I think I finally found where Ottawa’s rebel youth is going to smoke pot and to talk about overpowering the government — at least, I like to think that if there is such a place, that’s where it is. Phew. I feel slightly relieved: at times, pretty Ottawa can seem a tad too polished and clean.

Not so far from Parliament hill, the Prince of Wales bridge is an old rail bridge that joins Ontario to Québec. As rail transport eventually diminished during the 20th century, it was abandoned. There are always talks of using it for a rail project that would connect to the existing O-Train but so far, the bridge remains unused.

I often drive on the Ottawa River Parkway and kept on noticing this old bridge. Eventually, we decided to go have a look. It is officially closed to the public but the door was open and frankly, I couldn’t care less about “danger” signs when I want to take pictures.

Urban decay is something I find fascinating – blame my French artistic upbringing. On top of having nice lines to use for photography, I love the colourful and somewhat witty graffiti on the pillars of the bridge. This place had a soul.

You can see the whole Ottawa Spring set here.