon Indian Residential Schools.  Many people wore orange shirts and paid respects.  I did the same but I didn’t have an orange shirt.

The Snowbirds flew above Parliament Hill at 12:00pm.  I’m glad I started filming a few seconds before noon because the planes suddenly appeared.  I thought I would hear the engines first.  The aerial acrobatics team did five passes.  A CF-18 fighter jet accompanied them on the 4^th & 5^th passes.  You can view my YouTube video here.

Parliament Hill is undergoing major renovations that are expected to last until 2030.  The final cost will be around $5 billion dollars!  The Centre Block building will receive the most attention as well as the land in front of it.  Space is being created underground for a Welcome Centre for tourists, and there will be a lot of security improvements.  You can read more about the renovations here & here.  A temporary wall surrounds the Centre Block and two tall construction cranes stand on opposite ends of the building.  I look forward to seeing the completed renovations.

An RSM rally was held after the Snowbirds.  The speakers called upon the government to honour and implement all 94 recommendations put forth by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission in their 2015 report on the residential school system.  I hope this will be done.

Chateau Laurier.

Ottawa Canal Locks.

I continued exploring downtown Ottawa.  The main streets weren’t closed to foot traffic, so everyone had to use the sidewalks.  There were a lot of people walking around, dressed in red & white.  Some of the landmarks I photographed were: Chateau Laurier, the Ottawa River Canal Locks, Alexandria Bridge, and the National Gallery of Canada. 

Another residential schools memorial was created at Major’s Hill Park: small orange flags arranged in neat rows and columns.  Every Child Matters.

A new exciting attraction has opened in Ottawa: Interzip Rogers.  It’s advertised as the first interprovincial zipline in the world.  Thrillseekers soar above the Ottawa River from Gatineau to Ottawa.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t book a ticket on Canada Day.  Guess I’ll have to wait until next year.

I was walking in the Byward Market when I caught sight of one of the most noticeable cars in Ottawa.  It’s a Honda Civic completely decorated with more hood ornaments and attachments I can count.  The driver, an immigrant from Congo, had parked his one-of-a-kind machine for people to see and photograph.  He’s a local celebrity.

The last place I visited was the Corktown Footbridge that spans across the Rideau Canal near the University of Ottawa.  The pedestrian bridge was built to make it easier for students to cross the canal instead of having to cross Laurier Bridge to the north.  I walked across the bridge for the first & second time.  There are many love locks on this bridge.  I wonder how many more locks will be added until the city will be forced to remove them?  The first time I saw love locks was in Paris, France, in 2005.  Too many locks can cause a bridge to sink.

                                                                        To Be Continued . . .