Traveling through Gatineau last weekend, I’d glimpsed huge fireworks in the distance over downtown Ottawa. Come to find out, it’s an international fireworks festival where each Wednesday and Saturday a different country put on their best display. Admission was $8. I could do that.
It was Autumn who invited me to go. Autumn, who also works with my company and is awesome – I can only describe her with words like savvy, determined and ballsy – has been working downtown on a renovation project. She met me downtown and we took an Uber to the Museum of Natural History. It was on the Quebec side, so French was the common tongue.
Rain had poured down earlier in the day, but the sky was clear last night, and the sunset laid soft colors around the museum, the river, and Canadian Parliament. There was a man pushing a bubble machine through the crowd, and the kids followed him like the pied piper.
Finally it was completely dark, and on huge loudspeakers in French and English, two announcers opened the show. We all stood for the Oh Canada. Then the lights began.
These were the best fireworks I’ve ever seen in my life, and there is no substitute for physically being there. The size of the bursts and their three-dimensional beauty can’t be truly captured on camera. My favorite of all, and I didn’t even try to get a picture, were the golden fireworks that glimmered and shimmered elegantly over the river.
Meantime, the kids behind me were having the time of their lives pretending it was chemical warfare.
I’ll go back next week on the 22nd for the grand finale, because it’s now that I’m here and the Sound of Light isn’t to be missed.
Tres bon.
-The Dauntless Princess-
P.S. If you want better photography than mine, look on Instagram #soundoflight for some great pictures!