A Wintry Monday Afternoon in Ottawa

It’s funny how majority of the last-minute plans always pushes through compared to all the well thought-out get aways. One of life’s ironies I guess?

Anyways, this is exactly what happened to me and my siblings a few days ago. It was Sunday night when we thought of going to Ottawa for some chicken. Popeye’s chicken to be exact! So around 11.30 in a beautiful Monday morning, we hit the road for the 2 hour drive.

To be honest though, Ottawa rarely excites me. The last time I’ve visited the city was probably five or six years ago and it was just so quite for me. Being Canada’s Capital, most would expect to see, find or discover a lot but I’m here telling you not to put your hopes really high. It’s no doubt however that the city is beautiful but it’s not a tourist friendly place in terms of activities or sight-seeing views.

Here you will find the Parliament Hill which houses the offices of the members of the Parliament. The interior and exterior architecture of these buildings are outstanding and indeed worth seeing. It is also open for public all year round for free but with a very tight security.

I was amazed how peaceful the city was on a Monday! The streets were empty and majority of the people walking around are probably just tourists who are trying to explore the area. You can see locals here and there but most are probably just getting their day done.

Ottawa’s downtown area is probably the most peaceful city center I’ve ever been so you have time to appreciate each establishments. One common thing I guess is the beautiful and colorful architectures around the area. It also gives you a small town vibe but definitely with bigger infrastructures. It was also a cold windy afternoon when we were there so the temperature kinds off added to the vibe. It’s beautiful.

One of the perfect time to visit Ottawa is the month of May during their Tulip Festival. Here you will see different sizes, colors and varieties of tulips planted in different gardens. It is one of their top tourist attractions that you surely don’t want to miss if you are planning to visit Ottawa.

When was the last time you had an unplanned getaway?

xoxo,