After a few cold, blustery days, the wind calmed and the sun emerged from the clouds to create a perfect winter day to get outside. It was time to visit the Grand River as it flows through the middle of Cambridge. Despite the recent cold snap, the river was still flowing smoothly and rapidly.

A patch of red osier dogwood glowed in the sunshine against the snow.

A large flock of geese and some mallards were diving for food in the river. Suddenly my eye caught sight of one brightly coloured interloper–a common goldeneye that had migrated from the northern boreal forest to winter in our mellow climate.

The double-arched bridge is one of a series of iconic bowstring bridges along the Grand River. Its simple concrete contrasts with the ornate Victorian brick buildings in downtown Galt.

The new pedestrian bridge exudes modern, industrial chic.

On the other side of the river, the deconsecrated Romanesque-style church occupied by the Cambridge Arts Theatre positively gleamed.

My last stop was across the river from Galt Collegiate Institute, founded in 1852 as a boys’ Grammar School. It is one of the oldest still operating schools in Canada.

The railway crosses the river next to the school. Today it was paired with a shadow bridge on the ice below.