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.