A couple other bridges

Took a very long ruck today (11 miles).  Despite drinking a litre and a half of liquid, I actually weighed three pounds less after the walk.  Of course that's deceiving, since once I drink more, the weight comes back anyhow.  But still...

Well, towards the end of my walk I found myself trucking alongside the Rideau Canal.  Here are a couple of bridges I didn't show you before.  See what you think.

This is the Pretoria Bridge, built in 1915 to replace a wooden bridge that had collapsed.  The name Pretoria is based on captured Boer capital during the Boer Wars, though in the latter half of the 20th century some people thought it was too closely connected to Apartheid.  That's insane, of course.  It's not like the bridge was named to commemorate Apartheid.  But you know, idiots existed back in the 70s too.  Don't let boomers tell you otherwise.  Good thing the bridge was never renamed.

It's a vertical lift bridge.  The centre span of it goes upwards when boats need to pass underneath (it is a canal after all).  Pretty cool with the stonework and the turrets, and even something that looks like a guard house at each end.  See all the crap on the water?  That's an overgrown lot of algae that the Capital Commission is beginning to eliminate.  Will be a long process though.  I wouldn't want to be swimming in it, lest I see the Blob!

This footbridge also crosses the Rideau Canal.  Unlike the Pretoria Bridge, this is a pedestrian and cyclist bridge only.  No car traffic.  See the stairs going up on your right, and the bicycle ramp next to it?  It's the same design on the other side of the Canal.  This is the Flora Footbridge, and it actually just opened in 2019!  It's named after Flora MacDonald, Canada's first woman foreign minister.  Pretty cool, eh?  It's a really pretty bridge, one of my faves in Ottawa.

OK, well, that's it for today, folks.  Let's see what the next instalment looks like :)  Till then, stay safe.  And chill!