How we saw Canada in three days (sort of)

Okay before everyone gets too hyper… I want to disclose the fact that I do know Canada is an enormous country and it is actually impossible to see it in a long weekend.  However, for the purpose of this blog, I am sharing what we did manage to see and do in 3 wonderful days (with essentially no planning)!

Here are the 7 steps to success for any long weekend trip

       Step One:  Get there!  (Duh)

For us… we boarded a miniature plane from Chicago to the Capitol city of Ottawa. We rented car with a GPS (thank God for this- cuz our phones were on airplane mode) and then arrived at the fabulous “Arc Hotel” where we were greeted with complimentary sparkling wine!  Hello Canada.  We like you already!!





Ross on the tiny plane

Gotta love the freebies

No lines going through customs...Never saw this before, Love it!!

Step Two: Hoof it. 

We put on our comfy shoes and took in the wonderful sites of Parliament Hall and the Rideau Canal as we walked through the city.  We used the free map from the airport to see the major sites (both of them...lol)

Parliment Hall

 We thought about taking a boat tour on the canal….then we decided to go eat lunch instead! Ahh...the beauty of not making any plans.

Rideau Canal... It looks much prettier in person

Tulips Everywhere! 

       Step Three: Head to the Hub. 

Every City seems to have a Hub… and in Ottawa it is all about the Byward Market area.  This market is about 4 square blocks of restaurants, museums, shops, boutiques, etc. It is basically where all the action is.

Approaching the market area

Here we enjoyed some great local craft beers, saw some interesting characters, and sampled some amazing food (including beaver tail)!  We spent the entire day and most of the night in the Byward Market…shut that place down. Shocker.

We had to try a Beaver Tail

Ross, Ryan, and I having lunch at the market

Dive Bar that we had to check out

Local Beer

Yum... this was perfect for the three of us to split

       Step Four: Get the heck out of there. 

Yep... No need to linger in a small city. So on our second day we decided to take our headaches to Montreal!  Unfortunately, I guess we were in a hurry, and drove a bit too fast. Oops (blame it on the kilometers/ miles thing)!!

The most expensive speeding ticket ever

 Oh well, the two hour journey wasn’t perfect, but we eventually arrived safe and sound.  Bonjour Montreal!!

       Step Five: Take a tour or two. 

We began our stomp through Montreal with a carriage ride through Vieux Montreal (Old Montreal).  Next, we decided to take an amphibian tour to see the city by water.  This was a great way to get the "lay of the land" so we could scope out the hotspots. 

Our guide through Old Montreal

View from the carriage

 Old Montreal feels like a European city.  The official language is French so everything is written in French and everyone speaks French.  There are beautiful cobblestone streets lined with adorable outdoor cafes. Super cute!! 

Le St James Hotel... I think it is one of the most exclusive hotels- it is an old Bank converted to a hotel

Love these tours...it is a bus that drives into the water and then becomes a boat

View of the city via boat

The cafe's in Old Montreal

Confusing parking signs exist in every country

The Notre Dame!!

Step six: relax, relax, relax

Step 6 is the hardest step for Ryan and me. We are sort of "busy bodies" and we dont like to sit around idle for too long. However, after two days of driving, exploring, sightseeing, and walking… we were exhausted. We had seen Old Montreal, China town, Crescent Street, and pretty much everything in between.  We finally took some time to have a few rooftop terrace cocktails and watch the hustle and bustle below us! 

rooftop terrace

The entrance to China Town.  Apparently it was given to Montreal by Shanghai

       Step seven: Go Home Bozo

Just like step 1, this is obvious but I felt like I should include it for any dummies who decide to follow this guide too literally.   Our journey home was actually another road trip to Albany, New York (for business purposes) where we eventually caught a flight back to Chicago!  

headed to the border

This is all we saw on the drive to Albany....not bad

safe travels!

Three things I learned about Canada:

1. When you pay for a meal in a restaurant, they bring the credit card machine to the table. I love this!! It is funny cuz they all call it the "machine"...you would think someone would give it a name by now.
2. Ottawa is fun for a Pit stop and Montreal is great for a weekend getaway. 
3.  Due to crapola weather, we missed out on two major things I wanted to do in Montreal:  a bike tour of the city and the hike up Mount Royal. Boo Hoo. 

Jill

Next stop is San Francisco/ Napa... We leave this Friday (my birthday)!!