Centennial Flame and Peace Tower

To see it at night, check out my good friend Gerry's shot.

"At the foot of the central walk to the Parliament Buildings is the monument commemorating Canada's 100th anniversary of Confederation in 1967. The Centennial Flame is a permanent reminder of the unbounded optimism of the centennial year. Alberta natural gas feeds the flame that burns through the water which flows over the bronze shields of the provinces and territories that existed in 1967. Each of the 12 segments is also ornamented with the floral symbol and the date that the province or territory joined Confederation."

"The Peace Tower was built from 1919 to 1927 and was dedicated to the more than 60,000 Canadian soldiers who gave their lives on the battlefields of Europe during the First World War. Standing 92.2 metres (302 feet, 6 inches) tall, this tower was inaugurated during Canada's 60th anniversary celebrations in 1927. The Peace Tower houses the Memorial Chamber, a commemoration to those who died in military service to Canada.

Unlike the Victoria Tower which it replaced, the Peace Tower is a campanile: a free-standing bell tower. In addition to the bells that chime the quarter hours and strike the hours, it houses the carillon, a set of bells sounded from a keyboard. There are 53 bells in the Peace Tower carillon. The largest is called the 'bourdon' and weighs in at 10,160 kilograms (22,400 pounds) — that's roughly the weight of three adult elephants! The smallest bell, on the other hand, weighs 4.5 kilograms (10 pounds). We owe the richness and beauty of the sound of the bells to the expert orchestration of the Dominion Carillonneur."