Our first stop was in Almonte (pronounced "Al-mont," though the town was named in honour of a Mexican general during a wave of anti-American sentiment after the War of 1812). It's about 45 minutes' drive directly west of Ottawa.
After arrival at the United Church on Friday afternoon, we were served soup, sandwiches and desserts, courtesy of the local UCW. We performed that night at the church, sharing the program with a fine folk/pop singer, Kelly Sloan.
There was enough of a crowd that extra seats had to be brought in, and we got an enthusiastic standing ovation, prompting an encore - always a good sign, and an indicator that the tour would be a good one.
Immediately after the concert, we left for Ottawa, where we stayed at a motel on Carling Avenue for the next two nights. There was a bit (OK, more than a bit) of eating and drinking at a local Boston Pizza before we got to bed, but eventually, we did.
The next day was mostly free for us, and I wanted to see the National Gallery of Canada. I hitched a ride downtown with a few of the other guys, where we went through the Byward Market area before getting to the Gallery, a striking-looking building on Sussex Drive.
The building was fascinating inside as well as outside. Looking at the picture above, the entrance is at the right, and then you go up a slight incline (the Colonnade) along the length of the building to get to the Great Hall, at left, and the gallery proper. Here is the Colonnade from inside, looking back from the Great Hall toward the entrance:
The ceiling of the Great Hall is really breathtaking; all glass, and apparently designed after the Parliamentary Library:
From the Great Hall, there are some terrific views of the surrounding area, like this panorama of the Ottawa River, with Gatineau/Hull on the other side:
Also, from here, you get a pretty good view of the Parliament buildings. There is construction going on there, as you can see:
We spent several hours in the National Gallery, and still didn't see everything they have. It looks like I may have to make another trip to Ottawa in the future!
Across Sussex Drive from the National Gallery is the gorgeous Notre Dame Basilica. It's part neo-Gothic and part neo-Classical in design, and was completed in 1846, with some renovations done as recently as the 1990s.
The day had gone from cloudy and blustery to brilliantly sunny, and I was able to get a good picture of the front of the church, with its two spires (covered in tin!) and gilded Madonna:
It looks fairly plain on the outside, but inside, the church is all neo-Gothic, with arches, columns, ribbed vaulting, stained-glass windows, and many carvings and statues of religious figures. Here is the view towards the altar and apse:
And this is the view in the opposite direction, looking toward the west window and the organ/choir loft. The organist was practising when we went in, and it made a very pleasant accompaniment to our visit.
I was struck by the "star" decoration, and blue-and-gold colour scheme in the ceiling here; it made me think of the ceiling in the lower part of Sainte-Chapelle in Paris.
After this, we made our way back to the motel, and from there to the Clock Tower Brewpub in Westboro for dinner (and local brews) with the Ottawa Celtic Choir, who would share that night's concert with us.
We sang at the All Saints Anglican Church in Westboro, to a capacity crowd, and another standing ovation. By way of an encore, the two choirs, and the audience, joined together for a rousing rendition of the well-known Welsh hymn, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah."
Then it was back to the Clock Tower for more food (and more local brews), and a good hour's worth of more singing! We even belted out "Happy Birthday" to a gal who was there celebrating with friends. A good day, and a good night, altogether.
The next day, Sunday 12, we got out to breakfast, and then on the bus again (where many of us napped, for obvious reasons), for our last stop, Lindsay.
We enjoyed another light meal (thanks again, UCW!) of soup, sandwiches and desserts prior to the afternoon concert, at the Cambridge St. United Church.
The crowd here was rather subdued, but warmed up to us as the concert went by. We were the only attraction this time, so we had to work extra hard (with some not-so-great acoustics) to win their affection. Win we did, though, and there was another standing ovation and encore at the end. Many people (including an old friend of mine who lives not far from Lindsay) praised our performance afterward.
Then, it was back on to the bus, and we got back to Toronto in the late evening. It had been fun, and rewarding, but exhausting. Three concerts in three days can take its toll!
