Canada Parliament Buildings View from Ottawa River Postcard

Early spring ice on the Ottawa River behind the Canadian Parliament Buildings, amazing reflection in the water, blue sky, photo taken from the north shore of the river on a fabulous sunny day in Gatineau (Hull), Quebec, Canada. If you want, you can customise this by replacing the "Canada" text with "Ottawa" "Gatineau" "Hi Mum", any word or short phrase you like ... or delete the text entirely and just keep the original picture. This is a beautiful view of Parliament Hill which many people don't see, since most photos are taken from front of the buildings in Ottawa. As the river was historically used both as a logging and transportation route, this would have been the principal view seen by early travelers, military personnel, settlers and merchants. The river itself, bordered at this point by the limestone cliffs upon which the buildings were erected, was previously used for centuries by the native inhabitants of the land. The Parliament Buildings were built in 1859, the year after Ottawa (then Bytown) was chosen by Queen Victoria as the capital of Canada, which at the time was a province under British jurisdiction. Canada officially became a country July 1 1867 but didn't gain full independence until much later. The first official Canada Day was in 1982. Canada is a country of wild beauty, progressive cities, cultural diversity, heritage and development. The city of Ottawa is known for its abundant green spaces. Parliament Hill is open to tourists and locals, and receives about 3 million visitors a year. The original buildings in the Centre Block burned down in 1916, except for the Parliamentary Library (the round structure with brown roof). So, they were rebuilt in neo-Gothic style, while the Library is an example of High Victorian architecture. The roofs are all of copper - they're bright reddish gold when new, but over time and exposure to oxygen they turn brown, then the familiar green shade. The Library roof was more recently replaced or cleaned than the other buildings. The tallest tower, with flag on top, is the Canadian Peace Tower. This is a great souvenir or keepsake of Canada, souvenirs of Ottawa or Quebec, or cheerful greetings to friends and family far away. Original photo by local Canadian artist MS Chaume, April 2015.