Road Trip to Ottawa (Day 0)
3AM. 3AM is when we reached Ottawa from Toronto. We decided to be young and impulsive and drive to Ottawa after I got home from work the night before. Of course I hadn’t officially packed but I threw in a lot of running clothes (because athleisure!) and a couple of dresses and called it a day. Anyways, we took off around 10:30-11PM and stopped by a random Best Western to sleep until 10AM.
Day 1//
We started off the day by getting breakfast at Wilf & Ada’s. I got a dish called Eggs in Purgatory and it was delicious! Two eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce, Grana Padano cheese, arugula, toast, and home fries. To be honest, I’m not a fan of arugula BUT I KEEP ORDERING IT. I really don’t know why haha. I find it bitter but just a week ago, I ordered it at Mildred’s!
One thing that I like to do when visiting new places is by explore by foot. I know when on vacation, I might not be able to fit in my runs so walking everywhere is the next best thing. We head down to Parliament Hill because I heard that they do yoga there at noon. I was expecting a small to medium sized group but whoa – it was huge! See for yourself!
What a fun city-wide event! I’d love to be able to do this on my lunch break in Toronto! We continued our walking adventure to the War Memorial (the large main part was under construction) and wandered to see other memorials such as the humans rights one. It wasn’t long before we stopped at a park for a Pokemon Go break where we were approached by children selling cupcakes for their Pokemon fund!
After another hour or so on foot, we stopped by our AirBnB to drop off our things and prepared for a mini hike. We drove to Gatineau Park in Quebec. It was a short 40 minute drive and it was totally worth it. We hiked/ran 10K and ended up at a cave. I was too chicken to go cave exploring as it was half filled with water and I didn’t want to risk getting our phones/charger/clothes wet or stolen if we left it on the other side.
It was pretty tiring! Lots of uphills, downhills, rolling hills, all the hills! My legs are definitely sore and it was a pretty good alternative to get my exercise in for the day. To treat ourselves for all the steps we took that day, we ended our first day off with beyond delicious tacos from El Camino as recommended by our AirBnB host and the 20 minute wait for take out tacos were totally worth it. We had passed by a pizza place called Slice and Go that looked pretty popular too so of course we had to go snag a pizza for ourselves on top of our tacos.
Day 2//
Day 2, we woke up early to headed towards the Rideau Canal for the stereotypic running by the canal shot!
After our run, we cooked our own lunch (love AirBnb!) and walked over to the Canadian War Museum. We picked the “scenic” route along the Ottawa River but it was mainly so the mister could catch a Snorlax via Pokemon Go.
We ended off the day by grabbing some dinner and checking out the night show at Parliament Hill (where the yoga was!). I could have sworn I walked more that day than a regular day at work on my feet!
Day 3//
I really really really wish I was brave enough to clip on GoPro onto my helmet for this but I didn’t have my equipment and I didn’t want to risk the camera dropping. We drove over to Arbraska – Laflèche Park and did the 3.5 hour aerial course!
A photo posted by La Forêt des Aventures (@arbraska) on
We got to zip line and SCALE THE EDGE OF A MOUNTAIN! It was SO much fun. I’m a bit bruised though as my poor limbs were not long enough. Short people problems.
Day 5//
After 4 days of running, walking, hiking, and climbing (this was a surprisingly active vacation!) I booked us a day and a massage at the Nordik Spa. It is the largest spa in North America with 7 outdoor baths, 8 unique saunas, infinity pool! You bet I went to all of them and enjoyed myself before my 90 minute massage. It was sooooo relaxing. It was such a great way to end off my vacation!
QOTD: How do you keep on track (exercise) while on vacation? Do you sightsee on foot/bike or are you an uber person?
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Ann-Marie says
Hi!
I’v read your blog for a little while and when I saw that you were in Ottawa, I had to speak up! I’m glad you had such a wonderful time in our great city! Ottawa is a great running city and I live super close to the running/bike path along the river so its amazing for training! I’m currently training for the Toronto Marathon so I suppose I will be in your city soon :)
Happy training!
Ann-Marie
Carmy says
Hi Ann-Marie! Ottawa was so lovely and everyone was SO nice! I absolutely loved it. Wishing you all the best with you Toronto Marathon training :) All those hills in Ottawa will have you prepared :)
lacey@fairytalesandfitness says
Oh how fun! I zipped line before in St. Maartin. I have been on that running trail in Ottawa. It was close to the hotel I stayed at for work.
Carmy says
Zip lining is SO much fun. Wish I could do it more often!
Allison says
Anson saw the spa pic and said lets go to Ottawa!!!! Looks like you had so much fun!
Carmy says
LOL! I saw they had one in Whitby!!!!!!!!
Wendy@Taking the Long Way Home says
What an amazing trip! I love that yoga in the park. I need to visit Quebec!
And BTW, I love arugula…
Carmy says
Is arugula supposed to taste bitter?! Or have I been eating it wrong my entire life?!
Debbie @ Coach Debbie Runs says
Such beautiful pictures! I don’t eat eggs, but I might just have to order something called Eggs in Purgatory. :-) (And I love arugula. And yes, it is supposed to taste a little bitter.)
Jeph says
That seems like quite the mini vacay. Loved getting a chance to run in Ottawa when I was there a month or so ago. The canal’s are awesome, aside from the spontaneous thunderstorm I had to endure. That was nuts. I have yet to really take my workouts on vacation with me. I had one when I was just getting back into running and I went out once over the course of a week, so my track record isn’t good, lol. I think you should start a yoga meetup in Toronto!
Carmy says
We have something similar run by Tribe over the weekend but it’s not very accessible to me and it’s quite early in the morning! Bummed you had a thunderstorm! It was raining when I was watching the light show but it kinda added to the mood haha
Nicole @ Fitful Focus says
I love active vacations like this! It sounds like you had a blast!
Ivanna says
This looks like a great time. Great photos. I try to remain active even on vaca as well.
Anna @ Piper's Run says
I love Quebec and Ottawa. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in both places but always enjoyed my time there. Looks like you had a great vacation!
Margo says
I love Canada in the summer time. The best! Great photos.
Meghan@CleanEatsFastFeets says
What a fantastic vacation. I’m not sure what I find more appealing: all the hiking, the outdoor yoga, the pizza and tacos in a single day, the aerial walking or the spa. It all sounds wonderful.
Happy Monday and thanks for linking up.
Mary Beth Jackson says
What a fun last minute active vacation! How cool! Love that huge outdoor yoga class, that is an amazing group of people outside for the same class :) Great photos, that zipline adventure sounds fun!
Deborah @ Confessions of a mother runner says
I love to explore new cities by foot or bike too. All your pics look great and it seems like you had an amazing vacation. We were supposed to go to Montreal this summer but postponed.
Susie @ SuzLyfe says
New places demand to be explored on foot! We are more likely to get out and wander cities than to do outdoorsy exploration activities, for the most part. But either way, we get out there!
HoHo Runs says
What a fun and active vacation you had! Those are the best kind, in my opinion. I can’t believe your aerial course took 3 1/2 hours. It looks amazing. What a great idea to spend your last day at the spa! I’ve never been to a spa with outdoor baths. That’s pretty cool. Thanks for linking, Carmy!
Lindsay @ Fit & Awesome says
Um, your trip looks amazing. I’m impressed by that aerial course. I have a fear of heights so that would have scared me. That yoga class looked incredible, too. Great recap!
Janelle @ Run With No Regrets says
What a fun trip! I would have loved that yoga session!
Kim Hatting says
Like you, I also try to explore as much on foot when on vacay. You can see the sights much better on foot than from a car, and the exercise is a bonus.
Danielle says
I ate at Wilf & Ada’s too when I was in Ottawa in the fall! So, so yummy! That is a seriously epic group of people doing yoga. I’m pretty sure we also did the same – or very similar hike! Haha. That aerial course looks terrifying and fun, and what a way to cap off vacation. There’s a Scandinave Spa in Whistler and I really want to go!
Tanja (the Red phone box travels) says
beautiful photos! maybe one day I visit Ottawa too:) #city tripping
Carmy says
You should! I know there’s going to be a huge event for next Canada day!
Kathryn @ Dancing to Running says
Zip lining is such a cool experience and a great way to see the outdoors from a different perspective.
Ruth says
I am notorious for embarking on a trip at the last moment. So, I understand when you threw some clothes in a suitcase (I sometimes do backpacks) at the speed of light. Ottawa and Quebec are two cities I have been wanting to visit for a long time. A road trip looks like a perfect way to visit.
Natalie says
Ahhh, I want to go to the Nordik spa – that looks heavenly!! What a fun trip and I loved how many people were doing yoga outside! I would love to explore Canada more :)
Cathy (MummyTravels) says
I think you deserved the spa at the end – it sounds amazing. I do love ziplining too, not something I knew you could do in Ottawa. #citytripping
Farrah says
hahaha, that’s cute that they’re selling cupcakes for their Pokemon fund, haha. :]
It’s so pretty out there! :] That aerial course sounds like so much fun! <3
Elizabeth (Wandeur mum) says
A very action packed holiday and a thoroughly deserved spa and massage at the end! Ottawa looks a brilliant city. Running is a great way to see a new place and get your bearings. We try and book hotels with a gym (especially if it isn’t a very active holiday) so we can get some exercise and try and stay on track. Otherwise we do lots of walking -particularly if on a city break. Thanks for linking to #citytripping
Gabi says
I liked the whole itinerary but I must admit the last day is what I loved the most! Give me a spa, water to soak in and relax and I’ll call it a holiday and smile all day long. :-)
These spa facilities are definitely going into my bucketlist.
Alberto C. says
Very nice trip, I loved Ottawa when I went there. Unfortunately I got terrible weather but the city has so much to see and do!
Janine says
I love this! I live in Toronto and have been to Ottawa many times but this was great! Yoga outside Parliament Hill? I would love to partake in such an event. I also want to go back to Montreal. Thanks for this inspiration to see more of my homeland.
Joanna says
Looks like you had a vacation full of exercise and adventure. I don’t do much to keep fit when I am on holiday. I just walk a lot and explore different places so that I never put weight on. I always come back from holidays fitter than I left.
Stella the Travelerette says
That looks like you had a lot of fun zip lining. The only exercise I like is walking so I just walk everywhere when I travel. I usually do a fun little exercise routine with my purse as a weight as well.
Blair Villanueva says
Beautiful city! And wow, this is the biggest yoga-thon I’ve seen. Looks like so much fun in Ottawa and Quebec :)
Subhadrika says
Wow that was quite an adventure i must say. I loved reading it and can see that you enjoyed it a lot. i would love to do the aerial course as I havnt tried anything like it before.
Judson L Moore says
We had a pubic day of yoga last summer in front of the Texas State Capital building… there were only a few dozen people. I guess people in Ottawa are just a lot more healthy!
Samantha says
When is the best time to visit Ottawa? I love finding new places to go ziplining.
Pier says
Such an informative and detailed post! I’m now adding this road trip to my bucket list – never thought of doing it, but definitely now on the to do list :) Thanks for sharing, with wonderful photos to really tell the story!
Inka says
This sounds like such a fun vacation. I never realized there was so many outdoor things to do in and around Ottawa. But honestly although the long walk around the pier would have been nice I just don’t get this Pokemon Go phase.
Lala says
What a wonderful impulsive trip. That is a crazy number of people doing yoga – is this run every week?
JONA | BACKPACKING WITH A BOOK says
Wow, you woke up early to run! I wish I could do that! When I travel, my day does not start until ten!