If you ever want to remind yourself of how small humans are and how odd it is that evolution should select such a small species to be at the top of the food chain, head to your nearest Museum of nature or natural history.
Since Ottawa practically shuts down on Good Friday (I'd have though Easter would be more appropriate), we faced a challenge of figuring out how to fill our day. As it happened, I consulted a couple of media sources, and lo! All of the major museums in town (minus the National Gallery of Art) were open! Now, if you're not familiar with the National Capital Region, the Big 6 museums are:
-The Museum of Civilization
-The Canadian War Museum
-The Canada Aviation and Space Museum
-The Canadian Agriculture Museum
-The Canada Science and Technology Museum
-The Canadian Museum of Nature
Of course there are something like 20 museums in Ottawa and Gatineau, dedicated to various subjects, but these are the biggest, the most hyped, and the ones open.
Well, it's fairly simple to figure out what our choice would be. We've been the Civ on several occasions, so that was out. Etienne abhors all things war, so pass. We're planning a trip to the Aviation and Space museum soon, so let's skip that to avoid some redundancy. Agriculture, while imminently respectable, is not a subject matter we're in a hurry to learn more about (sorry, Ags!). If the choice comes down to Science and Tech vs. Nature, Nature wins because it's cool, and it's a very short walk from our place, whereas the Science museum would require automotive transport of some kind.
The Museum of Nature is housed in what's commonly called "the castle" around these parts. A historical landmark, it's been renovated in recent years, so that it's a blend of very modern and early 1900s design, and yet it blends fairly well. Most recently, they've added a large glass tower where the original stone tower stood, and it affords space for an enormous Blue Whale replica, and damn if that thing doesn't make you feel tiny.
But the moment that reminds you that humans are not only small, but are also fortunate happened when we entered the first exhibit: the Dinosaurs. The museum's collection is unique in that about 85% of its fossils are actual fossils (not replicas), and while it's not filled with the biggest specimens, the sight of the enormous ancient sea turtle sure reminds you of how cool it is to see this stuff. At one point, Etienne had gotten farther in than I, and I had to dodge all manner of annoying families with their strollers and unwieldy children to find him.
When I did find him, he was standing in an area set up with cast dinosaurs in a forest, large beasts, with quite a look on his face--as I approached, he expressed that he was okay with the creationists being totally wrong in trying to argue that humans and dinosaurs shared the earth. The sight of these statues, easily dwarfing him, put things into perspective: there's no way we could have shared the Earth with these things. They'd eat us out of existence. Their time came and went, and now, I guess, it's our turn. Mammals rule! Museums are so much fun!
More awesome museums...
...Wish you were here.
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