As I mentioned in my previous post, my man and I went to the CMC during our brief stay in Ottawa. Lest it confuse readers, yes the museum is in Quebec, but:
The Canadian Museum of Civilization, the Canadian Children’s Museum, and the Canadian Postal Museum are located in Gatineau, Quebec, on the banks of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Parliament Hill.
I was particularly thrilled at the prospect of seeing what the Canadian Postal Museum had to offer. My readers know I like a well-stuffed post-box! 🙂
The admission was a fair price, ($10.00 for students) but at the end, we agreed there wasn’t much special about the museum. According to A, it was not very exciting, and it was full of things that you might find in any other museum. I also found it a bit silly that there was a reproduction of Notre Dame Basilica that you could actually see in person if you drove for about two hours to Montreal. (That is, if you really wanted to see it. Otherwise, I suppose a replica of a nearby landmark isn’t too odd…personally, I’d rather see the real thing!) I thought there were a few highlights in the exhibits, such as a life-sized ‘miniature’ replica of an 1800’s-early 1900’s town, a few (admittedly reproduced) old documents in the postal museum, and a jacket said to have been worn by Louis Riel during the Resistance of 1885 in Saskatchewan that was on display. (For curious fashionistas, the coat is Métis craftsmanship, and made of tanned moosehide, silk floss, cotton thread, silk, wool, brass and cotton.)
Even though it has a section of the museum dedicated for children, I did think the entire museum in general was geared more towards children and possibly teenagers. I say possibly because if you are a more well-read student, chances are not much will be new to you.
Top: Jane Austen cotton shirt
Skirt: Twik bow belt skirt from Simons
Shoes: Keds ‘Skimmer’ canvas flats
There is an IMAX theatre as well… and they always have intriguing documentary movies running. We went to see the one about the polar bears and the melting Arctic ice, and it has made me even more anxious to do my part to lesson our environmental impact. Usually when I see A throwing something recyclable in the rubbish, I scream something like, “That’s recyclable!!” Now I’ve upgraded it to, “You’re killing the polar bears!!” One must raise awareness –I’m sure my dear man appreciates my thought processes! ^_^
To conclude, it is worth a visit when you have a free afternoon, and want a bit of culture.
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In my next post, I’ll be sharing a few photos and fun anecdotes from our two days in Quebec City!!
Till next time!
xoxo,
— Miss Cathie
Thanks for posting this photo of Lois Riels hide jacket. Something I overlooked when I visited (and why I found your site) was the inclusion of the note pad. If you look close it’s a cree design of likely a stag or doe. It may be one of the earliest examples of this style of First Nation art which folks like Norval Morrisseau later made famous. Thanks again!
JB