Thursday 26 May: When the Canada Aviation Museum first opened at Uplands airport in Ottawa, it was one of three major collections owned by the Canadian government.

At that time, its focus was on bush flying and early aircraft manufacturers in Canada. A second collection, held by the Canadian War Museum, concentrated on military aircraft from World War I to the 1950’s, while the Royal Canadian Air Force collection emphasized military aircraft related to RCAF history.

Beginning in 1964, the three collections were combined for public display under a new name, the “National Aeronautical Collection”, in new buildings at Ottawa’s historic Rockcliffe Airport. The National Aeronautical Collection continued to acquire both military and civil aircraft important to Canadian and world aviation history. It has since grown to include more than 130 aircraft and other artifacts. In 2000, the National Aviation Museum was officially renamed the Canada Aviation Museum.

There are two buildings holding the collection, although only one has been opened to date.

Wednesday 25 May: Famous for a steam train which runs from Hull, through Chelsea and up to Wakefield, then turns around on a turntable and goes back again. Wakefield is a town in Quebec, much like Merrickville in its charm.

There’s a covered wooden bridge which spans the Gatineau River. The original bridge was built in 1915 and burnt down in 1984. A group of local volunteers established a rebuild project in 1987 and it was finally completed in 1997.

Tuesday 24 May: Merrickville was named Canada’s Prettiest Village in 1998. We visited this town, 45 minutes from Ottawa, to have dinner at the Goose and Gridiron pub. More about that later.

Settled by William Merrick in 1793, Merrickville was once one of the largest industrial centers on the Rideau with grist mills, woolen mills and sawmills, all powered by the river. There’s a nice exhibition in one of the old buildings which shows artifacts from the 19th century and illustrates the early evolution of this town.

When Colonel By constructed the Rideau Canal (1826-1832), he built three locks here. The original blockhouse, built for defense purposes, still stands beside the Canal. Today, Merrickville is a favourite stop for boaters and shoppers, as well as history buffs. It’s very much an ‘arty’ place. There are shops to buy quilts, artwork, wools, wooden items etc. And there’s a ‘no snowmobiles’ sign on the main street.

We had tea in the Yellow Canoe Café, which leads into a Folk Art Gallery, followed by dinner at the Goose and Gridiron – I had a really fabulous homemade fish (two pieces of cod in an amazing beer and herb batter) and chips (in their jackets), and a pint of Wellington beer. There were lots of chocolate things for dessert but I refrained – I need to start thinking about my diet again

Sunday 22 May: The most interesting falls in Ottawa are the Rideau Falls, where the Rideau River and Ottawa River meet. These are located in what is called the Confederation Boulevard, an area of Ottawa covering all of the major attractions in the city.

Unfortunately the Rideau Falls observation deck was closed for repair due to removal of asbestos but I got some reasonable photos given the dismal weather.

If you visit the Rideau Falls, all of the other main Ottawa attractions are within 10-15 minutes reach by foot and there are a few little things almost adjacent to the Falls, including a couple of embassies, the Prime Minister’s residence, Governor General’s residence and some memorials.

For example, there’s the Ottawa War Memorial which remembers Canadian Air Force members who do not have graves, a memorial to the Mackenzie Papineau Battalion which was a volunteer force who went to Spain in the 1930s to help them defend themselves against the rise of fascism, many of whom went on to serve the Canadian Armed Forces in the Second World War.

There’s a monument entitled Reflection which honours Canadians’ commitment to international development and humanitarian assistance and pays tribute to all Canadians who give their lives in pursuit of these values. The creation of the monument was inspired by Tim Stone and Nancy Malloy, two Canadian aid works who were killed in 1996 while working abroad.

Finally, there’s a tiny tree, just planted in April 2005 which commemorates the 10th year of democracy in South Africa.