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This morning we headed over to the war memorial statue for the rememberance day service. The amount of people there was quite overwhelming- we couldn't see a thing, luckily they'd put large screens up to watch the service on.
There were guys on top of at least two buildings dressed in black with their binoculars and guns keeping watch- it was like something out of a film!
The service was incredibly moving- especially the 21 gun salute by canons and the planes that flew over head. There were 3 that flew over really low, not too sure what they were but they looked like some type of jet. There were also spitfires that flew over towards the end of the service.
There was an very emotional poem read out that had been written by a 10 year old girl who lost her father in Afghanistan. At one point I had tears streaming down my face. I was thinking about and remembering all the soldiers that have lost their lives, including my own great grandfather, but also giving thanks as I have had many members of my family that have served or still are serving in the army that are thankfully still with us.
After the service there was a march led by the veterans, followed by bagpipes and members of the different forces, as well as cadets. It was a rather emotional morning. Afterwards we thought it would be quite apt to visit the Canadian War Museum. It was actually free for the day. It's a cool building, looks a bit like a plane, and the windows are in the shape of dots and dashes that is actual morse code! It was a really big museum, really interesting.
After this we headed back to the hostel for dinner and then we went on the Crime & Punishment Jail Tour around the old jail. It was a 'historical tour of early prison life, death row and the gallows'. The jail used to hold prisoners from one extreme to the other; people were sent there to serve sentences of up to 2 years, and also if they were going to death row! Everything else inbetween they were sent to the state penitentiary.
The jail held women as well as men although they were kept separately, but also children, who were infact kept alongside the adults!
The prison was in operation for 110 years and finally closed down in 1972, one year later becoming the hostel!
Solitary confinement was quite shocking- people usually spent 24hrs- 2 days in there, but by law someone could be sent to solitary confinement for 6 months!! There were double doors with no light or sound and very little ventilation so prisoners were either really hot or really cold. They were stripped naked- partly to humiliate them, but also to prevent them from commiting suicide with their clothes! If they were considered really dangerous they were chained to the ground and were only unchained for 15 minutes each day when a guard would come in with a bucket (known as the honey bucket) for them to go to the toilet, and their food. If they didn't eat in those 15 minutes the food was taken away until the same time the following day! This was so prisoners would know how much time had passed.
We were shown death row and the gallows. There were only ever 3 executions that took place at 'Carleton County Gaol' and the 1st man to get hanged is said to haunt the building as facts now suggest that he may not have actually been the killer after all!
I missed the last 5 minutes of what the tour guide said because I was so excited to have orbs on my photos but she said it was probably dust on my lens!! I still say they're orbs! It's a much more interesting story especially as I was taking photos of a supposedly haunted building!! :)
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