We stopped off at Perth for the obligatory Tim’s and on route we stopped off at an outdoor shopping area, visited an outlet centre and had dinner. We then drove to our hotel which was the Hampton Inn where we have stayed a few times before. This hotel is very nice and although not in the centre of the city there is a bus which stops just along the road which takes you straight into town in about 20 mins. The fare is $3 each person each way which is cheaper than paying for all day parking in the city – and easier to navigate.

Here is a quick snap of the hotel room I took with my little pocket camera.

We stayed at the hotel that evening and didn’t really do much at all. The following day after a nice free breakfast we got the bus into town and spent the day wandering round the mall, the street and of course around the Parliament area. We also wandered around the locks and took a nice walk alongside the water. Eventually we had dinner in town and then went back to the hotel with very sore feet, then chilled.

The next morning after breakfast we made our way back home via Ikea. All in all a very nice weekend. The weather stayed lovely. It was warm and dry and since our visit we have had cold, wet weather, so good timing.

On Wednesday we stayed in for a rest, other than taking the hire car back to Avis. On Thursday we drove up to Ottawa. We set out nice and early and too highway 7 as it is far more scenic than going along the 401 etc. We stopped off in Perth for a Tim’s and got to Ottawa late morning. Although we couldn’t check into the hotel that early we left the car there and got the bus into the city. The hotel is outside the main city area so it cost us just $3 each to bus in.

Once in the city we walked to Parliament Hill which looked great. The sun was shining it was 25C and everything looked beautiful.

The views across the Ottawa River were great too.

Once we had done the sightseeing on Parliament Hill we went to the Byward Market area to look around the stores and the stalls. We also went into the main shopping centre.

After all this we were hungary so we took Judy & David to the Hard Rock Cafe as they had never been to one before. They really liked it and we had a great meal. After this we headed back to the hotel and checked in. We met up an hour later in the bar area for a couple of drinks and a chat then went to bed exhausted.

Next morning we decided we didn’t want to shop and decided to visit Gatineau Park on the Quebec side of Ottawa. We found it quite easily but also found than many areas were still covered in snow and some were inaccessible.

Some of the lakes were stunning however!

After a few hours at the park we drove back home.

Saturday we didn’t do much and Sunday we sat on the deck in the morning as the weather was so nice. In the afternoon I took my aunt to a couple of local open houses. We are still tentatively looking and she was really interested to see the different styles of house, so we have a good couple of hours house hunting.

In the evening we went to Montanans for dinner and then relaxed in the evening.

Today they return to the airport for the journey home and it is poring with rain and thundering, so could be an interesting drive!

BTW, both have decided they love Canada and want to live here – is this what happens to everyone when they visit this country?