Planning a Trip on the Drive

When our trip to the Azores was cancelled due to storms, Don suggested regrouping and going someplace else.

I said I didn't have the energy to book a second trip, but he did.

Yin and Yang. 

Life often feels that way with us. One is tired, the other energized. It can be frustrating at times. 

This time, though, it was what I needed.

The basic guidelines were:

1) I did not want to deal with an airport.

2) I wanted someplace international.

Clearly that meant a trip to Canada.

Don wanting to recreate the highlights from the Azores trip and looked for a spa similar to the one we went to in Melbourne. More of a hot springs than a place for massages. He found the Nordic Spa in Chelsea. He found a good deal on a rental car, and for a hotel in Gatineau (across the river from Ottawa) that had an urban spa.

That's it.

We also had an eight-hour car ride.

While Don drove, I googled things to do in Ottawa. Our bags were packed for the Azores, so we added a few things for Canada, including roller skates because I knew about skating nights in Smiths Falls.

Much more than we had packed for our flight.

During the drive I came up with the following itinerary:

Thursday: drive (we didn't leave until noon)

Friday: Smiths Falls, check out their skating night

Saturday (rain): Diefenbunker, Carp's Farmer's Market

Sunday (rain): ??

Monday: Nordic Spa

Tuesday: Back to the Nordic Spa? Maybe hiking in Gatineau Park.

Wednesday: Drive home

I updated as we drove:

Thursday: Hintonburg Night Market

Sunday: House of Commons tour (unfortunately none were available in English)

Monday: Bytown Museum Colonel By Day with Indigenous Walks

Tuesday: Empanadas Ilegales performing at the Wood Terrace (wishing we had added folding chairs to our overfull car)

By the way, the Ironman Ottawa is taking place on Sunday and there will be a lot of road closures.

What actually happened was:

Thursday: Hintonburg Night Market

Friday: Smiths Falls, and, yes, I did go roller skating

Saturday: Carp's Farmers Market and Diefenbunker Cold War Museum

Sunday: Church at Knox Presbyterian Church and visiting Almonte in the rain

Monday: Tour of Parliament in French, Colonel By Day, Indigenous walking tour, and the Nordic Spa

Tuesday: Surprise dig at Gatineau Park, interviewed by Canada TV, hiking in Gatineau Park. Forgot about the concert at the Wood Terrace.

Wednesday: leisurely lunch in Carleton Place, and drive home.

This page will be updated with links to blog posts about what we did.